Incoming 2016 College Football Freshmen with Famous Parents
Not all incoming college freshmen football players are looking to put their family name on the map. While the vast majority of newcomers aren't necessarily accustomed to an expanded spotlight, others grew up in environments that commanded one.
Whether their parents were entertainers or celebrated athletes in football or some other sport, several 2016 signees have plenty to live up to when it comes to family success. We examined a collection of prospects who inherit some level of fame from parents who previously gained public affection.
Miami: 3-Star TE Michael Irvin Jr.
1 of 9
High School: St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Size: 6'3", 220 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 33 tight end; No. 624 overall
This name provides an immediate connection to the University of Miami, where Michael Irvin Jr.'s father was a record-setting wide receiver and national champion. Before he emerged as a national star with the Hurricanes, the elder Irvin also competed at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
"He was proud of me when I told him of my decision and he thinks it will work out for me just like it did for him going there," Irvin Jr. told Ryan Bartow of 247Sports.
Irvin Jr., who also received scholarship offers from Syracuse, Central Florida, North Carolina State and Wake Forest, helped St. Thomas Aquinas earn a state title last season. He caught 29 passes, including two touchdowns, as a senior.
He'll have plenty of supporters in Coral Gables, where his father remains an iconic figure of Miami's athletic history. After his Hurricanes career, Irvin claimed three Super Bowl championships and five Pro Bowl appearances with the Dallas Cowboys, resulting in NFL Hall of Fame induction and a successful television analyst career.
Pitt: 3-Star DE Zack Gilbert
2 of 9
High School: South Mecklenburg (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Size: 6'2", 260 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 34 strong-side defensive end; No. 755 overall
Just like Irvin Jr., Zack Gilbert elected to follow his father's path to a college campus. The son of former Pittsburgh All-American Sean Gilbert signed with the Panthers after considering alternative options that included North Carolina, Duke, West Virginia and Virginia Tech.
His ties to the programs actually extend beyond a father-son bond.
“It’s an honor to have a chance to play for the same school as my father and my cousin Darrelle (Revis)," he told Michael Clark of Scout.com. "It’s great to know that I get to carry on the family legacy.”
Sean Gilbert became the No. 3 overall NFL draft pick in 1992 and made a Pro Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. Zack Gilbert burst onto the national recruiting scene as a junior, when he tallied 26 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks.
North Carolina State: 3-Star TE Thaddeus Moss
3 of 9High School: Mallard Creek (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Size: 6'3", 240 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 18 tight end; No. 392 overall
Thaddeus Moss is the son of one of football's most scintillating downfield playmakers. Randy Moss, a Heisman Trophy finalist at Marshall University, dominated defensive backfields throughout his NFL career en route to 156 touchdown receptions.
That scoring total places him No. 2 overall in league history, trailing only Jerry Rice. Randy Moss appeared in two Super Bowls, received seven Pro Bowl invitations and won Rookie of the Year honors with the Minnesota Vikings (he would also star on a New England Patriots squad that finished the regular season 16-0).
Thaddeus Moss committed to NC State weeks before national signing day, choosing the Wolfpack over Texas A&M, UCLA and USC. He caught 13 touchdowns during a 2015 state title run at Mallard Creek, according to James Henderson of Scout.com.
"For the most part, [my dad] really let me go about the process on my own," Moss told Tom VanHaaren of ESPN.com. "I asked for his opinion and for him to sit down with the coaches and talk, but I asked for that these last few weeks. He voiced his opinion, and we had in-depth conversations about what was best for me and what was best for the family."
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Georgia: 4-Star RB Elijah Holyfield
4 of 9
High School: Woodward Academy (Atlanta, Georgia)
Size: 5'10", 204 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 6 running back; No. 165 overall
Evander Holyfield is a member of boxing royalty thanks to a lengthy fighting career that featured four world heavyweight championships and a series of highly publicized bouts against Mike Tyson. However, his early athletic dreams focused on him carrying the football.
“Being from Atlanta, I loved all the home teams,” Holyfield told Bernard Fernandez of The Ring. “That includes the Georgia Bulldogs. Wasn’t nothing I wanted more than to play for that team. Herschel Walker had won the Heisman Trophy for Georgia (in 1982). It was my dream to be another Herschel Walker."
Life led him elsewhere in the sporting world, but now his son, Elijah Holyfield, has an opportunity to live out those dreams in Athens, Georgia. The impressive prospect picked the Bulldogs over fellow finalists Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina and Tennessee after a dominant upperclassman career (2,804 rushing yards and 46 scores, per MaxPreps).
“Elijah liked to box when he was younger,” Evander Holyfield told Fernandez. “But I could tell his first love was football. Really, it was mine as well."
Tennessee: 4-Star DB Nigel Warrior
5 of 9
High School: Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee, Georgia)
Size: 6'0", 186 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 4 safety; No. 58 overall
If Nigel Warrior can approach his father's level of play in the defensive backfield, he'll provide Tennessee Volunteers fans with plenty of highlights. Former Tennessee All-American Dale Carter could watch his son patrol the same secondary as early as 2016.
Warrior, who also fielded significant recruiting efforts from SEC foes Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and LSU, formally announced his commitment to the program on national signing day. He totaled 162 tackles and nine interceptions during his final three high school campaigns, per MaxPreps.
His uncle, Jake Reed, caught 36 NFL touchdowns, with most coming as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Carter was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors with the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I tell [Nigel] about the things and what he to expect before even when he gets to school—when he gets to Tennessee," Carter told Danny Parker of Scout.com. "He’s not going to live in my shoes. He’s got his own path."
Alabama: 5-Star LB Ben Davis
6 of 9
High School: Gordo (Gordo, Alabama)
Size: 6'3", 240 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 1 inside linebacker; No. 10 outside linebacker
No prospect on this list is set to encounter greater expectations in college than Ben Davis. The hype is always sky-high for any 5-star recruit entering a perennial championship-or-bust situation under Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, but the main component of inherent pressure can be attributed to his father's past accomplishments in Tuscaloosa.
Wayne Davis, who suited up for the Tide from 1983 through 1986, remains the program's all-time tackles leader (327). When you consider the volume of eventual NFL talent that's come through the university during just Saban's tenure, it's a record that deserves to be revered.
It's also one Ben Davis intends to chase.
"He's got a great record there, but I'll be shooting for it. I'm gonna try to bust it," he told Bleacher Report. "I won't be thinking about it. I'm just going to ball out, work hard, and if it happens, it happens. It'd be pretty cool. I'm gonna try to break it."
His high school dominance backs up the talk, as Davis collected 119 tackles in 2015, according to Joey Chandler of the Tuscaloosa News, earned MVP honors at the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic and was a finalist for the Butkus Award, which is annually given to America's top high school linebacker.
Ohio State: 4-Star ATH Jordan Fuller
7 of 9
High School: Old Tappan (Westwood, New Jersey)
Size: 6'1 ½", 196 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 6 athlete; No. 130 overall
Many will recognize Jordan Fuller's last name because of his brother's success at UCLA. Devin Fuller caught 146 passes at UCLA and is now among the many NFL draft hopefuls preparing to play at the professional level.
However, it's their mother who steals the show in this family.
Cindy Mizelle, a vocal artist, has toured with global music headliners such as Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston, Steely Dan and the Rolling Stones, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. With one son prepping for an NFL dream, another is set to join a perceived national championship contender at Ohio State.
“They were always at sound check," Mizelle told Demovsky of her children. "They’d watch the shows. They’re memorizing the lines of the comedians who came on before us. They saw them putting up the lights. That was really something that added to who they are now.”
Fuller, who chose Ohio State over Michigan, Notre Dame and Rutgers, accumulated 1,665 yards from scrimmage as a run-first quarterback and receiver in 2015, according to Patrick Lanni of NJ.com. He is expected to join the defensive backfield in Columbus, coming off a senior campaign that included 44 tackles and six interceptions.
Utah State: 2-Star CB Rayshad Lewis
8 of 9High School: Bishop Moore Catholic (Orlando, Florida)
Size: 5'9", 165 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 275 cornerback; No. 2,841 overall
Rayshad Lewis is the son of former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who rates among the most feared defenders in NFL history. He was selected four 13 Pro Bowls, earned two Defensive Player of the Year awards and won a pair of Super Bowl championships.
Prior to his illustrious professional career, Lewis attended the University of Miami. As a member of the Hurricanes, he was a two-time All-American and a finalist for the Butkus Award, handed annually to college football's premier linebacker.
The eventual Hall of Fame inductee's son made some statements of his own on defense during a strong high school career. Rayshad Lewis pulled down 14 interceptions as an upperclassman, according to Scout.com, and claimed scholarship offers from Appalachian State, Florida Atlantic, Fresno State, Toledo and other FBS universities.
He committed to Utah State in December, tweeting a photo of him on campus alongside his father.
USC: 4-Star WR Michael Pittman
9 of 9
High School: Oaks Christian (Thousand Oaks, California)
Size: 6'4", 209 lbs
247Sports Composite Ranking: No. 8 wide receiver; No. 69 overall
Michael Pittman, who previously pledged to UCLA before signing with USC, is a key member of a 2016 Trojans wide receiver class that deserves consideration as America's best. He established career-high totals across the board as a senior, according to MaxPreps, collecting 81 catches for 1,990 yards and 24 touchdowns.
While this playmaker will look to exploit defenses through the air for years to come, his father pounded opponents on the ground. The elder Michael Pittman served as leading rusher for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the franchise's lone Super Bowl run.
His professional experience featured 5,627 rushing yards, preceded by an all-conference college career at Fresno State. Pittman was among the game's most physically imposing athletes with Tampa Bay, earning a closer look from former President George W. Bush.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
