Every Monday during the college football season, we will check in on former five-star prospects to see how they’re performing and if they are living up to the lofty billing that led them to be ranked at the top of the Rivals100.
This week we focus on five of the eight five-star wide receivers/athletes from the class of 2015.
As a recruit: Early in his high school career Godwin was targeted by several schools as a cornerback, and he played quarterback for his high school team, so he was labeled as a five-star athlete as opposed to a wide receiver. Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and USC all received official visits from Godwin, and he announced his commitment to the Dawgs on National Signing Day.
What he did this week: Despite his five-star ranking as an athlete, Godwin was a wide receiver from day one in Athens, and he has been a steady contributor throughout his career. But this year he’s taken a major step forward in his development, and he seems to be freshman quarterback Jake Fromm’s favorite target in the passing game. In Saturday’s blowout victory over Vanderbilt, Godwin had two catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, accounting for more than half of the Dawgs' passing yards in the game. Godwin leads Georgia in receiving and is just 70 yards away from eclipsing his total yardage from last season.
As a recruit: Despite attention from programs from all over the country, Ridley kept a relatively low profile on the recruiting trail, making a pledge to Alabama during the spring of his junior year. Ridley’s senior season was cut short due to age restrictions in Florida, but he maintained his five-star status and never wavered on his pledge to the Tide.
What he did this week: Ridley’s career at Alabama started off with a phenomenal freshman season, and he has been a star ever since. In Saturday’s road victory over Texas A&M, Ridley caught five passes for 68 yards before leaving the game with an injury. Obviously the loss of Ridley would be a big blow to the Tide, but he’s already shown to be well worthy of his ranking and appears to have an NFL future.
As a recruit: Many thought that Irwin would follow his friend and high school teammate, Brady White, to Arizona State, and he did take an official visit to Tempe late in his senior year. But the lure of Stanford was too much for the California native to pass up, and he committed to the Cardinal in January, 2016.
What he did this week: Irwin’s career at Stanford got off to a slower start than some expected, but given the run-heavy Cardinal scheme, it’s not surprising to see his numbers not matching others from his class. In Saturday’s win over Utah, Irwin extended his streak of games with at least one catch to 20 and finished with two catches for 44 yards. He’s on pace to have the best year of his career and leads Stanford in receiving yards on the season.
As a recruit: Another talented playmaker from the Tampa area in Florida, Cain played primarily quarterback in high school but wowed enough on the camp circuit to earn five-star status. He committed to Clemson during the spring of his junior year and was joined shortly thereafter by friend and fellow five-star Ray-Ray McCloud. Auburn made a late push for Cain and even hosted him for an official visit right before National Signing Day, but he ended up sticking with Clemson.
What he did this week: Cain’s career at Clemson got off to a bumpy start as he ran into problems that led to a suspension just prior to the 2016 College Football Playoff. It took five months for Cain to be reinstated by the Tigers, but ever since he has been a major contributor. In Saturday’s win over Wake Forest, Cain hauled in four passes for 38 yards and a touchdown. He has caught at least two passes in every game this season and is the latest Florida-based wide receiver to find success for the Tigers.
As a recruit: Campbell raked in offers from all over the country and made an early commitment to Michigan despite most expecting him to follow his friend and high school teammate Artavis Scott to Clemson. But with coaching uncertainty in Ann Arbor at the time, Campbell elected to go his own way and committed to Florida State at the beginning of his senior season. He only officially visited the 'Noles and never really wavered on his commitment after announcing his decision.
What he did this week: Campbell’s college career hasn’t gone as smoothly as some others on this list as injuries have limited his production and forced him to redshirt in 2016. But this year he has shown flashes of the elite athleticism that led to his high ranking. In the Noles' loss to Miami on Saturday, he had one catch for 15 yards. On the season Campbell has six catches for 122 yards, both career highs. While he’s yet to live up to his billing as a recruit, Campbell is still relatively early in his college career.
