2016 Early-Enrollee Recruits Who Will Make Biggest Impact
College football coaches and fans put plenty of focus on national signing day success. However, concrete evidence of a quality recruiting class isn't truly uncovered until years down the road when young athletes have been allotted time to mature on and off the field.
That's why it's pivotal for every program to land at least a few prospects capable of contributing immediately as true freshmen. This initial climb up the depth chart is aided immensely when high school seniors are able to graduate early and enroll on campus in January.
Players across America are making that leap this week, beginning work in the classroom, living alongside new teammates and preparing for spring practice. It's a significant transition that tests the mental and physical fortitude of talented teens.
We took a look across the national landscape, pinpointing eight early enrollees who will be counted on to contribute. Not every top-rated recruit will encounter opportunities to compete early, so our focus here is on those who appear to have a particularly clear path to instant playing time.
QB Jacob Eason
1 of 8
College: Georgia
High School: Lake Stevens (Lake Stevens, Washington)
Size: 6'5 ½", 208 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1 pro-style quarterback; No. 4 overall
Why He's Ready to Make an Impact
Jacob Eason leaves behind an impressive trophy case back home on the West Coast. He earned Gatorade Player of the Year and U.S. Army All-American Player of the Year honors as a senior after leading Lake Stevens to state semifinals.
His physical frame and live arm have drawn comparisons to former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Matthew Stafford, who developed into a No. 1 overall NFL draft pick. Those expectations are a lot to live up to in Athens, and we could quickly find out how realistic they are based on the quarterback depth chart a new coaching regime inherits.
Bulldogs quarterbacks threw just 14 touchdowns in 13 games this season, averaging 185 passing yards per contest. Incumbent starter Greyson Lambert had an excellent ratio of 12 touchdowns to two interceptions, but he completed more than 20 passes in a matchup just twice in 2015.
New offensive coordinator Jim Chaney will aim to crank up the aerial attack next fall. Expect Eason, who threw for 6,414 yards and 75 scores as a high school upperclassman, to state his case early and often in an attempt to take opening snaps Sept. 3 against North Carolina.
CB Chauncey Gardner
2 of 8
College: Florida
High School: Cocoa (Cocoa, Florida)
Size: 6'0", 194 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 8 cornerback; No. 68 overall
Why He's Ready to Make an Impact
All-American Gators cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III will be playing on Sundays next season, and while no defensive back will instantly fill Hargreaves' shoes, Chauncey Gardner has an opportunity to take the torch as Florida's future at the position.
The former Miami Hurricanes commit issued verbal pledges to a pair of Gators head coaches—Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain—and is viewed as a foundational member of Florida's impressive 2016 recruiting class. Among the collection of talent headed to Gainesville early, Gardner may have the strongest shot at finding success as a true freshman.
He's a confident, physical competitor who routinely got the best of elite-level opponents last summer at The Opening and earlier this month during Under Armour All-America Game practice sessions. Gardner filled the stat sheet as a high school upperclassman, according to MaxPreps, totaling 104 tackles, seven sacks, five interceptions, two punt-return touchdowns and two kick-return touchdowns.
WR Collin Johnson
3 of 8
College: Texas
High School: Valley Christian (San Jose, California)
Size: 6'6", 200 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 35 wide receiver; No. 186 overall
Why He's Ready to Make an Impact
Collin Johnson isn't necessarily considered one of the elite members of this 2016 wide receiver class and missed almost his entire senior season with a shoulder injury, but the 4-star prospect fills a significant need in Austin.
It's no secret the Longhorns have struggled to throw the football under head coach Charlie Strong. Texas managed just 23 touchdown tosses during his first two seasons in town, averaging 166 passing yards per contest though 25 games.
Regardless of who is behind center for Texas in 2016 and beyond, the Longhorns must stockpile perimeter threats. Johnson, the son of former All-American Longhorns defensive back Johnnie Johnson, is a long-bodied pass target with an expansive catch radius and a quality route-running technique.
Freshman John Burt led Texas with 457 receiving yards last season. The only other Longhorn to surpass 200 receiving yards was senior Daje Johnson. There's plenty of production to be had for any pass-catcher who steps up this spring.
Johnson, now fully healthy, according to Wescott Eberts of SB Nation's Burnt Orange Nation, caught 49 passes for 921 yards and 10 touchdowns during his most recent full season in 2014.
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LB Michael Divinity
4 of 8
College: LSU
High School: John Ehret (Marrero, Louisiana)
Size: 6'2", 218 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 4 outside linebacker; No. 71 overall
Why He's Ready to Make an Impact
The Tiger prioritized linebackers throughout this recruiting cycle and landed one of America's finest earlier this month in Michael Divinity, who previously decommitted from LSU. He considered Texas A&M after reopening things, but head coach Les Miles was ultimately able to bring him back into the fold.
Divinity dealt with defensive staff changes in Baton Rouge but ultimately established enough belief in where LSU is headed on that side of the ball. Impressive against the run and in pass coverage, he will look to land an every-down role as early as this spring.
The most important thing for any incoming collegiate linebacker is gaining a firm understanding of how to react and adjust against an array of offensive looks. If Divinity can grasp the Tigers' defensive concepts under new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda and physically ready himself for the rigors of an SEC schedule, look for him to emerge as a key factor next fall.
"I just have to put my big-boy pants on and get ready to start my new life," he told Rod Walker of the Advocate last week after signing scholarship papers.
Divinity tallied 60 tackles and 13 sacks as a senior, according to Walker.
TE Isaac Nauta
5 of 8
College: Georgia
High School: IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)
Size: 6'3", 244 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1 tight end; No. 9 overall
Why He's Ready to Make an Impact
College football coaches haven't had a chance to reel in many tight end prospects this decade who were more of a total package than Isaac Nauta. The Peach State native picked Georgia as his destination during U.S. Army All-American Bowl action, giving the Bulldogs' new coaching staff under recently hired head coach Kirby Smart a monumental recruiting victory over fellow finalists Michigan and Alabama.
Nauta is the top-rated pass-catcher in this class, appearing significantly higher in national composite rankings than any wide receiver. He's an impeccable route-runner who possesses a blend of coordination and strength that will give opposing defensive coordinators fits during game preparation.
Many tight end recruits lack balance when they leap into college competition, typically due to underdeveloped physicality that limits their potential as blockers and ultimately costs them reps. Nauta can take on a defender and drive him downfield to carve out rushing lanes, gaining credibility in the trenches as a high school defensive end.
If aforementioned 5-star quarterback Jacob Eason becomes Georgia's starter as a true freshman, expect him to look to Nauta as a safety valve when defenses threaten the pocket. Nauta is intent on immediately establishing himself as a Bulldogs mainstay this spring.
"I want to get with coaches every day and learn the offense so by the time spring ball rolls around I'll be ready to go. I want to play right away as a freshman," he told Bleacher Report.
DE Oluwole Betiku
6 of 8
College: USC
High School: Junipero Serra (Gardena, California)
Size: 6'3 ½", 240 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1 weak-side defensive end; No. 11 overall
Why He's Ready to Make an Impact
The meteoric rise of Oluwole Betiku will continue at USC, where he follows a long line of recent Junipero Serra standouts. Adoree' Jackson headlines the list of alumni currently playing for the program, while NFL wide receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee also attended the high school.
Betiku didn't play a down of organized American football until 2014, less than a year after he emigrated from his native Nigeria. His two-season career at Junipero Serra was nothing short of spectacular, as Betiku produced 129 tackles—52 for loss—and 28.5 sacks.
USC secures a scary-raw athlete who rapidly developed a natural feel for defense that exceeds contemporaries who've played the sport since elementary school. Freakish physical tools make Betiku a candidate to line up at end or outside linebacker, providing promise that he could quickly ascend up the ranks of feared Pac-12 pass-rushers.
“I feel like nothing is stopping me from being the No. 1 player,” Betiku told Bleacher Report's Sanjay Kirpalani last summer. “I’m strong, I’m fast. ... Even though last year was my first year playing, I’m still hard on myself."
RB Kareem Walker
7 of 8
College: Michigan
High School: DePaul Catholic (Wayne, New Jersey)
Size: 6'1", 203 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 2 running back; No. 40 overall
Why He's Ready to Make an Impact
Kareem Walker became the fourth Garden State prospect to give his pledge to Michigan when he announced a commitment in December. Once headed to Ohio State, the versatile playmaker enrolls in Ann Arbor with an opportunity to insert himself into the running back rotation right away.
The Wolverines will return leading rusher De'Veon Smith in 2016, but his 4.2 yards-per-attempt average and six touchdowns on the ground don't exactly give him a stranglehold on carries. He surpassed 75 rushing yards only once in Michigan's final eight games, though no other Wolverine rushed for more than 300 yards in 2015.
Walker will get his looks in abundance this spring if he can stay healthy. Should he prove his value to Michigan coaches during camp sessions, a role that initially starts with supplemental carries could eventually blossom into workhorse volume by the end of a highly anticipated freshman campaign.
WR Kyle Davis
8 of 8
College: Auburn
High School: Archer (Lawrenceville, Georgia)
Size: 6'1 ½", 218 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 4 wide receiver; No. 45 overall
Why He's Ready to Make an Impact
The former South Carolina commit belongs in any conversation about America's premier receiver prospect, providing the Tigers with immense potential at a position of need. Kyle Davis chose Auburn over fellow SEC contenders Tennessee and Georgia.
Defenders face a difficult matchup against him because of the multidimensional skill set that enables Davis to shine in multiple phases of an offensive game plan. He's physical and strong enough to attack the heart of a defense, busting coverage and breaking tackles en route to big gains.
Davis also exhibits outstanding quickness that balances his downfield approach and gives opponents another element to consider in coverage. He follows up a strong senior season (47 receptions for 773 yards and seven scores, according to MaxPreps) by joining an Auburn roster that returns just one player who caught at least 20 passes in 2015.
The door is wide-open for Davis to impress this spring and command substantial snaps as a freshman.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
