Four-star Checkup: DBs shining on big stage
Each week during the college football season we use Tuesday as a chance to look back at four four-star prospects that shined during the previous week’s college football action. Today we will focus on a quartet of defensive backs who came up by forcing a turnover in their teams victories over the weekend.
As a recruit: A high school quarterback from small town Quitman, Ga., it took Parrish some time to get on the radar of most programs. After hitting the camp circuit and working at cornerback, where he excelled, Parrish earned offers from Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and others. But it was the in-state Dawgs that had his affection from the beginning and he committed to the school in June 2013.
What he did this week: Pressed into duty early in his career, Parrish has seen it all during his four years in Athens. During the 2015-16 seasons, Parrish was a mainstay in the Georgia secondary, starting 25 of 26 games. This year he has dealt with his share of injuries but he looked like his old self in Saturday’s 24-10 win over South Carolina. Parrish recorded three tackles but more importantly also had a key fourth quarter interception that helped seal the game for Georgia. A healthy Parrish will only help an already dominant Georgia defense as the Dawgs continue to push for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
As a recruit: Love’s high school offers included Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois and several others, but once Notre Dame joined the mix, it was clearly the team to beat. It didn’t take long for him to commit to the Irish as he made his pledge to the school during March of his junior year, nearly 11 months before National Signing Day 2016.
What he did this week: Love has been a major playmaker since arriving on campus, starting as a freshman in 2016 and coming into his own as a sophomore this season. In Saturday’s win over Wake Forest, Love had seven tackles, including one for a loss. He also had three pass breakups as well as an interception. Love’s three interceptions on the year lead the team and his 14 pass breakups are also a team-high as Notre Dame enjoys its resurgent season.
As a recruit: Dowell and his brother Andrew had quite the roller coaster recruitment, both initially committing to Northwestern before eventually flipping to Kentucky and then flipping again to Michigan State just before National Signing Day in 2015. What made the decision even more surprising was that the pair committed to the Spartans before taking their official visit to East Lansing.
What he did this week: After redshirting his first year on campus, Dowell quickly developed into a contributor in 2016, playing mostly on special teams. This year, he took another big step forward, cracking the starting lineup and quickly becoming a playmaker. In Saturday’s upset over Penn State, Dowell came up big, recording four tackles while also snagging two interceptions. Dowell’s four interceptions on the year lead the team and he ranks sixth on the Spartans in total tackles as well. A talented recruit who made several coaching staffs lose sleep during his recruitment has shown that he was well worth the chase with his productivity this season.
As a recruit: Coming out of powerhouse Florida program Armwood, Gibson had his share of options, collecting early offers from Florida, Miami, Tennessee and several others. He initially committed to Vanderbilt and stayed committed until James Franklin left the Commodores for Penn State. Rather than follow him to Happy Valley like most of the Vanderbilt recruits, Gibson elected to stay closer to home and flipped to UCF just prior to National Signing Day in 2014.
What he did this week: After redshirting his first year on campus, Gibson has been a regular on the UCF defense ever since. He started six games in 2015 and played in every game in 2016. This year, Gipson is having his best season to date and in Saturday’s victory at SMU he came up big, recovering a fumble while also recording three tackles and one pass deflection. Gibson has already eclipsed his career-high in tackles this season and his three interceptions lead the team.
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