College Football Recruiting: 5 Bizarre Recruiting Flameouts and Letdowns

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You ever have such high hopes and expectations for a recruit? Like, either you just feel in your mind they should become a star or you're just a part of the hype train surrounding them ,only to see them just become a total letdown, bust or just flame and fizzle out? It's a sad, disappointing and frustrating occurrence that happens from time to time in college football recruiting.

For this read, I'm going to take it back to the past years and give you five bizarre letdowns, busts and flameouts that have happened over the years.

5. Will Hill Becoming a Bust in Gainesville

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Hill was a 5-star recruit out of New Jersey in 2008. 6'2", 210 pounds, Hill lined up at QB, RB, WR, CB, FS, KOR, PR and OLB for his high school squad and pledged to Florida, which had Gainesville beaming.

The Gators chose to stick him as a free safety due to his athleticism and speed, but despite being an SEC All-Freshman pick, Hill just never developed.

He reacted late vs. the run, looked lost in coverage and had poor tackling technique. 

4. Craig Chambers' Meltdown at Montlake

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This one was sad to see. Really sad.

Craig Chambers was supposed to be the next Reggie Williams at Washington, but the 6'5" receiver never lived up to the hype. I think Chambers may have been just too slow to really be a deep threat.

His work ethic was routinely questioned by coaches and teammates, and fans felt Chambers got swallowed by his own hype,

Chambers eventually bolted for Montana, but got hurt before his senior season and hasn't been heard from since on the field. 

3. Jason Gwaltney Becoming a Prime-Time Flameout

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Gwaltney was a New Yorker that was a baller on the gridiron. He was 6'0", 235 pounds and had all the tools needed to be a stud. USC loved him, but Gwaltney wound up in West Virginia.

Some in Morgantown wish he never came. Gwaltney got in trouble off the field and only played in six games as a freshman.

Rich Rodriguez kicked him out of the program soon after, as Gwaltney continued to skip team meetings and practices and get in trouble off the field.

He ended up at a D-III school by the name of Kean. Total case of flaming out. 

2. Demetris Summers' Career Going South in Carolina

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The 6'1", 210-pound Summers was not only the best player in the state, but the top running back prospect tin the country in 2001. He had blazing speed, home run ability, instincts and vision.

But during his tenure in Columbia, Summers battled several failed drug tests and other issues that hindered a promising career..

Summers was dismissed from the team in 2005 and went undrafted in 2006. He was last seen playing in the CFL.

1. Willie Williams' off-the-Field Troubles

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Before Reuben Foster was a great 2013 LB prospect, there was a kid by the name of Willie Williams.

Williams stood at 6'3", 225 pounds and was just a monster on the field, and off it too.

Williams was arrested on a recruiting trip to Florida, and eventually, he signed with Miami, but his police record was discovered and Miami administrators were forced to release him from his scholarship.

Williams surfaced at a JC in Los Angeles and wound up in Louisville, where the constant change and past seemed to weigh on him too much, as Williams never made any noise for the Cardinals.