Five-Star Checkup: Receivers putting up big numbers in 2018
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 five-stars wide receivers.
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As a recruit: Ross had a national recruitment and looked bound to stay in-state with either Auburn or Alabama before committing to Clemson on National Signing Day in February.
What he did this week: It seems like a different Clemson wide receiver has a breakout game every week and this time it was Ross’ turn to steal the show. He hauled in three passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. The 6-foot-4 Ross is a match-up nightmare for defensive backs already and the fact that he only needed three games to break the 100-yard plateau should put the rest of the ACC on notice that the Tigers stable of wide receivers isn’t weakening anytime soon.
As a recruit: Jeudy committed to Alabama over Florida, Miami and others during the summer prior to his senior season.
What he did this week: Jeudy was expected to step in and fill the shoes of his friend and former teammate Calvin Ridley and he's done exactly that so far in 2018. In Saturday’s romp over Ole Miss, Jeudy had three catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns, including one 79-yard snag. He and starter Tua Tagovailoa have developed a nice rapport and through three games Jeudy already has 11 catches for 287 yards and six scores. What’s even more eye-popping is Jeudy’s yards per catch numbers, which currently sits at 26.1.
As a recruit: Peoples-Jones committed to Michigan at the end of his senior season, choosing the Wolverines over Nebraska, Ohio State and Florida.
What he did this week: Peoples-Jones made a name for himself as a true freshman while returning punts but three games into the season it now looks like he and quarterback Shea Patterson have developed a strong rapport. In Saturday’s win over SMU, Peoples-Jones hauled in four passes for 90 yards, three of which were for touchdowns. The three scores are a career-high for Peoples-Jones, who had just one receiving touchdown in his brief career entering the game. If he and Patterson can continue to connect it could help the Wolverines finally have a breakout season under Jim Harbaugh.
As a recruit: Harry elected to stay close to home and play for the Sun Devils, committing to the school over Washington and Texas A&M during his senior season.
What he did this week: Harry has been one of the nation’s most productive wide receivers so far in 2018 and Saturday night was no exception. He caught nine passes for 86 yards and a touchdown in Arizona State’s heartbreaking loss to San Diego State. He now has 315 yards and four touchdowns on the season and is on pace to break his best single-season numbers (82 catches for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns) that he set in 2017. Harry is projected by many early mock drafts to be a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
As a recruit: Irwin committed to Stanford over Arizona State a month before Signing Day in 2015.
What he did this week: Irwin hauled in three passes for 28 yards in Stanford’s ho-hum victory over UC-Davis on Saturday. During his career Irwin has been steady but has never really had a true star-making performance. He had his best season as a junior in 2017, catching 43 passes for 461 yards and two touchdowns, however, former three-star J.J. Arcega-Whiteside has emerged as the Cardinal’s top pass-catcher over the past two seasons. It’s worth noting that Irwin has caught at least one pass in 33 consecutive games and has at least one reception in all but four games of his college career.
