Recruiting Rewind: The 10 Most Hyped RB Recruits of the Decade
So far in the latest installments of our "Recruiting Rewind" series, we have gone back and looked at the most hyped QB and WR recruits of the past 10 recruiting seasons of the 2000s.
Today, we move forward, examining just which RB recruits of the past decade were the most hyped. Again, this is not about whether they lived up to the hype, busted or even who was the best.
This is about who had the most hype, buzz and mystique surrounding them during their recruitment and even in the years before their senior year. What they did in college does not factor into this list.
Looking back over the past decade, just as with the quarterbacks and receivers, we have seen and heard about some running backs with crazy talent who had tremendous buzz around them in recruiting.
So here are the top 10 most hyped running back recruits of the 2000s.
10. Bryce Brown
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Brown's hype may been due to his brother Arthur being one of the very top players in the 2008 class, but Brown had his own acclaim.
He was hailed as the top running back prospect in the 2009 class, and some had him as the top player regardless of position. A 6'2", 200-pound running back, Brown was seen dominating the Kansas high school football scene.
He got more hype and buzz because his recruitment became a bit of a soap opera. He committed to Miami as a junior to follow Arthur to Coral Gables, but in his senior year, Bryce decided to reopen himself up to recruiting. He postponed signing his letter of intent, instead of signing on National Signing Day.
He and his "advisor" both began to charge people to read up on his recruiting updates, which irked fans and coaches, and even got the attention of the NCAA.
He finally settled on Tennessee and saw time as a freshman, but eventually left the program and has since enrolled at Kansas State, where Arthur has transferred to from Miami.
9. Marcus Lattimore
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You ask anyone in the Palmetto State and they will tell you that in high school, Marcus Lattimore was the man. They will even argue with you tooth and nail about how he was actually more dominant as a running back in high school than Jadeveon Clowney was as a defensive end.
He won the National Junior of the Year award and in his senior year, not only was a USA Today All-American, Lattimore was also South Carolina's Mr. Football. He is a legend in the state and the south, and one of the very most hyped running back recruits we've seen.
At 6'0", 220 pounds, he has great run strength, breakaway speed, vision and lateral quickness. He looks like a player that is both substance and hype based on what he did as a true freshman for the Gamecocks.
8. Noel Devine
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Devine was a bit of a mysterious player, which is why his mystique played so well in helping his buzz. Only 5'8", and just in the 170-175 pound range, he was nearly adopted by Deion Sanders and even lived with Prime Time for a few short months during his senior season.
But if you looked past Devine's mystique, you saw a fantastic player who's running style was all based on not speed or quickness, but outstanding balance. Devine could take a hit, shove, push or catch contact and stay on his feet and run line to get up field. He was deceptively strong and ripped up competition in the Sunshine State.
Many felt he was destined to become a Florida State Seminole, but Devine eventually settled on heading to Morgantown to play for West Virginia. Today he is a NFL draft prospect who should be selected in the middle rounds next month.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Chris Wells
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I've seen a few well known players play in high school and could just tell they were men amongst boys and would be great players.
Beanie Wells was one of them.
At 6'1", 230 pounds, he was just a beast, and his hype started well before his senior year of high school when his high school coach called him the best player to come out of Akron Garfield in almost 30 years.
The top runner in 2006, Wells was a wanted man by everyone as his size, strength, power, explosiveness and straight line speed were all flat out tremendous.
He rushed for almost 2000 yards as a junior and topped the feat as a senior. I remember seeing him carry defenders around like an elephant in the Army game.
He went on to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing at Ohio State and became a first-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals in 2009.
6. Demetris Summers
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In 2003, some had Summers as the top running back over Lorenzo Booker. Standing 6'1", 200 pounds, he was Marcus Lattimore before anyone had even heard of Lattimore in South Carolina.
He was a two-sport star out of Lexington High in the Palmetto State and looked like a player that could restore Gamecock football in the SEC.
Many of the national powers came hard after Summers, but he chose to remain loyal to his state and signed with South Carolina. Even before he stepped foot in Columbia, Summers was hyped up to be a savior to the program.
Gamecock fans felt securing him would close the fence on the state and he would attract more top players to come with him, and that he would win four straight SEC rushing titles.
Yet Summers ran into legal trouble, including problems with drugs, and was dismissed from the team in 2005. Today he plays in the CFL.
5. Maurice Clarett
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We all know the story of Maurice Clarett: He came to Ohio State and dominated as a true freshman, tried to go pro as a sophomore, lost, and got drafted in the third round by the Broncos and eventually flamed out of the league and did prison time for an alleged conspired robbery.
Yet before all of that, Clarett was uber-hyped coming into Ohio State. A 6'0", 220-pound running back, he was the 2001 USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year and Ohio's Mr. Football.
People considered him the top running back in his class, and some even said he was the best player and one of the top prospects in recent memory.
Today Clarett plays for the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL.
4. Reggie Bush
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Bush's high school highlight tape was a YouTube sensation and is a legendary spectacle as it is. A 6'0", 190-pound playmaker out of San Diego, Bush could do it all and did, even with Alex Smith as his high school QB.
Bush was seen dazzling as a runner, receiver and return man and was hailed as a combo of Marshall Faulk and LaDanian Tomlinson. When USC landed him, immediate talk was how quickly he would unseat Hershel Dennis as USC's starting tailback.
The funny story about it was that Bush actually wanted to go to Stanford but the Cardinal academic staff took too long in clearing and accepting his formal application, which frustrated him enough to sign with USC.
But now obviously, if you ask the Trojans, they've never heard of him.
3. Kevin Jones
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Jones was the top player in the 2001 recruiting class, and had a slew of offers. At 6'0", 210 pounds, he was timed at 4.3 in the 40 yard dash in high school and became a bit of a national celebrity. He was all-world in Pennsylvania and dominated the Philadelphia high school football competition.
He was super hyped, as many speculated about where he would land. Some even thought he might try to sue the NFL to go pro out of high school, yet down the home stretch Jones announced Penn State and Virginia Tech were the two finalists.
Each program's fanbase ignited in awaited anticipation as he was looked at as a player that could single-handedly run a team to the national title.
Jones held a press conference in February, and even leaked out word that he was leaning to in-state Penn State. He shocked and broke the hearts of many by announcing his choice as Virginia Tech, wearing a Micheal Vick jersey.
He became a first-round pick to the Detroit Lions.
2. Lorenzo Booker
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Some listed Booker as an ATH while others kept him as a listed running back, but anywhere you looked you saw his name as the top overall player for the 2002 class. A 5'10", 190-pound playmaker, Booker had sub-4.4 speed and an explosive burst, and could shake you at out of your pants in a phone booth.
Booker was so hyped that it was a huge deal when he announced his final 10 schools. Not a final list, but just a final 10 schools he was considering in the summer before his senior year at St. Bonaventure (CA). Eventually Booker had a final four of Notre Dame, Florida State, USC and Washington.
He committed to Notre Dame before heading to the podium to announce his decision on National Signing Day, then broke into tears and announced Florida State, as the hype and pressure had really taken a toll on him.
He had a so-so career at FSU and became a middle-round pick to the Dolphins, and spent time with Eagles. Today he plays in the UFL.
1. Adrian Peterson
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When you are called the best high school running back to come out of Texas, that's an amazing feat. When people say you can play in the NFL out of high school, that's another amazing compliment.
But when people say you can be a first-round pick out of high school, then that means you're hype is otherworldly.
Adrian Peterson's buzz had all of the aforementioned talk and speculation surrounding him...before his senior year in high school.
A 6'2", 220-pound specimen with 4.3 speed, Peterson was a man-child in high school and just could not be stopped. He was the top player in 2004 and rightfully so.
Just seeing him play, you could easily see he was NFL bound and would be a dominant player. His hype was warranted and the talk that surrounded him made you wonder if he could actually seriously play in the NFL out of high school for a minute.
He went to Oklahoma and almost won the Heisman as a true freshman, and eventually became a top-10 pick to the Vikings, where he is considered the best running back in football today.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
