Five-Star Checkup: Freshmen DBs making an immediate impact
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Every Monday during the college football season we will check in on former five-stars to see how they are panning at out the next level. This week, we look at five freshman defensive backs who are already making an impact.
As a recruit: Surtain kept people guessing all the way until Signing Day when he committed to Alabama over Miami, LSU, Clemson and others.
What he did this week: Surtain was as high as No. 2 overall and a wire-to-wire five-star so we had big expectations for him going into college. But he’s even exceeding those expectations in his first year on campus at Alabama, where he has already locked down a starting spot for the Tide. In Saturday’s win over Texas A&M, Surtain had an excellent game, snagging an interception while also recording three tackles and a pass deflection. Surtain appears poised to be the next five-star cornerback to flourish with the Tide.
As a recruit: Radley-Hiles initially committed to Nebraska but later backed off the pledge and took long looks at Florida, UCLA and others before committing to Oklahoma.
What he did this week: Radley-Hiles has nabbed a starting job at Oklahoma and is quickly making an impact, both on defense and on special teams. In Saturday’s overtime victory over Army, Radley-Hiles had four tackles and also averaged nearly 27 yards per return while serving as the Sooners' primary kick returner. The man known as “Bookie” is already a fan favorite in Norman and his positional versatility also makes him a favorite of the Sooners' coaches.
As a recruit: Sterns committed to Texas during the spring of his junior year and never wavered on his pledge.
What he did this week: Texas scored a major victory over TCU and Sterns played a major role, snagging two interceptions and recording five tackles. The true freshman is already a mainstay in the Longhorns' defensive backfield and his ball-hawking instincts were on full display in the game. In just four career games, Sterns already had three interceptions and already looks like one of the Longhorns' best defensive players.
As a recruit: Campbell waited all the way until Signing Day before committing to Georgia over Tennessee, Miami and Alabama.
What he did this week: Much like his former high school teammate Surtain, Campbell has stepped right into the lineup for one of the nation’s top teams. In Saturday’s win at Missouri, Surtain set the tone early when he ripped the ball out of a receiver’s hands and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown. The play set the tone for an impressive day for the Bulldogs' defense and was evidence of the type of impact that Campbell can have on a game. He finished with three tackles as well and looks poised to be a fixture in Athens for years to come.
As a recruit: Woodbey made an early commitment to Ohio State but he spurned the Buckeyes to sign with Florida State during the early signing period last December.
What he did this week: it’s been a forgettable start to the Willie Taggart era at Florida State but the Seminoles appear to be righting the ship and Woodbey is playing a big part in his young career. In Saturday’s win over North Illinois he saw significant playing time, recording two tackles. His best game of the year came in the season-opener when he had nine tackles and one fumble recovery before suffering an injury. Obviously the Seminoles have a ways to go in the rebuilding effort, but Woodbey is poised to be a big part of the team’s defense going forward.
