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Best HS player you have seen that didn’t pan out in college?

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Louie1999

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Sep 13, 2025
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I just thought about this after seeing another thread. Who is the best player you have seen in high school that either did not get any college attention or did receive the stars and offers but failed to pan out in college even though it seemed like they would?

For me one that comes to mind is Samson Evans. I knew he would have a hard time transitioning to D1 football bc of the role he played at prairie ridge but he was amazing in high school. Another player is Ty Isaac. Ty did have all of the recruiting attention but he didn’t reach the levels I thought he would for various reasons in college. Jeff Thomas from ESL comes to mind as well under this category of highly recruited but didn’t pan out for some reason.
 
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jha618

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Louie1999 said:
I just thought about this after seeing another thread. Who is the best player you have seen in high school that either did not get any college attention or did receive the stars and offers but failed to pan out in college even though it seemed like they would?

For me one that comes to mind is Samson Evans. I knew he would have a hard time transitioning to D1 football bc of the role he played at prairie ridge but he was amazing in high school. Another player is Ty Isaac. Ty did have all of the recruiting attention but he didn’t reach the levels I thought he would for various reasons in college. Jeff Thomas from ESL comes to mind as well under this category of highly recruited but didn’t pan out for some reason.
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Idk about Evans. 41 career touchdowns. 2300 rushing yards. Thats a pretty good college career for anyone. Def thought Isaac could be better but the game had been moving away from the big rb for a while.
 
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4Afan

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jha618 said:
Idk about Evans. 41 career touchdowns. 2300 rushing yards. Thats a pretty good college career for anyone. Def thought Isaac could be better but the game had been moving away from the big rb for a while.
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I was gonna say Evans had a very solid career at EMU. Over 1100 yards and 15 TDs in his 3rd year is pretty damn good.
 
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Wassup13_rivals219252

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Greg Turner from Driscoll was great in high school. He played both ways.

He is the only player I have seen in hs who could beat you down at the end of the game and his team did not have the ball on the last possession. He had that MJ magic.

At NIU he did ok at WR but I always felt he would be a much better player at safety for NIU.

He played for Tim Racki.
 
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Louie1999

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Sep 13, 2025
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4Afan said:
I was gonna say Evans had a very solid career at EMU. Over 1100 yards and 15 TDs in his 3rd year is pretty damn good.
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That’s fair. I think I kind of stopped tracking his career after I saw him transfer to emu. That’s my bad. I think Iowa tried to play him on the defensive side of the ball
 
L

Louie1999

Sophomore
Sep 13, 2025
131
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jha618 said:
Idk about Evans. 41 career touchdowns. 2300 rushing yards. Thats a pretty good college career for anyone. Def thought Isaac could be better but the game had been moving away from the big rb for a while.
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Maybe a better shout would have been Jeff Jenkins from that same team. I think he kind of just quit football at Iowa for whatever reason
 
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Louie1999

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Sep 13, 2025
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Another one that comes to mind is SHG Gabe Green. Amazing high school player. Seriously one of the best I’ve seen but couldn’t translate his game to be a Div I qb
 
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Wassup13_rivals219252

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Louie1999 said:
Maybe a better shout would have been Jeff Jenkins from that same team. I think he kind of just quit football at Iowa for whatever reason
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Yes good one. I did not follow his after hs.

Schwabe at DC also had good skills but he wanted to play baseball instead. I think he went to Lewis U.
 
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Topiarydan1

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2001
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JC Love Jordan - RB out of Richards who went to Iowa - got great reps as Frosh but hurt knee in Soph year and got pushed over to Flanker - I thought he would be ALl Pro. Dan Doehring - 5 star OL out of Barrington - some injuries but tons of competition at Iowa kept him from seeing the field. Another was Steve Filer - MLB out of Mt Carmel who went to Notre Dame. He had a solid Soph year but I think injuries and competiton kept him from field in Junior and Senior years - but hey he graduated and I'm sure he's doing fine. The saddest would be Kyle Williams - the LB out of Brook who played as Frosh at Purdue but then got sent away for some rapes. That kid had a lot of potential.
 
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Louie1999

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Wassup13_rivals219252 said:
I'm hoping to see WR Cam Williams (Montini / Glenbard South) on the field soon at ND. Thought we would see him by now.

Although his podcasts he hosts "The Irish Scoop" are fun to watch.
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I completely forgot he played for Montini. Montini lost a lot of great receivers. Donovan Olugbode included. I wonder if that was just because they had those down years after Covid. Two top 100 payers in the country. Would have rivaled any receiver group in the country.
 
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Wassup13_rivals219252

All-Conference
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Louie1999 said:
I completely forgot he played for Montini. Montini lost a lot of great receivers. Donovan Olugbode included. I wonder if that was just because they had those down years after Covid. Two top 100 payers in the country. Would have rivaled any receiver group in the country.
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Yes I have been keeping tabs of Olugbode at Missouri. I dont know why they left. I think your right due to the covid years but then Olugbode did go to IMG Academy.

Those two together at WR would have been Montini's best all time.
 
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crusader_of_90

crusader_of_90

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Nov 1, 2003
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Hickey Thompson
Correction to the article: he was 190, not 160.
www.chicagotribune.com

ALTHOFF STAR SETS RECORD STRAIGHT

Down on Main Street, two words painted on a storefront window amply express the feelings of most of the locals in this southwestern Illinois town: ”Hickey Knows.” What does Belleville Althoff tailback Hickey Thompson know best?…
www.chicagotribune.com www.chicagotribune.com
 
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McCaravan

McCaravan

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Feb 1, 2016
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From Mount Carmel- RB Matt Domer (Originally Illinois, ended up at Bowling Green after a JUCO in between) and LB Steve Filer Notre Dame.

Others-not mentioned already Ricky Smallings WR Brother Rice went to Illinois, never panned out after a promising start

Jordan Anderson RB JCA still at U of I

Way back machine/ Jeff Hecklinski Palatine QB....was very sought after, started at Illinois, ended at Western Illinois....BUT he has had an extremely good NCAA Coaching career!! Stops at Michigan, Illinois among others. Impressive resume
 
McCaravan

McCaravan

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4Afan said:
Lunt threw for over 7,000 yards and 42 TDs, Beutjer threw for over 6,000 yards and 45 TDs. Not sure what you were expecting out of them.
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I didn't think Beutjer had those types of numbers in college TBH.
 
Kevin JCHS 1981

Kevin JCHS 1981

Junior
Jul 2, 2025
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J.R. Zwierzynski

Broke all of Mike Alstott's JCA records. Penn St moved him to LB where he saw time as Special Teams.

Was the 2001 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year... won the High School Butkus Award and was a finalist for the High School Heisman... was first-team USA Today All-American and also a U.S. Army, Tom Lemming and PrepStar All-American... served as team captain and was named team MVP... earned all-area and all-conference honors, and was the Catholic Metro Player of the Year... led Joliet Catholic to three state titles... rushed for 5,073 yards and 59 touchdowns in his career, breaking a school record held by Tampa Bay Buccaneers? fullback Mike Alstott... as a senior, he rushed for more than 2,220 yards and scored 39 touchdowns, recording a pair of consecutive 300-yard efforts... played in the 2002 All-American Bowl.
 
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C

Colin2299

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Aug 13, 2025
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4Afan said:
Lunt threw for over 7,000 yards and 42 TDs, Beutjer threw for over 6,000 yards and 45 TDs. Not sure what you were expecting out of them.
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Correct, you aren’t sure.

IMO, they are the most talented QB’s to come out of Illinois who (at the time) I was hoping would have a shot at starting in the NFL. Both kind of fizzled out in college.
 
4

4Afan

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Colin2299 said:
Correct, you aren’t sure.

IMO, they are the most talented QB’s to come out of Illinois who (at the time) I was hoping would have a shot at starting in the NFL. Both kind of fizzled out in college.
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All about timing and systems. Beutjer played at a time when people weren't throwing like they are now. Both Beutjer and Lunt had better college numbers than Josh Allen.
 
McCaravan

McCaravan

All-American
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Kevin JCHS 1981 said:
J.R. Zwierzynski

Broke all of Mike Alstott's JCA records. Penn St moved him to LB where he saw time as Special Teams.

Was the 2001 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year... won the High School Butkus Award and was a finalist for the High School Heisman... was first-team USA Today All-American and also a U.S. Army, Tom Lemming and PrepStar All-American... served as team captain and was named team MVP... earned all-area and all-conference honors, and was the Catholic Metro Player of the Year... led Joliet Catholic to three state titles... rushed for 5,073 yards and 59 touchdowns in his career, breaking a school record held by Tampa Bay Buccaneers? fullback Mike Alstott... as a senior, he rushed for more than 2,220 yards and scored 39 touchdowns, recording a pair of consecutive 300-yard efforts... played in the 2002 All-American Bowl.
Click to expand...
He was a great HS player but never thought he would translate well to big time college football. Penn State tried making him a LB and he got on the field but it was at Penn State during LB U time. He also finished at Western Illinois
 
C

Colin2299

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Aug 13, 2025
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4Afan said:
All about timing and systems. Beutjer played at a time when people weren't throwing like they are now. Both Beutjer and Lunt had better college numbers than Josh Allen.
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Huh?

Beutjer threw for 60tds his senior year of HS
 
A

AZTiger17

All-Conference
May 28, 2016
531
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Biased pick but for me it was Julian Hytlon. He was a HORSE that Czart and the staff rode hard.

never made sense why he played DB at the next level. He was a little bigger, but he had incredible speed. Would have like to see him with the ball in his hands.
 
C

Colin2299

Senior
Aug 13, 2025
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4Afan said:
I was referring to the college game at the time.
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It doesn’t matter but it’s a grossly false statement to say that college offenses weren’t throwing the ball in the early 2000’s the way they are today.
 
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