13 Recent College Sports Stars Who Flopped on the Big Stage
Life as a professional athlete can be starkly different from being a collegiate star. Names we get used to hearing about during their NCAA runs sometimes fade off into the night as they make that uncomfortable transition to the next level.
For all of the athletes who experience continued success—Carmelo Anthony, Cam Newton, Stephen Curry—there are just as many college superstars who stumble and can never find that sweet spot.
After analyzing the ranks of college football, baseball and basketball, we selected the following 13 names. These are people who made us believers at one point before they struggled as pros.
Before we jump into the list, let's explain the criteria.
Ten years back is the cutoff point. Any athlete who was drafted before that is disqualified. Second, each name on here has to have experienced an elephantine amount of success at some point during his collegiate career.
With that in mind, let's check out 13 of the biggest college sports stars who couldn't cut it as pros.
Honorable Mentions
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This particular honorable mentions slide is for athletes who either tasted a sustained level of success in the pros before tapering off or weren't proven "superstars" in the collegiate ranks.
Check out a few names who just missed out on securing a place in the final 13:
- Vince Young, QB, University of Texas
- Anthony Bennett, F, UNLV
- Vernon Gholston, LB, Ohio State
- Luke Hochevar, P, University of Tennessee
- Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
- Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
- Joe Alexander, F, West Virgina
- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
Adam Morrison
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Adam Morrison was a driving force in college. He blossomed over his three-year career at Gonzaga into one of the program's brightest players.
As Morrison grew as an athlete, his numbers exploded. The 2005-06 season—Morrison's final year at Gonzaga—was a tremendous success. The 6'8" forward averaged 28.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
Scouts fell in love with his talent prior to the NBA draft. His ESPN.com profile was littered with praise: "His knowledge of the game, his passing ability, his silky-smooth jumper and his fierce competitiveness all are Bird-esque."
After the Charlotte Hornets selected him No. 3 overall, the Morrison experiment quickly went south. He averaged 11.8 points per game as a rookie and never improved. He bounced between two teams in five seasons—Charlotte and the Los Angeles Lakers—leaving the NBA with an average of 7.5 points and 2.1 total rebounds per game.
Morrison proved that tearing it up in the collegiate ranks doesn't equate to big numbers in the pros.
Trent Richardson
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Alabama Crimson Tide running backs tend to be a confusing breed. During their tenures in college, the names who line up in Nick Saban's backfield look superhuman.
Those powers don't always translate to the NFL.
Trent Richardson is the most recent halfback to fall under that spell. His collegiate tape was amazing. In 2011—his final season in Tuscaloosa—Richardson ran for 1,679 yards and 21 touchdowns. He received the Doak Walker Award for his efforts and headed to the NFL shortly after.
The Cleveland Browns selected him No. 3 overall in the 2012 NFL draft, with the hopes they had landed a franchise player. What they got instead was an underwhelming runner whom the team traded to the Indianapolis Colts after 17 games.
Richardson then played in only 29 games with Indianapolis. He averaged a measly 3.1 yards per carry during that span. Needless to say, the Colts waived him in March 2015.
A quick stop with the Oakland Raiders didn't revive his career. Now, Richardson will go down in NFL history as a colossal bust.
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Jimmer Fredette
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Who doesn't love watching a pure shooter work? During the 2010-11 college basketball season, BYU's Jimmer Fredette became the defining shooter of his generation.
Fredette's range was heavenly. He launched bombs from what felt like miles beyond the three-point arch. His staggering average of 28.9 points per game was tops in the nation.
The long-range assassin of all things nylon collected awards like Donald Trump has consumed delegates. His online BYU profile reminds us of all the hardware he took home, including 2011 National Player of the Year.
Life in the NBA wasn't nearly as fruitful. The Milwaukee Bucks selected Fredette No. 10 overall in 2011 before dealing him on draft night to the Sacramento Kings.
He spent three seasons in Sacramento. After that, he bounced among the Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Hornets and, most recently, the New York Knicks.
There was no Stephen Curry transition here. Fredette struggled his entire professional career, as evident by his current career average of six points per game.
Johnny Manziel
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Johnny Manziel was the ultimate college quarterback while at Texas A&M. His controlled, chaotic style of play hadn't been seen before. By creating magical moments from absolutely nothing, Manziel took on the Johnny Football moniker.
Texas A&M fans lost their Heisman Trophy-winning QB when he entered the 2014 NFL draft. The Cleveland Browns, desperately searching for a sustainable solution at the position, selected Manziel with pick No. 22.
Two seasons in, Manziel's tenure in Cleveland looks to be over. Newly acquired head coach Hue Jackson signals a change in philosophy. The team is expected to release Manziel when the NFL offseason opens up its doors on March 9, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport (h/t NFL.com).
Off-field issues have also put Manziel in a challenging spot. Accusations of domestic abuse have taken over the headlines, as Naomi Martin of the Dallas Morning News brought to light.
Those allegations led to his agent, Erik Burkhardt, bailing on their professional relationship, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
All of these issues have turned Manziel from a collegiate hero into a potential NFL washout. His story is far from over, but all signs right now are trending in that direction.
Greg Reynolds
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Drafting starting pitchers in professional baseball can be challenging. The Colorado Rockies understand that.
The team used the No. 2 pick in the 2006 MLB draft to go after Stanford's Greg Reynolds. Reynolds showcased his skill set at Stanford, earning NCAA All-Regional honors during his stay.
He took command of the mound, and teams deemed him a quality prospect, as Jeff Sullivan of SB Nation explained: "He was one of those safe college picks, a starter with a mid-90s fastball who could go on the fast-track."
Injuries tarnished his career before it could get rolling. Jack Etkin of Sports on Earth detailed how that tragedy went down after the Rockies drafted him: "Then came a succession of arm injuries—one downright bizarre, involving a muscle detached from his scapula—that caused Reynolds to lose valuable development time and drift into the minor league backwaters."
Lingering hardships essentially finished his young MLB career. Reynolds spent three seasons in the big leagues, going 6-11 in the process.
Michael Beasley
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Michael Beasley played one season in college. But that one season was enough to brandish him a star.
Cutting up the hardwood at Kansas State during the 2007-08 season, Beasley averaged a staggering 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. His impressive numbers put the entire world on notice and won him the Big 12's Player of the Year award.
He wound up declaring for the NBA draft and was rightfully selected No. 2 overall by the Miami Heat.
Since then, Beasley's professional career has been a severe disappointment. Besides the fact he never developed into a superstar forward—his career average for points sits at 13—he also bailed on the NBA for China in 2015 to join the CBA, a league that he has dominated.
Beasley will have one more chance at glory. He recently signed a deal with the Houston Rockets, per ESPN's Marc Stein.
However, coming out of a loaded 2008 NBA draft class, it's a shame that he has yet to pan out. Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love and even O.J. Mayo have all become valuable assets to their respective franchises.
Beasley has never been able to get on that type of wavelength.
Darren McFadden
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Darren McFadden's greatness in college can't be brushed aside. He was a phenomenal runner who destroyed SEC record books while playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Three seasons with that program turned into 4,590 rushing yards—the second most in SEC history—and 41 touchdowns.
McFadden was a lock. His vision, speed and power were destined for professional greatness. The only problem is, that's not how things worked out.
Eight seasons in the NFL have resulted in two occasions where he broke the 1,000-yard rushing mark. Based on what he did in college, that's shocking.
The hope now is that McFadden's rebirth of sorts with the Dallas Cowboys will bring him continued success. After all, he ran for 1,089 yards last season and averaged a respectable 4.6 yards per carry.
Greg Oden
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Nothing frustrates sports fans like constant, nagging, damaging injuries. The kind of injuries that ruin careers. Former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden can attest to that feeling.
Oden was the next big thing. He was on his way to becoming a titan of basketball.
Fresh out of Ohio State University, his scouting reports looked nearly flawless. Matthew Maurer's profile on NBADraft.net even compared Oden to David Robinson and Bill Russell.
That's the type of player he could have been. His collegiate tape proved it. The stars were aligned for greatness until degenerative knee injuries came into play.
Before he could develop properly, Oden underwent microfracture knee surgery. That surgery ended his rookie season. Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal sculpted a detailed timeline of Oden's injury history. In it, you'll see the talent was still there when he was able to play.
For all of his frustrations and injuries, Oden only spent three seasons in the NBA. And whether he deserves it or not, he belongs on this list.
Matt Leinart
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Matt Leinart's star was burning bright in the mid-2000s. The University of South California quarterback became the perfect fit for Pete Carroll's collegiate powerhouse.
He was everything you wanted on paper. Equipped with that prototypical NFL build, Leinart was a left-handed thrower who relied on poise, effortless mechanics and accuracy. He absolutely was a collegiate passing machine.
Leinart's three seasons at USC resulted in a slew of crazy numbers. He threw for 10,693 yards, 99 touchdowns and completed 64.8 percent of the 1,245 balls he ripped through the sky.
Those numbers earned him a Heisman Trophy in 2004 to go along with a BCS National Championship victory that same season.
His NFL career didn't follow suit. The Arizona Cardinals drafted Leinart in 2006. He spent four seasons with the team. That time was split between taking first-team snaps and backing up Kurt Warner.
He never materialized into a cornerstone player. Four years in Arizona ended without a hint of satisfaction.
Leinart's playing career ended in 2012, after he suited up for a total of four games with the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders. Historians will now have to look back at his USC days for comfort.
JaMarcus Russell
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These days, what would a collegiate bust list be without JaMarcus Russell nestled in there? The former Oakland Raiders quarterback was supposed to usher a new era of football into the Bay Area.
The eventual No. 1 overall pick of the 2007 draft came out of LSU with wild expectations hanging from every vowel and consonant of his name. Russell was a fascinating prospect to watch play in Baton Rouge. His final season with the Tigers was astounding.
Passing for 3,129 yards and 28 touchdowns, he managed to complete 67.8 percent of his passes. Russell was everything you'd want in a QB.
The problem is, those buzzwords didn't quite buzz when he finally strapped a Raiders helmet on. Russell started 25 games in three seasons. He would win only seven of those efforts.
The stat sheet was so much worse. Three seasons of play amounted to 18 aerial touchdowns and 23 interceptions. His completion rate for all of the time spent in the NFL was a scrimpy 52.1 percent.
You wouldn't get many counter-arguments if you called Russell the biggest bust in sports history. He was that bad.
Tyler Hansbrough
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It's hard to call Tyler Hansbrough a bust. He's in the midst of a lengthy NBA career. But considering he was a superstar in college, his lack of sensational production fits the qualifications laid out in the opening slide.
Hansbrough was a big-time player for the University of North Carolina. He spent four years in Carolina blue, averaging 20.2 points and 8.6 total rebounds a game. This kid worked hard. He attacked the basketball on both ends of the floor.
Those scoring totals and hard play allowed Hansbrough to walk away with 2007-08 National Player of the Year honors.
Once his UNC playing days were over, he made a natural transition over to the NBA draft. The comparisons he drew weren't anything to write home about. NBADraft.net linked Hansbrough to Eduardo Najera and Mark Madsen.
His career production fits within those parameters. In the 418 contests he's played in, Hansbrough has averaged 6.8 points and 4.3 rebounds. Not really groundbreaking totals.
This former Tar Heel has never been able to capture the same magic he had in college.
Tim Tebow
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The narrative surrounding Tim Tebow's NFL career is one that will be fiercely debated by supporters of the quarterback and football fans alike. He's a lightning rod for controversy in terms of his success at the college level as well as struggles in the pros.
Tebow's time with the Florida Gators took on a life of its own. He emerged as a hybrid athlete—a sort of halfback and quarterback mix.
He passed for 9,285 yards and 88 touchdowns. On top of that, he rushed for 2,947 yards and a surplus of 57 TDs on the ground. Those are huge totals. Totals that helped him land a Heisman Trophy in 2007 and two national championships.
Despite his success, Tebow was a flawed prospect entering the pros. His prolonged delivery and sloppy footwork would make for a difficult translation to the NFL. WalterFootball.com's scouting report noted that, comparing him to Byron Leftwich as a passer and Mike Alstott as a runner.
The eventual first-round pick suited up for three seasons in the NFL, winning one playoff game along the way. But in the end, his on-field flaws outweighed his skill set. That was enough to keep the NFL teams away.
Shabazz Napier
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UConn has had more than its fair share of college stars come through its halls. Kemba Walker, Ray Allen, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor. The list goes on and on.
Shabazz Napier is part of that elite unit. He was a member of two national championship teams during his four years and helped redefine the program after it was embroiled in a one-year postseason ban leading up to the 2012-13 season.
Napier's fearless play led the Huskies out of that dark tunnel and into the sunlight. His charismatic on-court persona became a defining memory of that 2013-14 national championship squad.
The Charlotte Hornets used the 24th pick in the 2014 NBA draft to select the young point guard. He wasn't a hyped prospect based on scouting reports, such as Jacob Stallard's offering on NBADraft.net.
Due to his lack of athletic ability and size, scouts thought Napier was going to be remembered as a chapter in college basketball folklore rather than an All-Star guard.
So far, it looks like that's going to be the case. Two seasons into his career, Napier has already played for the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic. His lifetime averages of 4.5 points and 2.2 assists have shown his limitations.
But that's part of sports. College stars don't always turn out the way we hope.
All stats and information provided by Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.
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