Mike Farrell and Adam Gorney take a look at the five-stars from the previous four recruiting cycles to see how they’ve performed so far. Today we examine the linebackers.
MORE: How five-star QBs are performing | RBs | WRs/TEs | OLs | DEs | DTs
Recruiting: Shortly before National Signing Day, Gustin committed to USC over Arizona State, Ohio State and Utah. January visits to his other three finalists could not sway Gustin, who visited USC often during the recruiting process.
Performance: Gustin played in only six games this season finishing with 28 tackles (10 for loss) with seven sacks. He fractured his ankle in October and has been sidelined. Before going down with an injury, Gustin also had a fumble recovery.
Farrell’s take: Gustin had great size and was a powerful linebacker out of high school who could also move pretty well. He was excellent at the point of attack and very physical as well. He’s been sidetracked because of injuries but he has shown signs of that five-star ability.
Recruiting: During a ceremony at his high school, Jefferson committed to Texas along with teammate DeAndre McNeal. Texas A&M and UCLA were Jefferson’s other finalists.
Performance: In three seasons at Texas, Jefferson finished with 231 tackles including 110 in his junior season. He decided to skip his senior year and enter the NFL Draft where he was picked in the third round by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Farrell’s take: Jefferson was a tackling machine in high school and very instinctive. He was a natural leader and could cover ground. In college he hit the ground running and was one of the best defenders for Texas right away.
Recruiting: On National Signing Day, Houston committed to USC over Oregon, Miami, Arizona State and Oklahoma. The Trojans were always considered a front-runner since so many Serra stars went to play at USC.
Performance: Second on the team in tackles this season with 67, Houston has also added five pass breakups, a forced fumble and one sack.
Farrell’s take: Houston has had a nice career at USC but it wasn’t five-star caliber. He was a very athletic kid out of high school with good length and range and he was a sure tackler. He needed to fill out a bit out of high school and didn’t get as big as we expected but he was still a very productive player.
Recruiting: Alabama hung on to beat out Auburn, which hosted Davis on a late official visit, along with Georgia, Notre Dame and LSU to land the five-star linebacker. Both of Davis’ parents went to Alabama and his dad, Wayne, played football for the Crimson Tide.
Performance: After redshirting his freshman season, Davis played in one game against Mercer in 2017. In 2018, he played against Arkansas State and Louisiana but did not record any stats.
Farrell’s take: How did this happen? Davis was a big, freaky linebacker out of high school who loved to hit and had great bloodlines and now he’s an afterthought for Alabama. I’m not sure if he can turn this around and ever play at five-star status and this one will puzzle me for a long time.
Recruiting: Early in his recruitment Smith committed to Clemson, but months later backed off that pledge. The Tigers stayed seriously involved with the five-star linebacker, along with LSU, Auburn, Oregon and others. He re-committed to Clemson in January, shortly before signing day.
Performance: In 13 games so far this season, Smith has recorded 15 tackles. He also forced a fumble.
Farrell’s take: This is another puzzling one because Smith could play outside or inside linebacker in high school, had very good size and length and was a tackling machine as well as a good pass rusher. Clemson has some great depth at certain positions but I’m shocked he hasn’t broken through at linebacker yet.
Recruiting: A former USC commit, Juarez backed off that pledge and ended up picking UCLA although Ole Miss pushed heavily in the final weeks and then Alabama and BYU were also major contenders in his recruitment.
Performance: Juarez played in the season opener against Cincinnati but then was injured and was limited the rest of the season. His career at UCLA has not taken off yet with time running out and there was a portion of time earlier in his career where he was not with the team but still a student in Westwood.
Farrell’s take: Juarez has had injury issues and off the field problems that have limited his development. He was a very good athlete coming out of high school and very instinctive as a linebacker so it’s hard to figure why he’s not panning out aside from chalking it up to injury.
Recruiting: In what he called a last-minute decision, Fowler flipped his commitment from LSU to Texas on National Signing Day.
Performance: Because of academic roadblocks, Fowler did not play in Texas’ first three games of the 2016 season and then finished the year with one tackle. He decided to transfer in the summer of 2017 and landed at Sam Houston State. This season, Fowler finished with 40 tackles (14.5 for loss) and five tackles. He’s added two fumble recoveries.
Farrell’s take: Fowler is a good player he’s just not playing at a high level because of academic issues. He was a massive linebacker in high school but moved surprisingly well. I still think he has a chance to be a good NFL player before all is said and done.
Recruiting: Kelly took official visits to Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Oregon and then on National Signing Day the five-star linebacker committed to the Sooners.
Performance: Kelly is fourth on the team with 54 tackles (3.5 for loss) and three sacks along with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Farrell’s take: Kelly has been very solid for Oklahoma although he hasn’t lived up to five star status yet. He was a big kid out of high school who was very good in pass coverage and used his length well. He has all the skills to be a terrific player at the next level but time will tell.
Recruiting: Lamar committed to Clemson at its summer cookout leading up to his senior season. The Tigers beat out Auburn for his services.
Performance: Third on the Tigers with 74 tackles, Lamar has also registered 5.5 stops for loss and three sacks. He also has seven quarterback pressures and an interception.
Farrell’s take: Lamar was a beast out of high school, a massive kid who loved to hit and could move. He also read the play very well. He’s done a great job at Clemson and should be an NFL star before long.
Recruiting: Alabama was always considered the front-runner but things got interesting when Georgia made a late push and Wilson ended up visiting Athens before signing day. Still, the Crimson Tide won out in his recruitment.
Performance: Wilson is fourth on the Crimson Tide with 63 tackles (4.5 for loss) and one sack. He has also added two interceptions, six quarterback hurries and five pass breakups.
Farrell’s take: Wilson was a very fast linebacker out of high school who always took the right angle and delivered some big hits. He wasn’t the biggest kid but he was one of the biggest hitters I’ve seen pound for pound and it’s no surprise he’s been so good at Alabama now that he has gotten his chance.
Recruiting: In the spring before his senior season, Robinson committed to Stanford over UCLA, Notre Dame and others.
Performance: In his first two seasons at Stanford, Robinson had 36 total tackles. He has been sidelined by injury this season.
Farrell’s take: Injuries have hurt Robinson and he hasn’t had a chance to show all of his skills. Out of high school he was a very angular kid who knew when to get skinny and could avoid blocks well. He still has time to live up to being a five star but I’m not sure if it will happen.
Recruiting: A star at Olney (Md.) Good Counsel, Jones made an early commitment to Maryland but after an official visit to Ohio State in January, he decided to flip his pledge to the Buckeyes.
Performance: In 13 games this season, Jones has totaled nine tackles including one sack, a blocked kick and a safety. In 2017, the former five-star had 15 tackles in a backup role.
Farrell’s take: He hasn’t been able to crack the starting lineup for Ohio State and that’s a bit of a surprise. He was well rounded out of high school and a leader on the field and I expected him to take that to Columbus. Perhaps he should have stuck with his Maryland commitment because I think he’d be playing there by now.
Recruiting: An early commitment to USC, Hayes even moved to California to go to high school but he moved back to Michigan and eventually backed off his pledge to the Trojans. Hayes then took visits to Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan State and he picked the Irish.
Performance: In 11 games this season, Hayes has registered 29 tackles with 4.5 for loss and two sacks. He’s also added six quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.
Farrell’s take: Hayes has grown into a defensive end for Notre Dame which isn’t a big surprise because he was so big as a linebacker out of high school. He was a highly debated five-star in our rankings meetings but hasn’t lived up to that yet. It will be interesting to see how the NFL views him.
Recruiting: After his official visit to Ohio State for its win over Michigan and then an in-home visit from coach Urban Meyer and a bunch of assistants, Browning committed to the Buckeyes over Alabama, Florida State, UCLA, TCU and others.
Performance: This season Browning has totaled 22 tackles with 3.5 for loss and one sack.
Farrell’s take: Browning will be a star, I’m pretty sure of it. He had the size and speed combination you covet out of high school and he loved to hit. He could also defend against the pass. I think he breaks out next season.
Recruiting: In December of his senior season, Anthony committed to Michigan with a letter that said he “got chills” the first time he walked into The Big House. Penn State, Auburn, Maryland Oklahoma were also involved.
Performance: In six games this season, Anthony finished with three tackles and one sack. He was largely used on Michigan’s special teams units.
Farrell’s take: I was the guy who pushed for Anthony more than anyone so I will be curious to see if he can step in and play a big role this next season. He wasn’t the tallest linebacker but he was a downhill kid who could hit and cover a ton of ground and I loved the way he blitzed out of high school. He was also athletic as he played running back in high school as well.
Recruiting: In October of his senior season, Phillips committed to Oklahoma after taking earlier visits to Oregon, Notre Dame and Alabama. But as signing day got closer, the five-star decided to flip his pledge to LSU from the Sooners.
Performance: Second on the LSU defense in tackles, Phillips has 83 stops with 5.5 for loss and one sack. He’s also added an interception, five quarterback hurries and four pass deflections.
Farrell’s take: Phillips is off to a great start to his college career and has a chance to be a first rounder when all is said and done. He had good size out of high school, was very physical and was good off of contact. I think he’s going to be a star for years.
Recruiting: Alabama and LSU offered Moses while he was in middle school and he ended up committing early to the Tigers. But he eventually backed off that pledge and he picked the Crimson Tide. The five-star took late trips to Miami, Ohio State and LSU but decided to stick with Alabama.
Performance: Moses leads Alabama with 76 tackles. The five-star linebacker has 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks along with a forced fumble.
Farrell’s take: Moses was a phenom as a middle school prospect and switched from being a running back to a linebacker in the middle of his high school career. He was a polarizing figure for rankings as he started as a five-star, dropped to a four and then earned his fifth star back. He’s looking like a future star and future first rounder.
Recruiting: Parsons was an early Penn State pledge, but he decided to back off that commitment and consider other programs. Ohio State was considered a serious contender, but the Buckeyes backed off after self-reporting violations after Parsons met Kirk Herbstreit and Eddie George on the "College Gameday" set during his visit. Oklahoma, Georgia, Nebraska and Alabama were also involved.
Performance: Parsons leads the Nittany Lions with 69 tackles and he’s also added four stops for loss, 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.
Farrell’s take: Parsons was a freaky defensive end in college who projected as a linebacker and has done a great job with the transition. He was one of the most athletic defenders I’ve seen in recent years and a no-brainer as a five-star. He has a great future ahead of him.
Recruiting: During a ceremony at his high school in June before his senior season, Mitchell committed to Ohio State. Florida State was considered the leader but that changed after the five-star visited Columbus.
Performance: In his first season at Ohio State, Mitchell has been mainly utilized on special teams.
Farrell’s take: It’s still too early to judge Mitchell who should become a bigger part of the Ohio State defense next year. Another big linebacker out of high school, he improved his ability to cover as he continued his high school career. He should be a good one at Ohio State.
Recruiting: An early commitment to USC, Gaoteote picked the Trojans in February of his junior year. Ohio State tried to make a late run at the five-star linebacker and others attempted to get involved, too, but Gaoteote shut things down in December and stayed with USC.
Performance: In 10 games this season, Gaoteote totaled 38 tackles including 4.5 stops for loss and two sacks.
Farrell’s take: Gaoteote had a solid freshman season and should be a big contributor for USC moving forward. Like most on this list, his combination of size and speed was impressive in high school and I liked the way he read the play.
