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Recruiting is king in college football. Powerful programs want to keep the cupboards fully stocked with elite talent, while up-and-coming schools can make up ground in a hurry by landing a five-star recruit.
While the teams who recruit best typically end up being the top teams in the nation, recruiting success does not always translate to on-field success. Though there are a number of success stories from highly-rated recruits, flops happen almost just as frequently.
Let’s take a look into 10 college football players in recent years who had boatloads of hype surrounding them coming out of high school, but failed to live up to their lofty expectations.
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10.) Hunter Johnson, QB, Clemson (#30 in 2017)
Hunter Johnson was a prized quarterback recruit in the 2017 class, committed to play football for Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers. Johnson sat behind Kelly Bryant as a freshman but flashed when given an opportunity, going 21-for-27 for 234 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
Immediately following his freshman year, Johnson transferred to Northwestern with Clemson picking up number one recruit Trevor Lawrence in the 2018 class. He redshirted the 2018 season, but the hype continued to build until he was inserted as the starter in 2019.
Johnson’s Northwestern debut did not go as planned, going 6-for-17 for 55 yards and two interceptions against Stanford in the season opener. He was benched just four games into the season and the Wildcats struggled mightily.
Johnson never regained his starting job and transferred back to Clemson in 2022 to back up D.J. Uiagalelei. He will be entering his first season post-playing career in 2023.
9.) George Farmer, RB/WR, USC (#8 in 2011)
George Farmer was the number one receiver in the class of 2011, drawing hype as an immediate plug-and-play guy in the Trojans’ offense.
The opposite happened. He only appeared in four games, mostly as a running back, and caught just four passes for 42 yards. He was used even less as a sophomore, catching only one ball, and tore his ACL prior to his junior season.
Farmer played one final season in 2014 where he finally recorded 25 catches for 314 yards and four touchdowns. He declared for the NFL Draft and went undrafted, bounced around a few practice squads, and never played an NFL snap.
#USC WR George Farmer has agreed to terms with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent http://t.co/gMPZOz4aXM pic.twitter.com/7EOEdCVKuF
— Reign of Troy (@ReignofTroy) May 2, 2015
8.) Eyabi Okie, DE, Alabama (#4 in 2018)
Eyabi Okie (formerly Eyabi Anoma) was a star recruit in the class of 2018 committed to Alabama. He earned SEC All-Freshman honors after his first season, but reports soon came out that he was not attending classes. Nick Saban promptly dismissed him from the team.
Okie transferred to Houston, but never played a snap and was dismissed from the Cougars’ program as well.
In 2021 he joined UT-Martin’s squad and helped lead the Skyhawks to the Ohio Valley Conference Championship, getting his career back on track.
Okie played at Michigan in 2022 and recorded four sacks as a rotational pass rusher, helping the team win the Big Ten and make the College Football Playoff.
Okie transferred to Charlotte for the upcoming 2023 season, his fifth stop in his college career. While he is still playing football and has NFL aspirations, he did not live up to the hype as a top-five recruit committed to play for Coach Saban at Alabama.
7.) Derrick Green, RB, Michigan (#27 in 2013)
Derrick Green was deemed the recruit that would bring Michigan back to relevancy. Many recruiting sites had him as the top running back in the class of 2013, and Wolverines fans were stoked to get him on campus.
Green failed to live up to the hype. His best year at Michigan was in 2014 where he rushed for 471 yards and three touchdowns, both career highs. He ended up transferring to TCU in 2016 and never made it to the NFL.
6.) Shane Morris, QB, Michigan (#71 in 2013)
Michigan’s 2013 recruiting class landed two players on this list. Quarterback Shane Morris was a five-star recruit, joining Derrick Green in what many thought at the time was a loaded recruiting class.
Morris saw his first extensive action as a true freshman in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, starting in place of an injured Devin Gardner. He struggled and the Wolverines lost 31-14.
In limited opportunities as a sophomore, Morris went an atrocious 14-for-40 for 128 yards and three interceptions.
He ended up at Central Michigan in 2017 and threw for 27 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Safe to say that his college career did not go as planned.
Former Michigan QB Shane Morris will transfer to Central Michigan pic.twitter.com/AFTvsSPgIL
— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) January 21, 2017
5.) Tate Martell, QB, Ohio State (#56 in 2017)
Tate Martell was deemed as the quarterback of the future when he committed to Ohio State after an illustrious high school career at Bishop Gorman. Backing up Dwayne Haskins, he went 23-for-28 for 269 yards and a touchdown in limited action. Entering 2019, Ohio State grabbed Justin Fields out of the transfer portal which led to Martell transferring.
Martell landed at Miami, where he tried to transition to receiver but failed to make an impact. He sat out in 2020 and played at UNLV in 2021 but only attempted six passes, completing two of them for 27 yards. Martell retired from football after suffering an injury at UNLV.
Tate martell won 3 state titles and multiple national titles and never lost a game at bishop Gorman . High school wins mean nothing https://t.co/sC0p3CYCvA
— John (@iam_johnw) July 21, 2023
4.) Arik Gilbert, TE, LSU (#5 in 2020)
Arik Gilbert was regarded as one of the top tight-end prospects ever, falling as the number 5 overall recruit in the class of 2020. He showed flashes as a freshman at LSU, grabbing 35 catches for 368 yards and two touchdowns.
Gilbert opted to transfer to Georgia following his freshman season. He sat out in 2021 due to transfer rules and played in 2022 but recorded just two catches for 16 yards and a score while sitting behind Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington in a loaded tight end room.
Gilbert then transferred again to Nebraska, where he awaits a waiver for eligibility heading into the 2023 season and a chance to revive his career.
3.) Max Browne, QB, USC (#11 in 2013)
A second quarterback from the historically bad class of 2013, Max Browne was supposed to be the next big thing at USC. Browne waited his turn behind incumbent quarterback Cody Kessler for two seasons before finally becoming the starter in 2016.
His tenure as the starter did not last long. Browne was benched in favor of Sam Darnold after just three subpar games. He transferred to Pittsburgh as a grad transfer but only started six games after suffering a season and career-ending shoulder injury.
Browne is now working as an analyst for USC, staying close to the game of football.
2.) Mique Juarez, LB, UCLA (#11 in 2016)
Mique Juarez was the top linebacker in the class of 2016, joining UCLA as an expected immediate contributor.
He played in just three career games and logged two tackles. Juarez battled concussions throughout his career, making it tough for him to get on the field and make an impact. Juarez committed to Utah out of the transfer portal in 2020 but never actually joined the team.
He is now spending his time post-football as a dedicated father.
1.) Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri (#1 in 2012)
Dorial Green-Beckham was one of the most highly-touted receiver prospects of all time, if not the most highly-touted receiver prospect ever. Out of high school, he opted to stay home and committed to play for Missouri.
He struggled on the field as a freshman, ending the season with 395 yards and five touchdowns, and struggled off the field as well with a drug possession charge that caused him to miss two games.
Green-Beckham played much better as a sophomore, tallying 883 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. However that offseason, things started to go downhill off the field. He was dismissed from Missouri but landed at Oklahoma.
As a Sooner, Green-Beckham never played a game. He had to sit out per transfer rules and opted to go to the NFL the following season where he was drafted in the second round.
Green-Beckham played two NFL seasons for Tennessee and Philadelphia, flashing talent in each with a few big games here and there. He fell out of the league while continuing to get in trouble with the law and has bounced in and out of jail over the past few years.
No.1 recruit in the country WR Dorial Green-Beckham picks #Mizzou Tigers pic.twitter.com/fYjSVvLY
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 1, 2012
Who Is The Biggest Recruiting Bust Of All-Time?
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