We aren’t reranking previous college football recruiting classes … yet. But we are going to take a look back at a former class and pinpoint a few prospects who made the biggest impacts for their schools (and, in some cases, the sport).
Recruiting rankings aren’t an exact science, and they always lead to debate about who will pan out or bust. Various factors can influence whether a recruit makes an impact at the school with which he signs, but every year there are a few stars who rise to the top.
Here, we’ll take a look at which recruits from the Class of 2018 have made the most of their short college careers so far.
QB Trevor Lawrence
2018 ESPN 300 rank: 2; No. 1 pocket-passing QB
School: Clemson
Lawrence, targeted by nearly every major program, was ranked behind only Justin Fields, a quarterback who signed with Georgia and later transferred to Ohio State. One of three signal-callers in that class (Fields and Emory Jones) from the state of Georgia ranked in the overall top 60, Lawrence made the most of his first year on campus, to say the least.
He enrolled at Clemson and beat out incumbent starter Kelly Bryant — who later transferred to Missouri — and threw for 3,280 yards, 30 touchdowns and four interceptions. He led Clemson to a national championship as a true freshman and is already being talked about as a potential No. 1 overall NFL draft pick once he’s eligible. There is no true freshman who had a greater impact on his team than Lawrence did at Clemson.