Picking out the big stars heading into Sunday's Super Bowl LV is pretty easy. There's the matchup of marquee quarterbacks — the young swashbuckler Patrick Mahomes against the G.O.A.T, ageless Tom Brady.
Both teams have game-breakers, too, with the super speedy Tyreek Hill for the Chiefs matching up against the trio of top Tampa receivers Mike Evans, Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin.
But when these gents were in high school, where did they rank among the two 53-man rosters?
A no-doubt Hall of Famer, Brady wasn't a top recruit coming out of Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) — 247Sports didn't have a rating system until 2000 — but did earn
a full ride to Michigan. Yet, he isn't among the top 10 high school players playing in this weekend's Super Bowl.
Here's a look at top 10 high school careers among those 106 players with equal consideration between college recruitment and prep production, which also takes other sports into consideration.
The 398th-ranked recruit nationally and No. 22 pro-style quarterback, Mahomes wasn't highly sought largely because many thought he'd follow the path of his father Pat, who pitched 12 seasons in the Major Leagues. The Chiefs' QB rises to the top of this list because of his remarkable three-sport prowess, displayed most prominently during a senior year when he earned the 2013-14 MaxPreps National Athlete of the Year.
Mahomes started with a monster football season, accounting for more than 5,550 yards and 65 touchdowns while leading the Wildcats to a 12-1 record. He was named the 4A Texas State Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He averaged 19 points and eight rebounds for a 28-win basketball squad, breaking loose in the playoffs for games of 37 and 49 points. He hit better than .450 while playing infield and outfield for the Whitehouse baseball team, but it was his 93 mph fastball that had most scouts showing up. It was all on display March 11, 2014 when he threw a 16-strikeout, no-hitter in a 2-1 win, outpitching current White Sox ace Michael Kopech. Later that day, he went 3-for-4 with a home run and knocked in three runs during a 10-3 win over Princeton.
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2. Leonard Fournette, St. Augustine (New Orleans), Class of 2014, Tampa Bay RB The No. 1 recruit in the country, Fournette was a beast at St. Augustine, rushing for 7,630 career yards and 90 touchdowns. He
was also a great threat out of the backfield — as he is today — with 57
catches for 1,058 yards and nine more scores in his final two seasons. In four seasons he led the Purple Knights to 35 wins. He
was a first-team MaxPreps All-American choice as a senior.
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3. Chad Henne, Wilson (Pa.), Class of 2004, Kansas City QB
As
a straight recruit, Mahomes would be Henne's backup. Henne earned five-star status and was the No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the country. He
had a pretty
nifty prep career, throwing for 7,071 career yards and 74 touchdowns. He
was selected the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior
and inducted into the Wilson Athletic Hall of Fame as he was also a
three-year varsity basketball player and excellent javelin thrower.
A five-star recruit and No. 20 player nationally, Watkins graduated as Lee County's career leader in receptions with 133 for 2,997 yards and 36 touchdowns. He also averaged 11.8 yards per carry running out of the wildcat, once going for 133 yards on six carries and three TDs in a playoff game. He also won a state 200-meter track championship and placed second in the 100.
5. Chris Jones, Houston (Miss.), Class of 2013, Kansas City DE
A five-star defensive end at Houston, Jones was the No. 18 player overall nationally and No. 2 defensive end. He backed it up, piling up a remarkable 160 tackles his senior season with 14 sacks, 10 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and a 74-yard pick-six. A five-year basketball letterman, he averaged 14.8 points a junior.
6. Alex Okafor, Pflugerville (Texas), Class of 2009, Kansas City DE
The No. 1 strong-side defensive end and No. 36
recruit overall, Okafor totaled 131 tackles and 20 sacks his final two
seasons at Pflugerville and was a first-team 5A All-State performer by
the Associated Press. His team went 20-7 over last two
seasons and reached the 5A Division 2 championship game as a junior. He was a three-year starter in football and a
two-year basketball letterman.
7. Chris Godwin, Middletown (Del.), Class of 2014, Tampa Bay WR
Marginally recruited — No. 26 wide receiver and No. 168 overall from the Class of 2014 — Godwin was dominant in a four-year prep career while leading Middletown to two
state Division I titles and two runner-up finishes. He scored 77
touchdowns: 44 receiving, 18 rushing and 15 special teams. His senior
year, Godwin caught a state-record 18 TD passes among his 55 receptions for
1,150 yards. In four seasons, he caught 150 passes for 3,484 yards
(23.2 yards per catch).
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The No. 40 player overall and No. 4 running back,
Jones rushed for 4,935 yards and 76 touchdowns during a spectacular
three-year career at McKinney North. He also starred at track,
recording blistering times of 10.37 in the 100 meters (he won a district
title) and 21.98 in the 200.
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A
four-star recruit and No. 48 overall national recruit (No. 6 defensive
tackle), Suh was a Parade All-American and state
Class 4A Defensive Player of the Year. As a senior he recorded 65 tackles, 10
sacks and four fumble recoveries. He also starred on the offensive line
for the 9-3 Generals. Suh won
the state 4A shot put title with a school-record throw of 61 feet, 4
inches.
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A unique athlete, White ranked the
No. 5 running back in the country, earning 31 college offers. He rushed for 5,031 yards and 81 touchdowns in a
three-year career at North Webster, while also racking up 192 tackles during his sophomore and junior seasons from his eventual position at linebacker. He was listed as 6-foot-3, 225 pounds as a senior.
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