Where Super Bowl 50's Top Stars Ranked as College Football Recruits
Two of the biggest days on America's football calendar are close—national signing day in the college game and the Super Bowl in the NFL ranks.
This intersection of recruiting hype and championship drama has made for an interesting look back at the players who will star in Sunday's big game between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.
Both franchises have former blue-chip prospects who went on to have huge college careers and breakout stars who were severely underrated out of high school. Some had a laundry list of scholarship offers from schools all over the country, while others didn't even get a single one at first.
Let's take a look at several stars from both the Broncos and the Panthers—seven for each squad—and see where they were rated as high school or JUCO prospects.
All recruiting information here comes from 247Sports, which has historical composite rankings from industry leaders dating back to the 2002 season.
Broncos QB Peyton Manning (Pre-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 1994
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana (Isidore Newman)
Class Ranking: No. 2 QB (per Tom Lemming)
College Choice: Tennessee
Peyton Manning's high school days came in the pre-star rating era of recruiting, but the college football world was well aware of his talent before he signed with Tennessee in 1994.
Manning, the son of former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie, was a prep standout at Isidore Newman. According to this historical database of quarterback class rankings from longtime recruiting expert Tom Lemming (h/t Creg Stephenson of AL.com), Manning was the nation's No. 2 quarterback in the class of 1994, behind LSU's Josh Booty.
Manning would go on to become a consensus All-American and all-time passing great at Tennessee before starting his Hall of Fame-worthy NFL career.
Broncos RB C.J. Anderson (3-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2011
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, California (Laney College)
Class Ranking: No. 1 RB and No. 53 overall (JUCO)
College Choice: California
C.J. Anderson went the JUCO route straight out of high school and landed at Laney College in Oakland, California. According to his profile on Cal's website, Anderson rushed for nearly 4,000 yards in his high school career at Bethel in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
At Laney College, the speedy Anderson was a JUCO All-American, averaging 7.4 yards per touch and scoring 13 touchdowns in 2010. His impressive play that season made him the nation's No. 1 running back from the JUCO level, and he decided to attend in-state Cal.
As a Golden Bear, Anderson provided a strong one-two punch with Isi Sofele in two seasons. Anderson signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and made the Pro Bowl in just his second season as a pro.
Broncos WR Emmanuel Sanders (2-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2005
Hometown: Bellville, Texas (Bellville)
Class Ranking: No. 231 WR and No. 2,155 overall
College Choice: SMU
Emmanuel Sanders did it all during his years at Bellville High School in Texas. He was an All-District player at running back, wide receiver and safety—and he also lettered in baseball, basketball and track.
But Sanders was just a 2-star recruit out of high school, and he decided to go to SMU over a handful of Big 12 programs. After taking a redshirt, Sanders became an immediate star for the Mustangs, picking up Freshman All-American and some All-Conference USA honors in 2006.
Sanders played three more seasons for SMU and helped lead the program to its first bowl game since the infamous 1987 "Death Penalty" from the NCAA. He was a third-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers and has played his last two seasons in Denver.
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Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas (3-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2006
Hometown: Dublin, Georgia (West Laurens)
Class Ranking: No. 67 WR and No. 554 overall
College Choice: Georgia Tech
Demaryius Thomas was a successful high school player in the state of Georgia and drew interest from a number of schools, including in-state programs Georgia and Georgia Tech. What's impressive is that he didn't start playing football until after his freshman year, as he was a standout in basketball and track.
"I think he could have played Division I basketball," Paul Williams, his former coach, told Steve Megargee of Rivals in 2009. "I called him 'The Future.' That was his nickname because I knew he was going to [be] really good. He was something else. He was a hard worker. He had all the tools."
The 3-star recruit decided to join the Yellow Jackets, where he redshirted the 2006 season before becoming a full-time starter in 2007. Thomas opted to stay at Georgia Tech after head coach Paul Johnson arrived and installed his option-running offense—and he still developed into a first-round pick at wide receiver.
Broncos LB Von Miller (3-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2007
Hometown: DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto)
Class Ranking: No. 13 OLB and No. 238 overall
College Choice: Texas A&M
Von Miller was an undersized outside linebacker as a high schooler, but he still gained tons of interest from several Big 12 and SEC programs. The 3-star recruit decided to attend Texas A&M, and he relived his signing day experience at Super Bowl Media Day earlier this week.
"I was so sure of my decision," Miller said, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. "I was so sure of my pick a couple of months out. I was very comfortable with what I was doing. I remember it being a great day for me and my family."
At Texas A&M, Miller grew to become a 246-pound menace and a two-time All-American for the Aggies. The Broncos selected him No. 2 overall in the 2011 NFL draft—right behind the quarterback he'll look to take down in Super Bowl 50.
Broncos LB DeMarcus Ware (Pre-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2001
Hometown: Auburn, Alabama (Auburn)
Class Ranking: N/A
College Choice: Troy
Although he would later become a nine-time Pro Bowler with the Dallas Cowboys and now the Denver Broncos, DeMarcus Ware was far from a coveted prospect in high school. Local program Auburn didn't recruit him. Fellow Auburn High teammate and future NFL defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora had to convince Sun Belt program Troy to go after Ware.
"[Umenyiora] said, 'You know what? This guy is going to be a player,'" Ware told Greg Garber of ESPN.com in 2008. "'You need to pick him up, he is my boy. I will take him under my wing, and he will be a great pass-rusher.' I got a scholarship down there, and it could have been because of him."
You read that correctly. One of the lower-level teams in what is now the FBS had to be convinced by another player to sign a future nine-time Pro Bowler. Ware's draft stock exploded with the Trojans, as he became the 11th overall pick in 2005. The rest is history.
Broncos CB Aqib Talib (2-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2004
Hometown: Richardson, Texas (Berkner)
Class Ranking: No. 119 CB and No. 1,471 overall
College Choice: Kansas
Aqib Talib was a football and track star in Richardson, Texas, where he garnered some attention from a handful of lower-tier Big 12 teams and Group of Five programs. As just a 2-star recruit, Talib decided to sign with a Kansas program that was coming off its first bowl appearance in eight years.
What happened next was extraordinary. Talib redshirted what would be a 4-7 season for the Jayhawks before becoming a starter in 2005, when Kansas went 7-5. Two seasons later, Talib was the defensive leader of a Jayhawks team that won the Orange Bowl.
Talib was a unanimous All-American at cornerback in that 2007 season and also played some at wide receiver. He was a first-round selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he's been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three seasons. (Another interesting note: Fellow star Denver defensive back Chris Harris was also a former 2-star who signed with Kansas.)
Panthers QB Cam Newton (4-Star)
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Recruiting Classes: 2007 and 2010 (JUCO)
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia (Westlake)
Class Rankings: No. 4 QB-DT and No. 62 overall; No. 1 QB-DT and No. 3 overall (JUCO)
College Choices: Florida and Auburn
Cam Newton famously went through the recruiting circus two different times as a college player. The 6'5" Georgia native was one of the nation's top dual-threat quarterbacks in 2007, when he decided to sign at defending national champion Florida.
Newton won the backup job behind Tim Tebow as a freshman and was set to take a medical redshirt in 2008 before an arrest and later departure from the Gators. (The charges were later dropped.) He landed at Blinn College in Texas, where he won a JUCO national championship and once again became a high-value quarterback.
His second recruitment—one that later resulted in an NCAA investigation—eventually took him to Auburn, where he took the college football world by storm for one national championship-winning season. The 2010 Heisman winner left the Plains after one year and became the first overall pick in the 2011 draft.
Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart (5-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2005
Hometown: Lacey, Washington (Timberline)
Class Ranking: No. 1 RB and No. 12 overall
College Choice: Oregon
Oregon has been known as a growing national force in the recruiting landscape over the past several seasons, but the Ducks picked up one of their best-ever recruits over a decade ago in Jonathan Stewart.
Stewart was a consensus 5-star prospect out of Washington and was the No. 1 running back in the entire country. He was known for his blinding speed at 224 pounds, and he received offers from blue-blood programs such as Ohio State, Tennessee and USC.
However, Stewart decided to stay closer to home and help Oregon take the next step as a program. He starred in what was then a new spread offense for the Ducks for three seasons, taking home All-Pac-10 honors before his selection at No. 18 overall in the 2008 NFL draft.
Panthers WR Ted Ginn Jr. (5-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2004
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio (Glenville)
Class Ranking: No. 1 CB and No. 2 overall
College Choice: Ohio State
Ted Ginn Jr. was one of the best high school athletes of the early 2000s, standing out as an elite quarterback, cornerback, wide receiver and returner. The Cleveland native was a clear-cut 5-star and won national player of the year honors for the 2003 season after scoring 40 touchdowns in five different ways, according to Scout.
"Ted is elusive, fast, fluid, instinctive and tough," national recruiting analyst Allen Wallace told Scout in 2004. "He has great ball skills and is a pure gamebreaker with good size. This is a track star who's also a football player. ... Ted's as good a pure athlete as we've seen come out of the secondary in the past several years and has fabulous potential."
The heavily hyped Ginn signed with Ohio State and started his career as a defensive back for the Buckeyes. He later became an All-American as a return man and all-purpose player, and the Miami Dolphins drafted him at No. 9 overall in 2007 as one of the country's best wide receivers.
Panthers TE Greg Olsen (5-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2003
Hometown: Wayne, New Jersey (Wayne Hills)
Class Ranking: No. 1 TE and No. 10 overall
College Choice: Notre Dame (later transferred to Miami)
Greg Olsen was the nation's top tight end and one of the best overall prospects in the class of 2003 when he signed with Notre Dame. Olsen had followed his older brother, Chris, who was a highly rated quarterback prospect, to South Bend.
However, Olsen didn't last long with the Fighting Irish. When Chris decided to transfer before the start of the 2003 season, Greg decided to also leave school without taking a single class. The older Olsen went to Virginia, while the younger Olsen opted for national title contender Miami.
Olsen wouldn't become a starter for the Hurricanes until the 2005 season, and he was a key figure in the final two seasons of the Larry Coker era at Miami. His involvement with the 7th Floor Crew didn't hurt his draft stock too much, as he was a first-round pick for the Chicago Bears in the 2008 draft.
Panthers LB Luke Kuechly (3-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2009
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio (St. Xavier)
Class Ranking: No. 41 OLB and No. 565 overall
College Choice: Boston College
Luke Kuechly will go down as one of the most underrated recruits in recent college football history. Kuechly was a borderline 3-star recruit after a solid career in Ohio, and he wanted an offer from powerhouse Notre Dame.
"Luke Kuechly would have ended the recruiting process before it ever began if Notre Dame would have offered him," Kuechly's former coach Steve Specht told the South Bend Tribune in 2010. "But they didn’t. So he goes to Boston College and leads the nation in tackles as a freshman."
Kuechly outplayed his ranking from the recruiting services from the moment he stepped onto campus at Boston College. He was a three-time first-team All-American, and he also won the Butkus and Lombardi awards. The Panthers drafted Kuechly at No. 9 overall in the 2012 NFL draft, and plenty of schools have been kicking themselves ever since.
Panthers LB Thomas Davis (Pre-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2001
Hometown: Coolidge, Georgia (Randolph Clay)
Class Ranking: N/A
College Choice: Georgia
Like Peyton Manning, Thomas Davis was a high schooler before the rise of star rankings. But if major recruiting services would've been around back then, he might have had zero stars to his name. A late scholarship offer from Georgia was his only major one, as many saw him as undersized.
"I almost missed out on the chance to go to a D-I school because nobody was recruiting me," Davis told ESPN.com prior to the 2005 NFL draft. "But [former Georgia defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder] saw me play basketball and recruited me after that."
Davis quickly made an impact with the only school that offered him, as he was an All-SEC selection in 2003 and an All-American at linebacker in 2004. Like many other players on this list, Davis later became a first-round pick, and he's played with the Panthers his entire career.
Panthers CB Josh Norman (No-Star)
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Recruiting Class: 2008
Hometown: Greenwood, South Carolina (Greenwood)
Class Ranking: N/A
College Choice: Coastal Carolina
The NFL has quite a few players who fell through the recruiting cracks and landed at small schools before becoming professionals. Josh Norman is one of the best of those players, as he spent his college days at Coastal Carolina—a school that started playing football in 2003.
But Norman didn't even have a scholarship offer from the FCS-level Chanticleers. According to Jack Flagler of the Gaston Gazette, Norman's older brother, Marrio, was a scholarship player for Coastal, and he let Josh sleep on his couch while taking classes at a nearby technical college.
Coastal Carolina gave Norman a chance to walk-on in 2008, and he became a starter in his second season with the team. The All-Big South defensive back was a fifth-round pick for the Panthers in the 2012 NFL draft, and he broke out in the 2014 season as one of the best cover corners in the league.
Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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