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Ranking the all-time five-stars: Texas

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The state of Texas stunningly is third among five-star producers during the
Rivals.com era with 42 such athletes. It is one of the few with multiple players
who have been ranked No. 1, and it has the richest history of quarterback
success.
Figuring out how to rank the state's all-time five-stars was difficult because
Adrian Peterson was one of the best in high school, college and the pros. Meanwhile, despite
having limited success on the NFL level, quarterback Vince Young
carried his teams in high school and college -- nearly single-handedly -- to
titles, becoming one of the best ever at both levels.
Those two top the list of talented players who were simply outstanding in high
school.
Following the summer evaluation period, the Rivals.com team of analysts is
meeting this week to discuss how to reshape the rankings for the class of 2014
Rivals100 presented by Under Armour. This presented a perfect opportunity to
look back at former five-star prospects and re-rank them among the other elite
prospects from their home states.
HOW FARRELL RANKS THEM
From the class of 2002 -- when Rivals.com established the Rivals100 -- to the
class of 2013, there have been 11 states to have double-digit players earn
five-star rankings. This week, it is time to turn back the
clock and put those players in order based on what they did in high school.
None of the players identified as midseason five-stars for the class of 2014 is
considered for this ranking. Each is subject to change through the regular
season and all-star game evaluations.
Texas was edged by two prospects by California and was clearly behind the 58 of
Florida, but it may have more success stories than the others.
On the high school level, the state has become known for its quarterbacks, but
Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell went with a
running back at the top of his re-rank.
"This is the toughest call at the top of any state," he said. "How do you choose
between Adrian Peterson and Vince Young at No. 1? I'll go with Peterson because he's still
the best all-around running back I've ever seen in high school and Young was a
raw passer, but it was a close call."
Young players such as Florida State defensive lineman
Mario Edwards and Texas running back Johnathan Gray have plenty
of time to prove their rankings correct, while the judgments on many of the
signal callers are in.
"In addition to Young, we have quarterbacks Ryan Mallett,
Rhett Bomar, Matthew Stafford, Reggie McNeal and
Russell Shepard on this list," Farrell said. "There are busts (Bomar, Shepard) and
booms (Stafford) and a few in between. But it was too many quarterbacks ranked
too highly in retrospect."
One quarterback who didn't make the five-star cut was Andrew Luck. He
has proven to be better than almost anyone who did achieve the elite ranking
level.
"Luck was No. 68 in the country in 2008, so he wasn't exactly knocking on the
door of five-stars, but geez, we kind of missed the boat a bit," Farrell said.
"We had him as the top pro-style quarterback in the state that year, and he was
fourth at his position with two five-stars ahead of him, but with his size and
mobility and the fact he was just starting to develop, we probably should have
seen more."
NFL players Alex Okafor,
Justin Blalock and
Martellus Bennett did not make the new top 10, and neither did college running backs
Christine Michael,
Lache Seastrunk,
Malcolm Brown and
Trey Williams.
Farrell said there are those who can continue to prove Texas high school
football is near the top nationally.
"Guys like Edwards and Gray can still make this list a bit better," he said.
"But this is the best one-two punch of any state."
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