1. Jeff Samardzija
ALL-AMERICAN WIDE-RECEIVER AT NOTRE DAME, 3X ALL-STATE
Samardzija was a three-time All-State and Indiana’s Mr. Football runner up in high school. At Notre Dame, he was a star receiver, earning Consensus All-american honors in 2005. He was on Mel Kipper’s top 10 on his big board for the NFL draft. He was the team Co-MVP with Brady Quinn in 2005, and when he graduated, he owned Notre Dame’s record for single season catches (77), yards (1,249), receiving TD’s (12), and TD’s (15) and career TD’s (27) and receiving yards (2,539). He’s still the all-time leader in career receptions at the school (179). A two-time finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff trophy, Samardzija originally planned on playing in the MLB and NFL.
2. Joe Mauer
USA TODAY, GATORADE, PARADE NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Mauer was considered the number one baseball prospect and number one football prospect in the country his senior year, winning the Gatorade, USA Today, and Parade National Player of the Year awards in both sports. A Reebok/ESPN All-American, he set a state record with 41 touchdown passes as a senior, and led his team to two consecutive Class 5A Championships and one state title. In his two years as a starter, he threw for over 5,500 yards and 73 touchdowns. The Wendy’s High School Heisman recipient committed to play at Florida State over Minnesota, Arizona, and Miami.
3. Matt Szczur
FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN AT VILLANOVA
Szczur was a captain and two-time Gazette Leader player of the year in high school. At Villanova, he was an NFL draft prospect, earning second-team All-CAA offers as a freshman and consensus first-team All-American honors as a sophomore, also garnering CAA Offensive Player of the Year, CAA Special Teams Player of the Year, First-team All-CAA performer, and MVP of the national championship game honors.He is the only player in D1 (FBS or FCS) to register a touchdown as a receiver, rusher, passer, and kick returner. He logged 1,803 career rushing yards (17 TD’s), 1,486 receiving yards (11 TD’s), 1,690 kickoff return yards (2 TD’s), and 206 passing yards (5 TD’s). He ranks 11th in school history in career rushing yards and most points, 14th in career receiving yards, and 5th in career TD’s.
4. Matt Holliday
ALL-AMERICAN QUARTERBACK IN HIGH SCHOOL
Holliday was an All-American quarterback in high school. Former Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Jimmy Johnson forecasted Holliday as “couldn’t miss”. He had 6,211 career passing yards and 68 touchdowns. He was Oklahoma’s All-State Offensive and Gatorade State Player of the Year. Considered one of the top three quarterback recruits in the nation, his 35 TD passes junior year set a then-record in the state. After seemingly endless football offers, he committed to play at Oklahoma State.
5. Kyle Parker
#34 PLAYER IN NATION; FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN AT CLEMSON
Parker was ranked #34 in the nation and the #4 signal caller by ESPN. An Under Armour All-American, Parker threw for 1,850 yards and rushed for 700 more, scoring a total of 27 TD’s, during his junior campaign. He was the starting quarterback for Clemson in 2010 and 2011, setting team freshman records for completions, passing yards, and TD’s, earning second-team Freshman All-American (College Football News) and first-team Freshman All-ACC (Sporting News) honors.
6. Desmond Jennings
ALL-AMERICAN AT ITAWAMBA CC
Jennings, the cousin of offensive lineman Andre Smith, was a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, being called “one of the best football players in the state of Alabama, period”. His senior year, he rushed for 1,334 yards with 22 touchdowns and completed 139 of 215 passes for another 1,701 yards and 19 touchdowns. A two-time All-state honorable mention, Jennings made first-team All-State in 2004. That year, he was also named 2004 5A Back of the Year, 2004 All-American by PrepNation, and was runner up for Mr. Football. He signed with Alabama, but didn’t qualify academically, so he played at Itawamba Community College. He netted 848 yards and six touchdowns in eight games, leading all Junior College receivers with 54 receptions and earning All-American honors.
7. Matt Tuiasosopo
#16 PLAYER
A can’t-miss, five-star recruit at Rivals, Tuiasosopo was pegged as the #2 quarterback in the country and #16 player. A participant in the US Army All-American Bowl, he signed a letter of intent to play at Washington, turning down offers from UCLA, Washington State, USC, Stanford, and Nebraska.
8. Jarred Mitchell
#97 PLAYER; ONE OF TWO PLAYERS TO WIN BCS CHAM. AND COLLEGE WS
Mitchell was considered Louisiana’s top receiving prospect out of high school, even though he primarily played quarterback for Westgate. He led them to the Class 5A quarterfinals, and was named to Tigerbait.com Louisiana Top 20, Baton Rogue Advocate Super Dozen, New Orleans Times-Picayune Top 16 Blue-Chip List, Mobile Register Super Southeast 120, and Orlando Sentinel All-Southern Team. He was the Class 5A offensive MP in 2005 after passing for 1,120 yards and ten touchdowns and rushing for 834 yards and twelve touchdowns. The year before, he accounted for well over 2,500 total yards as a junior. Rivals.com pegged him as the #10 receiver in the nation, #97 overall player in the nation, and #3 player in Louisiana. He continued playing at LSU, where he became one of two players in history to win the College World Series and BCS championship. He chose LSU over Florida, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Stanford.
9. Clayton Richard
#71 PLAYER
Indiana’s Mr. Football, Richard was a four-star recruit ranked #1 in his state, #4 at quarterback, and #71 in the nation. He chose Michigan over offers from Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue, and UCLA. He served as a backup quarterback on Michigan’s football team.
10. Adam Dunn
TOP THREE QB’S IN NATION
Some experts saw Dunn among the top three quarterbacks in high school, throwing for 44 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards. He visited Texas A&M and Notre Dame, and was also recruited by Tennessee. After being signed by the Reds, he also played for the University of Texas at Austin, redshirting his freshman year, and eventually leaving after being asked to move positions.
11. Scott Carroll
STARTING QB AT MISSOURI
The brother of a Kansas State player, Carroll was All-State, All-Metro, All-District, and All-Conference in high school. In his junior and senior years, he combined to throw for nearly 3,200 yards with 29 touchdowns. SuperPrep had him as the #23 signal caller in the country while Rivals put him at #30. He played at Purdue before transferring to Missouri State, becoming their starting quarterback. At Missouri, he passed for 1,425 yards with seven touchdowns and a 60.4% completion rate, earning a QB rating of 124.8.
12. Donovan Tate
#83 PLAYER IN NATION
Tate, once a top prospect, is looking like another bust, sitting out this year with an injury. But he was a damn good football player. A four star recruit at Rivals, he was ranked the #5 quarterback in the nation and #83 overall player. His senior year, he completed 68 of 117 passes for 1,197 yards and 17 touchdowns in just six games at quarterback. He also rushed for three more TD’s, made ten catches for 223 yards, and played multiple positions on defense, intercepting three balls and making 43 tackles. The two-sport All-American committed to play football at North Carolina.
13. Bubba Starling
#119 PLAYER IN NATION; US ARMY ALL-AMERICAN
Starling was the #2 player in Kansas, #6 athlete in the nation, and #119 player in the nation by Rivals.com. Scout.com and ESPN also ranked him among their top ten Quarterbacks. A first-team Class 5A All-State pick, he was the Kansas City Star’s All-metro Team Offensive captain, SuperPrep Magazine Midlands Region Offensive Player of the Year, and participated in the US Army All-American game in San Antonio. During his three seasons as starter, he led the team to a 33-4 record, accounting for over 8,100 yards and 97 touchdowns. He received offers from an abundance of schools (Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Kansas St, Louisville, Miami, Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Notre Dame), but ultimately committed to play at Nebraska.
14. Zach Lee
SUPERPREP ALL-AMERICAN; 80 GRADE PROSPECT
Lee was the number 9 signal caller in the country according to Rivals.com and ESPN. He was a four star (Rivals) and 80 grade (ESPN) prospect and SuperPrep All-American. In his senior and junior campaigns, he passed for over 5,250 yards and rushed for over 650 while scoring 48 TD’s (with just 6 interceptions). He also had 14 punts with a 34.7 yard average. He was highly recruited, and committed to LSU, turning down offers from Nebraska, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Ole Miss, and Texas Tech.
15. Archie Bradley
#19 QB IN NATION BY ESPN
Bradley was ranked the third best in his state and #13 pro-style QB in the nation (247sports.com). A 79 grade prospect by ESPN, they ranked him as the #19 QB in the country. He committed to play at the University of Oklahoma after also looking at UCLA, Tulsa, OK State, Texas Tech, and Houston.
16. Casey Kelly
#17 QB IN NATION BY RIVALS
A two-time regional player of the year at quarterback in high school, Kelly was a 78 grade prospect by ESPN, who pegged him as the #31 quarterback in the nation. He was a three-star recruit at Rivals.com, who called him the #17 signal-caller in the nation. Kelly committed to play at Tennessee over offers from Arizona State, Duke, NC State, Northern Colorado, Oregon, and West Virginia.
17. Domonic Brown
77 GRADE AT ESPN
Domonic Brown received a 77 grade by ESPN and three star rating by Rivals. He was the #43 receiver in the nation and #23 player in the state, according to ESPN. He committed to play at Miami, also receiving offers from Florida State, NC State, and South Florida.
18. Grady Sizemore
COMMITTED TO PLAY AT WASHINGTON
Sizemore left his high school as the all-time leader in rushing yards (3,081) and interceptions (16) as well as the greatest quarterback in the school’s history. He was first-team WesCo 4A as a running back and defensive back. After being recruited by Cal, ASU, Washington State, Clemson, and UC-Berkley, he signed a LOT to play for Washington.
19. Carl Crawford
COMMITTED TO PLAY AT NEBRASKA
Crawford was all-state in high school, and signed a letter of intent to quarterback at Nebraska, turning down recruiting attempts from Oklahoma, USC, Florida, and Tulsa.
20. Dan Klein
#30 QB IN NATION BY RIVALS
One of Baltimore’s top pitching prospects, Klein was a 73 grade (ESPN) and three-star recruit and ranked the #30 quarterback in the country (Rivals). A three year varsity starter, his senior year he completed 111 of 171 passes (65%) for 1,496 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a junior, he had a 62% completion rate, throwing for 2,005 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he threw for 1,860 yards. An All-Series League and two-time Sierra League Offensive MVP, Klein turned down several offers to play football at Pac-10 schools.
JUST MISSED: Billy Hamilton, Will Middlebrooks, Sonny Gray, Marc Krauss, Kyle Kendrick, Brandon Phillips, Alex Gordon, Gordon Beckham, Nick Swisher, CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, Brandon Guyer, Eric Young Jr., Neil Walker, Andrew McCutchen, Jace Peterson, Seth Smith, Perci Garner, Tyrell Jenkins, Jason Kipnis
Billy Hamilton -
CC Sabathia -
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