Unranked player checkup: Prospects that stood out in Week 2
Every Friday during the football season, we take a look back at some players who are performing well in either college football or the NFL despite the fact that they were unrated as high school prospects. Here’s our rundown from this past weekend.
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As a recruit: Despite posting gaudy numbers and helping his team win a state championship as a senior, Jones saw little to no recruiting interest. Rather than play at a lower level, he elected to accept a grayshirt type offer from Duke despite the presence of several quarterbacks on the roster.
What he did this week: Jones stepped into the starting lineup last year after an injury to starter Thomas Sirk and hasn’t looked back since. In Saturday’s “Brain Bowl” victory over Northwestern, Jones threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for 108 yards and two more scores. Jones has not only made coaches look bad for passing on him, but he's another notch in the quarterback development belt of Blue Devils' head coach David Cutcliffe.
As a recruit: Abey drew praise from Rivals.com on several occasions as a high school prospect but never received a ranking or a true scholarship offer. After weighing his options Abey committed to Navy, where he spent the first year of his career at the Naval Academy Prep School. He slowly worked his way up the depth chart, eventually starting the last two games of the 2016 season.
What he did this week: Injuries led to Abey getting his first playing time, but now he’s earned the starting job for the Midshipmen and has been playing well thus far this season. On Saturday, he passed for 132 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 108 yards in leading Navy to a 23-21 conference victory over Tulane. Abey appears poised for a big year.
As a recruit: A multi-sport athlete coming out of the state of Washington, Kupp was passed over by FBS programs and instead landed at FCS power Eastern Washington. After redshirting his first year on campus, he didn’t waste time establishing himself as one of the nation’s best receivers in FBS or FCS, recording at least 1,400 yards receiving in each of his four years and breaking several receiving records during his time in college. He was selected in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.
What he did this week: Kupp made college coaches and recruiting analysts look silly with his play in college, and he might end up doing the same to NFL general managers if he keeps playing like he did in Week 1. Kupp helped Los Angeles to a 46-9 victory over Indianapolis while hauling in four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Kupp’s yardage was a game high and could be a sign of more impressive things to come for the talented rookie.