Photo Credit: Jordan Prather, USA TODAY Sports
College football has become a year-round moneymaker thanks in part to the obsession with recruiting. When there’s no football on campus’ across America, there’s still an appetite for fanbases to consume content about their programs and the directions they’re heading.
Recruiting feeds rabid fans as they scour the internet for rumors and Hudl highlights, while consuming commitment videos and school finalist lists. Recruiting has taken on a life of its own, much like the NFL Draft at the pro level.
Tossing NIL into the equation has only made recruiting more contentious (see: Jimbo Fisher vs. Nick Saban), and of course in a year with an offspring from the first family of football — Arch Manning is reportedly down to Georgia or Texas — in the class, fans are more plugged in than ever. But most are focused on the four and five-star recruits aka the blue chips because, for the most part, those are the recruits with championship pedigree and bright NFL futures.
Yet, every NFL Draft class has guys who were overlooked or slipped through the cracks and didn’t get tagged with the coveted four-or-five-stars title.
When recruiting services like 247 are evaluating thousands of high school players a year, they’re bound to let some go overlooked — much like college football programs and NFL teams. As we push towards the college football season, there are plenty of 2023 NFL Draft prospects in the Power-5 who were nothing more than three-star recruits, but that hasn’t stopped them from outplaying their ranking.
Whereas making it as a lower recruit in the Group of Five is the norm, becoming a star in the P5 after being viewed as an afterthought in a programs recruiting class can be an impossible task.
Who will be the next non-blue chip recruit on the offensive side of the ball to reach stardom in the NFL à la George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Jonathan Taylor?
*All players recruiting rankings are based off of 247Sports composite rankings which combines recruitment ratings from 247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN to provide an overall rating.
Quarterback: Will Levis, Kentucky
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Three-star (2018)
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No. 652 nationally
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No. 28 pro-style QB
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No. 2 in Connecticut
Recruiting rankings work by ranking players based on their potential as NFL prospects. So, theoretically five-star recruits are first-round talents (and there’s approximately 32 in every class), high four-star recruits are Day 2 players, and the middle to lower four-star recruits round out the draftable players (there are over 350 four and five-star recruits in any given class).
Basically, a three-star recruit isn’t a player who the recruiting services view as a future NFL player. To go from a three-star to a potential first-round player, especially at the quarterback position, is indescribably impressive. That’s what Will Levis has a chance to do.
After red-shirting at Penn State and spending the next two years as a Taysom Hill like player for the Nittany Lions, Levis transferred to Kentucky. In Lexington, he went from backup gadget quarterback to full-fledged SEC playmaker. Now, as he enters his senior season with the Wildcats, he has a real shot at becoming the top senior passer in the country and potentially the third quarterback selected in the 2023 NFL Draft (assuming things go as planned for CJ Stroud and Bryce Young).
Under Mark Stoops, Kentucky has found stability going 47-29 with six straight bowl appearances since 2016. They’ve been built like a Big-10 team with their hefty offensive line, stout defense, and physical running attack, but they’ve never had a constant threat at QB (sorry, Terry Wilson).
Then, in one swift offseason Stoops brought in Levis from State College and offensive coordinator Liam Coen from the LA Rams. That led to instant offense with Coen taking pieces of the spread and marrying it to the Sean McVay heavy 11 personnel scheme.
The offense allowed the stars to align for Levis as his physical tools were easily utilized while allowing him to work in an offense with pro concepts. In his first season as a starter, he threw for 2,826 yards and 24 TDs while completing 66% of his passes on 8.0 YPA while adding 376 rushing yards and nine TDs. The arm talent was never a question, but seeing Levis attack both outside the hashes and the middle of the field on intermediate throws throughout the season started to build buzz around his prospects in the NFL.
Having a quarterback in the SEC with Levis’ size (6-3, 232 pounds), athleticism, and the type of arm that makes the ball jump out his hand, and fans out of their seats, is reason enough to start dreaming about his NFL future.
But then to see him in Coan’s offense where it’s not just layups and actually has him go under center to use play-action (and turn his back to a defense, something most college passers are rarely asked to do), attack down the seam, and has him work progressions from one side of the field to the other is a whole other animal.
That being said, Levis still has a long way to go to reach NFL first-round talent. He needs to cut down on his “screw it” plays where he relies too much on his arm and not what he’s seeing to force passes into windows that aren’t there. Getting smarter with taking what’s given will help reduce his turnover worthy plays (13 interceptions in 2021) and open up easier downfield shots.
He’ll also need to improve his footwork. His eyes and feet aren’t always on the same page which can mess with his internal clock and lead to some whiffs. Tying his feet to his eyes can help with some of his touch issues that arise when he’s not on time.
If Levis improves those parts of his game, NFL teams will be itching to get a guy of his physical talent in their building. With his arm, twitched up athleticism, clean throwing stroke, and experience with pro concepts, Levis could be a shoo-in to be QB3. He’ll also need to get used to playing without go-to guy Wan’Dale Robinson (selected 43rd by the Giants in the 2022 NFL Draft) and adjust to new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello’s scheme (Coan took the Rams OC job). Luckily, Scangarello comes from the Kyle Shanahan tree and should operate a similar offense to Coan, if not with more play-action from under center.
Will Levis has the physical tools you love in a QB and getting to watch him in Liam Coen’s offense last year was a lot of fun—looked so good on PA boots like this one. Can’t wait to see him and that laser of an arm take it up a notch this year with Rich Scangarello pic.twitter.com/HeEAERRyYv
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) June 6, 2022
Running Back: Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State
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Three-star (2020)
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No. 1235 nationally
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No. 16 all-purpose back
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No. 157 in Texas
Running backs grow on trees and because of that they’ve lost value in the NFL. It’s a position NFL teams can find on day two and beyond. In college football, running back is still one of the most notable positions on the field and year in and year out a five-star quickly lives up to their billing (Bijan Robinson in 2020 and TreVeyon Henderson in 2021). Yet, it’s also a position where it doesn’t take long for a team to find out they have a hidden gem because it’s a position with so much talent at the high school level.
One way to get overlooked by recruiting services and Power-5 programs alike is to be so short that they literally overlook you. That’s the problem Decue Vaughn had coming out of high school despite racking up 5,472 career all-purpose yards in the state of Texas and being the son of a long-time college coach and NFL scout.
It’s probably hard for a lot of programs to justify taking a running back who’s at best 5-6 and 180 pounds soaking wet regardless of their talent.
It’s fitting Vaughn ended up in Manhattan, Kansas for two reasons. First, because Bill Snyder built the program on finding undervalued talent and helping those players reach their potential. Secondly, because the two leading rushers in school history were both under 5-8 (Darren Sproles and John Hubert).
The Wildcats have a thing for tiny backs who provide all-purpose versatility. It might not be long until Vaughn makes it so K-State’s top three rushers of all-time are shorties — he needs just 805 rushing yards to be third in school history.
Two seasons into his Wildcats career, Vaughn has already rushed for 2,046 yards while adding 902 receiving and 31 total touchdowns. He’s become must watch TV on Saturday’s and though he isn’t the same type of prospect as Big-12 contemporary Bijan Robinson (a potential first-round pick), Vaughn is a poster boy for how important finding a program that fits the player is, because he’s likely to go from not being a top 1,200 high school recruit to being a top 262 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Although the conversation will always start with Vaughn’s size, the reason he can be viewed as a bit of an outlier is because of his ability in the passing game. The modern NFL has seen an uptick in backs whose value comes on passing downs with their slot receiver like skills out of the backfield (Sproles started the satellite back trend but players like Nyheim Hines, JD McKissic, and James White have continued it), and that’s what makes Vaughn so interesting.
He’s a natural pass catcher with the juice and contact balance to make plays in space after the catch.
As a true runner, Vaughn’s can hit his top gear in no time allowing him to create a healthy dose of explosive plays. There are numerous times on tape where he erases the angles of DBs, turning 10-yard runs into 40-yard house calls.
The combo of speed and quickness to change direction makes him a scary player in the open field. It helps that he doesn’t let his size define him as a runner and is more than willing to run between the tackles and fight through first contact to pick up tough yards.
Entering his junior season, the best improvement Vaughn can make for his draft stock is to become a dog in pass protection (Kyren Williams is a great example of a player who helped scouts forget about his size by being a vicious pass protector).
His size shows up as an issue there and to be a trustworthy satellite back in the NFL, he’s going to have to pass protect just as well as he catches the ball.
What head coach Chris Klieman has found in Vaughn is the heart and soul of his hard-nosed football team. He’s the engine that keeps the ship running for Kansas State and should once again be one of the most productive and dynamic players in college football.
With former Heisman finalist Collin Klein taking over as offensive coordinator, it will be interesting to see if the Wildcats get more creative with Vaughn’s usage this season — seeing him move around as a chess piece will only help his draft stock.
Deuce Vaughn might be small, but he’s a lot like another Mighty Mouse RB from K-State 👀 Shot out of a cannon on this 65-yard TD run and runs by JT Woods (who ran a 4.36 at the combine). pic.twitter.com/iqhT1GHfdX
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) May 30, 2022
Wide Receiver: Dontay Demus Jr., Maryland
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Three-star (2018)
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No. 865 nationally
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No. 131 wide receiver
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No. 9 in DC
There’s more receiver talent than ever coming out of the high school ranks and the over saturation of the position has bled into the NFL with more instant impact rookies and day two and three starters assimilating to the league faster (which in turn has had played a role on the movement of star NFL receivers in recent years).
Part of this can be attributed to the rise of 7-on-7 and high school receivers being more ready to contribute immediately upon stepping onto campus. That’s helped more Power-5 programs find receivers who might be short on stars but not on talent.
Chris Olave is a perfect example of this, he went from three-star to the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft after becoming a dominant force in the Big-10 at Ohio State. Another Big-10 receiver who was under recruited but has become a force (when healthy) is Maryland’s Dontay Demus Jr.
Prior to tearing his ACL against Iowa last year — and yelling “I’m coming back” (for his senior season) to the sideline — Demus was on pace to be one of the most productive receivers in the country. Through five games, he had 28 receptions for 507 yards and three TDs while averaging a staggering 18.1 per catch.
For the last three seasons, Demus Jr. has been a killer for head coach Mike Locksley because of the mismatch he creates on the field. His combo of size (6-4, 215 pounds) and suddenness has made him one of the scariest X-receivers in the conference, and this season he should be one of the scariest in the country.
There aren’t many players in college football with the route running capabilities he possesses as a true outside 50/50 ball winner and that’s not even mentioning his speed to separate and create deep.
Demus is the rare X-receiver in college football, who has every ice cream flavor to his game, he’s the Neapolitan of playmakers. His ability to sink his hips as a big man and explode in and out of his breaks is scary and creates issues for bigger corners on the outside.
There’s also the lateral quickness he brings that helps him both as a route runner and as a YAC player with the ball in his hand. Finding a receiver with power forward size and point guard skills is damn near impossible, but Demus has both. That’s what makes him an impossible cover for both the smaller technicians at corners and the big bullies on the outside.
If not for the torn ACL five games into the season, Demus Jr. was well on his way to being one of the top receivers in the 2022 NFL Draft class. Returning to the Terrapins and giving them an entire healthy season could help him earn the tag of top senior offensive prospect in the country, if everything breaks right for him.
It can’t be said enough, players with his wide array of skills are coveted by the NFL. It will help too he’s got his starting quarterback returning in Taulia Tagovailoa throwing, and former five-star receiver Rakim Jarrett (they make one of the best receiver duos in the country).
Locksley and Maryland offensive coordinator Dan Enos will certainly find a myriad of ways to get those two touches this season.
It’s not easy to find receivers as big as Dontay Demus with this kind of suddenness as a route runner. Before he tore his ACL last season he had over 500 yards in five games. Expect him to be one of the top SR prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/OqjVV07T4l
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) June 6, 2022
Tight End: Sam LaPorta, Iowa
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Three-star (2019)
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No. 1174 nationally
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No. 55 tight end
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No. 24 in Illinois
The midwest has become a breeding ground for under recruited players who go on to shine at the Power Five level. The two schools that have made overachieving players their identity have been Kansas State under Snyder and Iowa under both Hayden Fry and now Kirk Ferentz.
Ferentz has been at Iowa since 1999 and in that time he’s had more than 70 players drafted, and tens more make rosters. Of those players, 15 of his tight ends have played in the NFL — most notably Dallas Clark and George Kittle — and the Hawkeyes have been a constant in the tight end U debate.
It feels like every year Iowa’s got offensive linemen and tight ends. Iowa City has become the place to be if you want to be developed into a pro at the position, and most of the time it’s happening with guys who weren’t blue chip recruits.
Kittle and first-round picks Noah Fant and TJ Hockenson were all three-star recruits, who became so much more at Iowa. The next man up is senior Sam LaPorta.
LaPorta, who played wide receiver in high school, was just a three-star despite finishing second in Illinois high school history in receiving touchdowns (50) and third in receiving yards (3,793).
Of course, Iowa saw this oversize receiver dominating just one state next door and knew they could turn him into a star tight end. Fast forward three seasons, and LaPorta poised to be one of the top tight ends in the country while coming off a 53-catch, 670-yard season.
It doesn’t take long to figure out LaPorta is a former receiver. The way he sets up his routes and moves fluidly in and out of his breaks creates all kinds of issues for safeties and linebackers when asked to man-up on him. His spacial awareness and subtleties as a route runner (spacing, stemming, pacing, body control) make him such a tough cover at his size.
On top of that, his ball skills are probably his best trait. He has soft hands and a natural ability to track the ball when it’s in the air. When it comes to working over the middle, he’s physical and attacks the ball when finding holes and sitting down in coverage.
To make an even bigger leap this season (and potentially be the top senior tight end selected — he’s battling with fellow non-blue chip recruit Dalton Kincaid), he needs to improve as a playmaker after the catch and a blocker at the point of attack.
The Hawkeyes move LaPorta around to create mismatches lining him up in-line, at slot, and in the backfield as an H-back/fullback. At times, he’s asked to make key blocks from those spots and can struggle to sustain because of shaky technique (again, a former receiver) and lack of power. The most important thing is that he’s willing, he just needs to get stronger, improve hand placement, and play with more consistent leverage.
As Iowa looks to return to the Big Ten Championship Game, the offense will need to rely heavily on LaPorta (the leading receiver on last year’s team) with shaky QB play and 1,000-yard rusher Tyler Goodson gone.
Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz could look to get LaPorta the ball more consistently this season (he had six games with three catches or less last season) in more creative ways (improving YAC is important for him to justify scheming him the ball in space). A Trey McBride type of season shouldn’t be out of the question for LaPorta in 2022.
All Iowa does is produced NFL tight ends and Sam LaPorta is the next one. Really smooth through his routes and possesses excellent ball skills. Also a big effort blocker. pic.twitter.com/hws5I9FuXf
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) June 7, 2022
Offensive Tackle: Dawand Jones, Ohio State
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Three-star (2019)
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No. 1044 nationally
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No. 86 offensive tackle
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No. 13 in Indiana
Few programs have recruited to the level of Ohio State under Ryan Day. The Buckeyes are one of the few non-SEC schools to compete with the likes of Georgia and Alabama on the recruiting trail the last few years, and it has shown with their output on the field.
Of course, every great recruiter can find mislabeled three-star hidden gems capable of playing for a blue blood program. Much like Day did with Olave, he found Dawand Jones — who was the lowest rated recruit in Ohio State’s 2019 class — and has gotten the most out of him.
Coming out of a powerhouse high school in Indiana, Jones is a mammoth tackle who excelled both on the turf and the hardwood. His dominance on the basketball court (17 PPG, 9 RPG) at his size led to multiple Division I scholarship offers on top of the ones he earned in football.
At Ohio State, he came in sandwiched between classes of five-star tackles (Nicholas Petit-Frere in 2018 and Paris Johnson Jr. in 2019), which only further led to him being viewed as an afterthought. After seeing some action during the COVID-19 shortened season, he finally got his shot last season and rewarded the staff that believed in him.
The 6-8, 360-pound bulldozer won the starting right tackle job out of camp with Petit-Frere moving from the right to the left side. It didn’t take long for Jones to become more than a walk off the bus body as he became an integral part of one of the best offenses in college football.
He used his power to help bully in the run game, and his length to wash pass rushers by Stroud all season long. By the end of last year, he’d gone from surprise starter to celebrated senior skipping the NFL Draft for one more run in Columbus.
Now, Jones is viewed as one of the top senior offensive linemen in the 2023 NFL Draft and one of the most interesting prospects to watch because of his gargantuan size. On the right side of Day’s offensive line, Jones has added a little extra oomph with his physical playing style and knack for playing through the whistle.
This has helped him become a force in the run game where he’s capable of using his power at the point of attack to move defensive linemen out of their gaps. He’s also a shockingly nimble mover for his size and can consistently reach the second level to take linebackers out of the play. With his size, leverage can become an issue when more athletic front seven players get underneath him to beat him in the run game.
In pass protection, the same issues with leverage can hinder his anchor at times, but his pure strength helps make up for it. Jones is a big boy, but he’s not a sloppy body, and his lateral quickness allows him to handle speed rushers despite some flaws in his technique.
To take his game up a notch, he must do a better job reaching landmarks with a smooth kick step and not allowing his base to get too skinny. His length and athleticism have become the aces-up-his-sleeve in pass pro against less refined pass rushers, but in the NFL, his hands will need to become his best weapons to make up for some of his shortcomings.
In an offensive tackle class that’s still murky, Jones’ blend of size, physicality, and athleticism could help him go from the 86th best offensive tackle in his recruiting class to a top 86 pick in April.
With teammate Johnson Jr. manning the left side and being viewed as a future first-round pick, every Saturday this fall Jones will have the opportunity to show he’s not far behind the former five-star.
Interior Offensive Line: Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas
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Three-star (2019)
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No. 501 nationally
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No. 6 center
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No. 8 in Oklahoma
One of the most praised turnarounds in college football has been the Arkansas Razorbacks under Sam Pittman. In the three seasons prior to Pittman arriving, the team was 8-28 with just one SEC win. In two seasons with Pittman at the helm, they’ve gone 12-11 with seven SEC wins.
He’s made the pig sooie callers proud of their program, and he’s done it by building a big, physical, and downright nasty team with a bunch of hog mollies in the trenches.
The longtime SEC offensive line coach knows what he’s doing when it comes to the development of the tone setters up front, so it’s not surprising he’s helped turn Ricky Stromberg into one of the most well-known centers in college football.
The three-year starter has manned the middle of the Hogs offensive line since showing up on campus and enters 2022 as a Rimington Trophy (best center in college football) favorite and a likely All-American candidate.
Prior to injury last season, Stromberg was already viewed as a potential top center in a deep interior offensive line class for the 2022 NFL Draft. His return to Fayetteville was both huge for the program and his stock. Entering the season, Stromberg’s a top-150 prospect with room to move up the board as he calls signals up front for a top 25 program.
It starts with the run game for him where he can be devastating at times with the powerful pop in his hands, non-stop leg drive, and willingness to make sure the defender feels every play through the whistle.
He’s a natural power center but has shown enough athleticism to make reach blocks and work up to the second level to seal off linebackers. His understanding of angles has been a big plus in making up for some of his athletic deficiencies.
When working in pass protection, Stromberg has a good understanding of what he’s seeing pre-snap and helps get his offensive line on the same page in order to deal with blitzes, stunts, etc. His IQ and grasp of the offense is his greatest asset on passing downs.
At times, he can struggle when left on an island one-on-one because his feet/lateral quickness aren’t ideal when asked to handle more athletic interior defensive linemen. Power can also be an issue when he’s left alone because his anchor isn’t as strong as it could be — something that scouts will have a keen eye on this season.
All in all, Stromberg has been one of the program changers for Arkansas under Pittman and has been a top center in the SEC for multiple seasons. In today’s NFL, the center position lacks value and there’s been a trend of teams finding experienced, smart, and physical middlemen on Day three of the draft who develop into starters.
Right now, that’s exactly what Stromberg is, and he’ll need to clean some things up to enter the top-100 conversation. That being said, he has the makeup of an NFL starter.
One of the most experienced returning players in CFB, Arkansas C Ricky Stromberg is a nasty run blocker. Chips the 1T on the down block before climbing to the second level to clear the LB out to spring this first down run. One of the top SR NFL Draft prospects in the country. pic.twitter.com/eMO5lbuYLc
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) June 8, 2022