The decade is coming to an end, so we continue to look at Rivals.com rankings and commitments from 2010-2019. Today, we look at the players who finished one spot outside the five-stars in each year and how they panned out.
MORE ALL-DECADE: Top QB | Top RB | Top WR/TE | Top OL | Top DT | Top DE | Top LB | Top DB | Most polarizing prospects | Biggest flips | Programs trending up, down | Biggest busts | Ranking the No. 1s | Crazy recruiting storylines in 2010
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals100 | Position | Team | State
2010: DT George Uko
Uko played three seasons at USC and had a solid career but wasn’t drafted in the NFL. He bounced around a few teams and won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos, but his career never really went as expected.
2011: OT Christian Westerman
Westerman went to Auburn before transferring to Arizona State and was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in 2016. He lasted a couple of seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals but is out of football now. His career never materialized the way we thought it would.
2012: OG Joshua Garnett
Garnett had a very solid career at Stanford and won the Outland Trophy in 2015. He was a first-rounder in 2016 and played two years for the San Francisco 49ers, but is now out of football. Based on his college career and first-round grade he should have been a five-star, despite his lack of success in the NFL.
2013: CB Chris Hawkins
Hawkins had a solid career at USC, but was undrafted by the NFL. He tried out for the Seattle Seahawks but didn’t make the team and has focused on being a coach. He’s a graduate assistant for the USC Trojans and will be an assistant and likely head coach someday.
2014: WR KD Cannon
Cannon had a monster career at Baylor with 3,113 yards and 27 touchdowns in three seasons but he left early for the NFL and wasn't drafted. San Francisco and others signed him, but he never played an NFL game. You wonder what would have happened if he didn’t enter early.
2015: OG Chuma Edoga
Edoga is the first player on this list that was a five-star player who lost that fifth star through the process. He had a very good career at USC and was named second-team all-Pac-12 in 2018 before being drafted in the third round by the New York Jets in 2019. He has played in eight NFL games so far.
2016: CB Chauncey Gardner
Gardner had a solid career at Florida and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Now known as Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, he has 27 tackles for the New Orleans Saints in his rookie year and looks to have a promising future.
2017: RB D’Andre Swift
Swift is in his third season at Georgia and is considered one of the top running backs in college football. He was named Second Team All-SEC last season after rushing for more than 1,000 yards and he should top that mark this year. He’s high on the boards of many NFL teams and could be a first- or second-rounder.
2018 – DE Tyreke Smith
Smith is in his second year at Ohio State and has three sacks this season in the defensive line rotation. Bigger things are expected of him next season after Chase Young leaves.
2019: LB Nakobe Dean
Dean, like Edoga, was once a five-star and later lost his fifth star. He has played this season as a true freshman for Georgia and has 20 tackles while showing great promise. He will push for a starting role next season.
