Super Bowl LIII: How two-stars slipped through the cracks
SUPER BOWL LIII: Where players ranked as prospects | From five-stars to the Super Bowl
From players such as J.J. Watt to Antonio Brown, whenever a former two-star player becomes a college star or an All-Pro talent, some assume it was a low high school ranking or a missed evaluation that caused them to slip through the cracks.
This year’s Super Bowl is full of former two-stars and unranked players -- 40 of them to be exact -- so we thought it would be worthwhile to catch up with some and hear their stories of just why they didn’t receive the offers fitting of a Super Bowl-caliber player. Their answers were wide-ranging and included quite a few surprises.
Backstory: A two-star in the class of 2013, Reynolds had an offer from Oregon State but never ended up playing for the Beavers. With limited FBS options, he went to JUCO for one year before developing into a star at Texas A&M. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Rams and has been a valuable member of the team’s offense this season.
In His Words: “I had an offer from Oregon State and for some reason -- one I still haven’t found out to this day -- they pulled it for some reason. It was close to signing day and I was devastated and didn’t know what to do, so I ended up going to JUCO. It obviously ended up working out for the best.”
Backstory: Kamalu had no offers out of high school and signed with Miami as a two-star prospect in 2013 after spending one year in junior college. He was voted Miami’s defensive player of the year by his teammates following the 2015 season and has played for three different teams – Houston, Arizona and New England – since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent.
In His Words: “My first time playing football was when I was a sophomore in high school, so even when I was a senior I was still learning how to play. Everyone had been playing the game since they were 6 and here I was just starting, so I was very far behind. I had a couple of schools show a little bit of interest but no offers, so I decided to go to junior college to keep getting better and learning the game”
Backstory: Unranked as a high school recruit, King went the junior college route and initially committed to South Alabama before flipping to Auburn in 2013. With the Tigers, King played mainly as a reserve while bouncing among safety, linebacker and defensive end. After going undrafted in 2015, King signed with the Patriots and has been with the team ever since, winning one Super Bowl and appearing in another.
In His Words: “At the end of my high school career I ended up barely missing the NCAA requirements to quality. So I ended up just deciding that the best thing for me was to see what else I could get by going to JUCO. I did have a lot of lower-level schools looking at me but at the end of the day if you don’t have the grades it doesn’t matter. I got close in the end, I just fell a little short. After JUCO I ended up getting to sign with Auburn and as an Alabama native it was big for me and my family to get to come back and play for Auburn.”
Backstory: Lawler’s Rivals profile lists just three offers, all from Group of Five schools, and he made an early commitment to SMU and never looked back. Once in Dallas, he put up big defensive numbers for the Mustangs, making first team All-American Athletic Conference honors in back-to-back seasons. Lawler was a seventh-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 and appeared in every game for the team this season.
In His Words: “I got an offer without ever going to a camp, so once I got one offer I was pretty content. I didn’t think I would get any more anyway. I didn’t have much exposure. It probably would have helped me out a little bit. I had a few offers to go to camp and work out for schools, but I just decided to be satisfied with my offer. I was done and I was good. I never even got an in-home visit. I guess I committed too fast and they knew they had me – either that or I wasn’t that big of a priority.”
Backstory: A two-star in the 2012 class, Natson had several non-Power Five offers but many programs passed because of his size. He went onto play three years at Utah State and one at Akron and finished his college career with 1,868 yards receiving, 617 yards rushing and 904 punt return yards as well as 27 total touchdowns. After going undrafted in 2017, Natson has spent time with the Colts, Jets and Rams.
In His Words: “Kansas had a chance. Me and my boy were trying to work on a package deal because they had already offered him. I was trying to go there with him. But they ended up not wanting to do that and you see where Kansas is at now and they could have been upgraded. They weren’t messing with me back then but everything happens for a reason. My friend was Daniel Gray, he ended up signing with Tennessee.”
Backstory: Unranked in the 2014 class, Crossen signed with Western Carolina after receiving interest but no offers from programs such as NC State, Wake Forest and Duke. After spending four years at WCU and playing in 43 career games, Crossen was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round of 2018 NFL Draft. Crossen played in 11 games during his rookie season.
In His Words: “I went to a lot of camps, NC State, East Carolina, Duke and North Carolina and they all wanted me to be a preferred walk-on and obviously I couldn’t afford that. So Western Carolina came along and they offered me a half-scholarship and they told me I’d have to earn the rest and I told them I could work with that. Just give me a chance and I will make it happen. It’s been a dream come true from there to making it to the Super Bowl.”
Backstory: An unranked prospect in the 2012 class, Davis had no FBS offers and attended UT-Chattanooga, his hometown school. While with the Mocs he was named the Southern Conference defensive player of the year as a senior. Due to an injury during the draft process, Davis went undrafted before being signed by the Patriots. He has been with the team ever since and started three regular season games in 2018.
In His Words: “Going into my junior year I started getting a lot of college recognition and that summer going into my senior year I tore my ACL. I had a lot of colleges talking to me and wanting me to come up to camp before I got hurt. I went and camped at UT-Chattanooga and talked to them but after I got hurt a lot of the schools kind of went away. The recruiting coordinator at Chattanooga at the time was Will Healy, who is now the head coach at Charlotte, he told me that they were still going to recruit me as a regular recruit. They invited me to a game but because I had surgery I couldn’t come but they still stuck with me and offered me a scholarship when a lot of other schools only offered me a preferred walk-on spot.
"So it kind of made it easy for me. I’m in my hometown, I get to play in front of my family and everyone who helped me along the way so it made it easy. I went there and the rest is history. I’m proud to be a Chattanooga Moc. As far as schools missing on me or anything like that, I don’t feel that way. It’s kind of like buying a car. You don’t want a broken car. You want a car that runs good. I don’t have any regrets about it. Everything happens for a reason and it was a very humbling and motivating experience for me. I’m just happy I made it this far.”
Backstory: Williams was a non-qualifier out of high school and started his career at Division III Marietta College in Ohio. After playing one season he decided to try his luck at a higher level and walked on at UAB, where he would eventually earn a scholarship after the Blazers reinstated their football program in 2016. He capped off his career with a with a first-team All-Conference USA selection in 2017 and signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2018. After spending half the year with Baltimore he was released and landed on the Rams, where he has served as a reserve defensive back.
In His Words: “My SAT scores coming out of high school were low. I took them and didn’t pay attention and I didn’t know that it would be that big of a deal. If I would have known I would have been taking prep classes and stuff like that. So I can’t blame any schools for passing on me because I couldn’t have gone anyway, so I ended up going D-III my first year and then working my way back up.”
Backstory: A low two-star out of Georgia in the class of 2011, Williams had just one FBS offer, via Western Kentucky. After serving as a three-year starter for the Hilltoppers, Williams signed with San Francisco as an undrafted free agent in 2017. After a year with the 49ers, Williams signed with the Rams just prior to the start of the 2018 season.
In His Words: “I didn’t ever go to anything, man. Back then, my parents didn’t understand the importance of camps and going to work out for schools, so I just did everything on my own. I was a late-bloomer and we got a new coaching staff after my junior year and they brought a lot of college coaches around and stuff. I thought I was going to end up at the University of Louisville, but I wound up going to Western Kentucky instead.”
MORE WESTERN KENTUCKY: InsideHilltopperSports.com