Rankings rewind: Winston, Martin
At Hueytown High School in Alabama, Winston dominated. After passing for 2,424 yards and 28 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,065 yards and 15 touchdowns during his senior season, Winston concluded his high school career by totaling 9,853 all-purpose yards and 103 touchdowns. He then participated in the Under Armour All-American game and was named MVP after completing 8-of-9 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
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Before his junior season, Winston had offers from Alabama, Auburn, Miami, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Ohio State. The Seminoles jumped into the picture during the summer of 2010 and a subsequent visit to Tallahassee permanently put them on Winston's radar. While offers continued to pour in during his junior season and in the early stages of 2011, Florida State, Alabama and LSU distanced themselves from the pack. Winston set an early August decision date and committed to the Seminoles over the Tide and Tigers. That did not stop anyone from continuing their recruiting efforts. Official visits were taken to LSU, Alabama, Stanford and finally Florida State, which was able to solidify his commitment a few days before National Signing Day.
Winston was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2012, the No. 10 ranked player nationally and both the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback and recruit in Alabama. Nationally, while several players ranked ahead of Winston have already made an impact in college, only Shaq Thompson can even be mentioned as having an impact near the same level. Winston is obviously a five-star talent on the field, but the same can't be said for his decision-making off the field. The potential is there for Winston to be a star at the next level, but I also don't think anyone would be surprised if his playing career was detoured at some point because of a bad decision.
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OT
Four-star, class of 2009, signed with Notre Dame
Zach Martin was a first-round pick of the Cowboys after starting for four years at ND.
When the Dallas Cowboys drafted offensive lineman Zack Martin instead of quarterback Johnny Manziel, you probably didn't hear too many cheers at Radio City Music Hall or especially in Texas. Fast forward a few months and the Cowboys are being praised for their selection, as Martin has turned into one of the top rookies this season while helping the Cowboys to a 5-1 start and paving the way to an explosive rushing attack led by DeMarco Murray.
After red-shirting during the 2009 season at Notre Dame, Martin was named a Freshman All-American by several publications after the 2010 season that saw him start all 13 games. He again started all 13 games in 2011 and allowed just one sack on 473 pass plays, while helping the Irish total 5,369 yards of offense. As a junior in 2012, Martin started all 13 games while also being named one of the team captains. Then a two-time captain as a redshirt-senior in 2013, Martin was honored with several All-American honors. He finished his days at Notre Dame by setting the school career-record of 52 consecutive starts.
Martin attended Bishop Chatard in Indianapolis, where he was named first-team all-state after both his junior and senior seasons. He also played defensive tackle as a sophomore, when he finished with 73 tackles and five tackles for a loss. Martin finished off his high school career by playing in the 2009 Under Armour All-American game. Recruiting picked up quickly for Martin as he had 10 offers by March, 2008, including Kentucky, Purdue, Virginia, Iowa and Northwestern. With his father having played at Kentucky, the Wildcats were always in the picture for Martin. Additional offers came in from Stanford, UCLA, Michigan, Michigan State and finally Notre Dame, who offered Martin after a visit in May. After two more visits to South Bend, Martin committed to Notre Dame over Michigan in late July and stuck with his commitment.
Martin was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2009, the No. 22 offensive tackle nationally and the No. 2 ranked player in Indiana. He was not ranked overall nationally. In Indiana, Martin was only ranked behind Montez Robinson, whose stay at Georgia was short-lived. At offensive tackle, recruits like D.J. Fluker and Taylor Lewan were ranked ahead of Martin, but overall a huge majority didn't have the impact Martin did. While Martin was already rated a four-star, it is already obvious that he should have been ranked higher nationally, at his position and in Indiana.
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WR
Three-star, class of 2009, signed with Rutgers
Mohamed Sanu helped the Bengals avoid an upset to Carolina on Sunday.
In the NFL, when a player is given an opportunity, he must rise to the occasion. Mohamed Sanu of the Cincinnati Bengals was given the opportunity to take his game to the next level after an injury to star wide receiver A.J. Green, and that is exactly what he has done. During a 37-37 tie against Carolina, Sanu had 10 receptions for 120 yards, both career-highs, and one touchdown during the back-and-forth affair.
Sanu was selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft with the 83rd pick. Now in his third NFL season, Sanu made a contribution immediately as a rookie, finishing with four touchdown receptions, while also throwing a 73-yard touchdown pass to Green. Last season, he started 14 games and finished with 47 receptions for 455 yards and two touchdowns. So far in 2014, he has 27 receptions for 354 yards and three touchdowns as he has become a larger part of the offense.
Sanu played at Rutgers, where he did a little bit of everything. Playing three seasons, he set a Big East-record with 210 receptions, totaling 2,263 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed for 653 yards and nine touchdowns and passed for 207 yards and four touchdowns during his time at Rutgers. His career was highlighted in 2011, when he set the single-season Big East reception record with 115, breaking the old record of 92 held by Larry Fitzgerald.
At South Brunswick High School in New Jersey, Sanu lined up at wide receiver, quarterback, safety and punter during his three seasons. He was ineligible to play his senior season due to an age rule in New Jersey, but during his junior season he passed for 900 yards, rushed for 700 yards and had 90 tackles and five interceptions on defense. When it comes to recruiting, Sanu did not waste any time making his decision as he committed to Rutgers a few days before National Signing Day in 2008. While other schools came knocking throughout the year, including Penn State, West Virginia, Syracuse and Connecticut with offers, Sanu held firm with his commitment and enrolled early at Rutgers for the spring semester of 2009.
Sanu was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2009, the No. 74 ranked safety nationally, the No. 22 ranked recruit in New Jersey, but he was not ranked overall nationally. In New Jersey, it has turned out to be a rather disappointing group, with only a handful of recruits that were ranked ahead of Sanu making their way to the NFL like Theo Riddick, Gerald Hodges, Logan Ryan and Joshua Evans. With his performance at Rutgers and so far in the NFL, Sanu deserved a bump in New Jersey and probably should have been categorized as an athlete instead of a safety. However, the fact that he didn't play during his senior year in high school made it more difficult to properly rank him. While Sanu has established himself in the NFL, it will be interesting to see how he further develops his game in the coming years.
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WR
Four-star, class of 2012
Corey Coleman scored two TDs during Baylor's 61-58 win over TCU
With Baylor's up-tempo offense, at times it seems as though the Bears have a conveyor belt of wide receivers at their disposal. One of these is sophomore Corey Coleman, who turned in a huge game during the epic victory against TCU on Saturday. Coleman finished with 253 all-purpose yards, including eight receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
After redshirting during the 2012 season, Coleman saw plenty of playing time last fall when he finished with 35 receptions for 527 yards and two touchdowns, while also becoming the team's leading kickoff returner. He finished the season in style when he totaled 236 all-purpose yards in the Fiesta Bowl against UCF. In 2014, Coleman has 21 receptions for 328 yards and four touchdowns, as he has continued to entrench himself in the potent Baylor offense.
Playing his high school football at Pearce in Richardson, Tex., Coleman saw time at running back, wide receiver, defensive back and on special teams. Coleman jumped onto the recruiting radar as a sophomore when he totaled 707 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2010, Coleman grabbed 69 receptions for 1,003 yards and 11 touchdowns, plus 426 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns on 97 carries. As a senior he finished with 932 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, and 567 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Despite his impressive speed and performance on the field, Coleman's recruiting process never truly blew up. He picked up offers from Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, California and Colorado. As the spring of 2011 wound down, Coleman had the Bears, Sooners and Cowboys in his top three, and less than a month later he decided to end his process with a commitment to Baylor. With this early commitment, Coleman continued to hear from schools, including getting plenty of interest from Texas. While he did end up taking an official visit to Cal in January, he stuck with his commitment and signed with Baylor.
Coleman was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2012, the No. 232 overall recruit nationally, the No. 29 recruit in Texas and the No. 38 wide receiver nationally. Coleman has definitely shown glimpses of his four-star talent. Playing in the Baylor offense, those glimpses should become more consistent through the remainder of his time in Waco. For now, we are confident with Coleman's four-star ranking and that he will continue to grow as a player at Baylor and beyond.
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DT
Four-star, class of 2008, signed with USC
Jurrell Casey celebrates a sack of Blake Bortles on Sunday.
In the NFL, having a strong interior defensive line can lead to big things. That is exactly what the Tennessee Titans are hoping, because the play of defensive tackle Jurrell Casey has given the franchise hope. During a hard-fought victory against Jacksonville, Casey had his best game of the season with seven tackles and two sacks to help lead the Titans to a much-needed victory.
Casey was selected in the third round with the 77th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by Tennessee. As a rookie in 2011, Casey quickly showed that he had what it takes to become a force in the NFL with 52 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He continued his high level of play in 2012 with 54 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles. Last season was when Casey's level of play hit a new gear when he totaled 55 tackles, 10.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. His 10.5 sacks tied for second among NFL defensive tackles. Looking to have an even better season in 2014, Casey has 20 tackles and four sacks through six games.
Casey played his high school football at Long Beach Poly in California. He produced a huge season as a junior with 104 tackles, 10 sacks and six fumble recoveries, which earned him several post-season honors. As a senior, Casey had an even more memorable season, finishing with 134 tackles, seven sacks and two fumble recoveries. With recruiting, USC and Ole Miss were the first two schools to offer Casey. After almost committing to USC in the spring after his junior season, Casey decided to take a few visits to see what else was out there. Official visits followed to both Ole Miss and Oregon, which along with USC became his top three. With a number of other schools clamoring for a late visit, Casey only visited USC in January and then committed to the Trojans on National Signing Day.
At USC, Casey saw limited action in 12 games as a freshman and finished with 12 tackles, two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble. As a sophomore, Casey started all 13 games, totaling 59 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries. In his third and last season at USC, Casey again started all 13 games and had 67 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Casey was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2008, the No. 191 overall recruit nationally, the No. 26 recruit in California and the No. 15 defensive tackle nationally. At the defensive tackle position, the production from the group ranked ahead of Casey has been sporadic, with Corey Liuget being one of the more successful. In California it has also become a rather disappointing group, with players like Matt Kalil, Marvin Jones and Joseph Fauria being the only ones to really make an imprint at the next level. With Casey becoming one of the more dominant defensive tackles in the NFL, you can definitely make an argument that despite his four-star ranking, he was still undervalued. Casey was always athletically gifted, but now that he has put everything together, he truly has lifted his game to a new level.
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Mike Farrell
National Recruiting Director
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