Five-Star Checkup: Linebackers that made an impact on Week 5
MORE WOMMACK: Five weird things from Week 5 | Commitment Issues Podcast recaps Week 5
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 linebackers who had a major impact on the action in Week Five.
As a recruit: After picking up a number of major offers, Lamar’s recruitment came down to three schools: Clemson, Auburn and Alabama. After visiting all three programs during the spring of his junior year, it was the Tigers who landed his commitment prior to the start of his senior season.
What he did this week: Lamar has emerged as the man in the middle of Clemson’s defense and in Saturday’s comeback victory over Syracuse, he was all over the field. He finished the game with 10 total tackles, including one for loss and one quarterback hurry. It was Lamar’s second most productive game of the season and he now has 33 total tackles through five games. The Tigers defense is known for its defensive line strength, but Lamar is making a case for recognition as well.
As a recruit: Phillips took official visits to Oregon, Notre Dame and Alabama before announcing his commitment to Oklahoma in October 2016. But as National Signing Day drew closer, the lure of playing in the SEC continued to pull at Phillips, and eventually he flipped his commitment from the Sooners to the Tigers just a few weeks before Signing Day.
What he did this week: Phillips stepped into the starting lineup this year and has become a tackling machine alongside Devin White on the Tigers' defense. In Saturday’s win over Ole Miss, it was once again White and Phillips at the top of the tackles list, with Phillips finishing WITH six total, including one for loss. Phillips total on the season is now up to 36 and includes and his resume includes an interception return for a touchdown. LSU’s defense has been key to the team’s 5-0 start and Phillips emergence as been big for the Tigers.
As a recruit: Gustin took a little longer than some to burst onto the national scene but by the time his senior season rolled around he had options from all over the country. He officially visited Utah, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Arizona State and USC and the Trojans pulled quite the upset, landing Gustin’s commitment on National Signing Day in 2015.
What he did this week: Gustin has been an important part of the USC defense pretty much from the day he stepped on campus. In Saturday night’s win over Arizona, he came up big once again. Gustin finished the game with three tackles but also had a sack, his fifth of the young season. Gustin is one of the leaders of the young USC defense and looks to have a future at the next level as well.
As a recruit: Moses made national headlines when he picked up his first major offers from Alabama and LSU while still in middle school. The early hype surrounding Moses sped up his recruiting process and he committed to LSU as a high school underclassman. But the more the Louisiana native experienced, the more he started to look at other options. He transferred to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior year of high school and committed to Alabama shortly after an official visit to Tuscaloosa in the fall of 2016. He took late visits to Ohio State, Miami and LSU, but elected to stick with Alabama.
What he did this week: Moses emerged late last season as a force for Alabama and picked up in 2018 right where he left off in 2017. He had five total tackles and one sack in Alabama’s win over Louisiana-Lafayette and now has 24 stops along with three sacks on the season. Moses’ numbers would likely be higher, but Alabama has ran up so many big leads that the starters aren’t seeing much action in the second half of games.
As a recruit: Browning took official visits to Ohio State, UCLA, Michigan, Alabama and Florida State during the fall before committing to the Buckeyes late in his senior season.
What he did this week: Browning continues to have a bigger role in the Ohio State defense and in Saturday’s win over Penn State he saw plenty of action, finishing with three tackles including one for loss. Browning’s totals on the year aren’t as eye-popping as some others on this list – he has 11 through five games – but he’s impressed as a cover man and also has one sack and it appears that his best days are ahead of him.
