Five-Star Check Up: Defensive stars from the 2015 class
The second full weekend of college football is in the books and in our regular Monday feature, we check in on some former five-stars to see if they are living up to hype. This week we will focus on defensive players from the 2015 class.
MORE FIVE-STAR CHECK UP: Class of 2013 five-stars who are still in college
As a recruit: Wilkins had an eclectic list of suitors and officially visited Stanford, Penn State, Boston College, Ohio State and Clemson before announcing for the Tigers a month before Signing Day in 2015. Despite his talent, he didn’t earn five-star status until the final rankings update, following a dominant week at the Under Armour All-America Game.
What he did this week: Wilkins has been a playmaker since arriving at Clemson, even getting the chance to touch the ball on offense in a few select situations. On Saturday night in the Tigers 14-6 victory over Auburn, Wilkins was part of a Clemson defense that recorded 11 sacks, two of which came at the hands of Wilkins. He finished the game with 10 total tackles, a big number for a defensive tackle in any game, let alone a marquee matchup like the one against Auburn. Wilkins is shaping up to be one of the top prospects in next year’s NFL Draft.
As a recruit: The No. 1 overall player in the 2015 class, Cowart was a dominant force and a physical specimen as a high school recruit, drawing interest from the nation’s top programs. After a dramatic recruitment that ultimately came down to Auburn and Florida, Cowart followed Will Muschamp from Gainesville to the Plains and announced for the Tigers on National Signing Day.
What he did this week: Cowart has seen spot playing time over his first two years at Auburn, bouncing between defensive tackle and defensive end. After drawing some praise during camp and following week one it appeared he might be poised for more playing time against Clemson, but instead Cowart was a backup and failed to record a statistic. Cowart’s career at Auburn hasn’t gone how anyone expected and with a stable of loaded defensive linemen in front of him on the depth chart, it doesn’t look like 2017 is going to be his breakout season, either.
As a recruit: One of the best cornerback prospects to come out of California in recent years, Marshall was sought after by programs from coast-to-coast. He officially visited Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Oregon and Notre Dame but none of those programs could keep him from committing to his hometown school, USC, on Signing Day in 2015.
What he did this week: Marshall was part of a USC defensive unit that stifled conference rival Stanford in a 42-24 victory for the Trojans. The Cardinal were limited to just 172 yards passing and Marshall had three tackles as well as three pass break ups. Marshall has played from Day 1 at USC and if he chooses to leave school early, he could turn into a top draft prospect with a quality junior year.
As a recruit: The initial No. 1 overall player in the country in the 2015 class, Thompson kept a relatively low profile during his recruitment, deferring to his mother for most of the process. After taking several unofficial visits, he committed to Georgia prior to the start of his senior season. Despite a late push from Auburn that included an official visit, Thompson stuck with Georgia.
What he did this week: Thompson played a major role in Georgia’s 20-19 victory at Notre Dame and continues to be one of the Bulldogs' best defensive linemen. Thompson has seen regular playing time since arriving in Athens and appears poised for another big season in 2017, which could help boost his NFL Draft stock.
As a recruit: Lucier-South racked up a ton of offers during his high school days an officially visited Oregon, Oklahoma and Michigan, but ultimately decided to stay close to home and commit to UCLA during November of his senior season.
What he did this week: Lucier-South redshirted in his first year on campus in 2015 and during 2016 he played in all 12 games for the Bruins, mostly on special teams. This could be a breakout year for Lucier-South and while he didn’t record a statistic in the Bruins' win over Hawaii, he had the best game of his career the week before against Texas A&M, which also included his first career sack. Lucier-South is a little bit behind some of the other 2015 five-stars, but it looks like his best days as a college player are still ahead of him.