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It’s time these former 5-star players start living up to the hype
By Andrew Olson
Published:
There’s nothing quite like turning on the TV on National Signing Day, watching a five-star recruit sit in his high school gym, behind a table with four or five hats, preparing to announce his college destination. If Joe Bluechip puts on your team’s hat, it’s a cause for celebration as your team just got one of the most talented players in the country.
In 2013 and ’14, 33 composite five-star recruits signed with SEC teams according to 247Sports. Some, like LSU RB Leonard Fournette, are special talents who have an immediate impact as true freshmen. Others, like Alabama DE Jonathan Allen, need to gradually grow into their role. And then there’s a different group of five-stars, who in their third or fourth year on campus, have yet to live up to the hype.
It’s time for these five-stars to step it up this fall:
WR Robert Foster, Alabama
Class: 2013
Career numbers: 16 catches, 160 yards, 2 TD
It might seem unfair to put Foster on this list. In ’13 he redshirted, in ’14 he was a benchwarmer and in ’15 he dealt with shoulder and knee injuries. If he’s healthy, ’16 should be his coming out party in Tuscaloosa.
With Calvin Ridley, ArDarius Stewart and O.J. Howard all established parts of the passing game, Foster has his work cut out for him. As a former five-star signee in his fourth year on campus, it’s time for Foster to remind Crimson Tide fans he’s still on the roster.
LB Lorenzo Carter, Georgia
Class: 2014
Career numbers: 60 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 sacks
Carter got out to a solid start as a true freshman (41 tackles, 7 TFL, 4 sacks), but was far less of a contributor as a sophomore (19 tackles). Carter rejects the term sophomore slump and instead says his second-year regression was part of a learning process.
It’s probably best for Carter that after a frustrating sophomore season, he gets a fresh start with a new coaching staff. Kirby Smart recognizes Carter’s potential but says Carter is a player who has to be pushed. If Smart and the new staff take the right approach with Carter, they may finally be able to tap into that five-star talent.
RB Roc Thomas, Auburn
Class: 2014
Career numbers: 86 carries, 475 yards, 3 TD; 17 catches, 227 yards, TD
In 24 games at Auburn, Thomas has never cracked double-digit carries in a game. At the end of the spring, the consensus was that Jovon Robinson looked like the RB1 with Kamryn Pettway and Chandler Cox also earning touches.
Where does that leave Thomas? He might be Auburn’s best pass-catching running back with 11 catches for 200 yards last season and some receiving highlights on A-Day. However, as a five-star signee, Thomas was hyped as more than a pass-catching running back.
Texas A&M receivers
There’s a case to be made that Aggies wideouts Ricky Seals-Jones and Speedy Noil both fit the billing of five-star signees who haven’t lived up to the hype.
Seals-Jones, who signed in ’13 but missed that season due to injury, hasn’t had a terrible career (97 catches, 1109 yards, 9 TD), but his stats are the two-season numbers of a receiver playing second fiddle instead of being the go-to guy. Noil (67 catches, 809 yards, 7 TD) has flashed brilliance, but he’s missed time due to injuries and suspensions since signing in ’14.
Potentially keeping Seals-Jones and Noil from putting up five-star numbers is having to share the field with ’15 five-star signee Christian Kirk, who had a phenomenal freshman campaign (80 catches, 1009 yards, 7 TD).
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
