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Rivals.com Football Recruiting - Five-Star Academies produce plenty of highlights

Jeremy Crabtree
Rivals.com Football Recruiting

Now that the Rivals.com Five-Star Academy has made its final stop of the year, it's time to reflect back on some of the top talent that made this year's tour the best ever.

From the first-stop at SMU in early February all the way to the events in Virginia, Utah, Arizona and Memphis in April, more than 2,500 prospects from all over the nation attended the Rivals.com Five-Star Academy. This included many of the nation's top prospects.

Household names like Cierre Wood of Oxnard (Calif.) Santa Clara, Russell Shepard of Houston Cypress Ridge, Devon Kennard of Phoenix Desert Vista, Kevin Newsome of Chesapeake (Va.) Western Branch, Chris Davenport of Mansfield, La., and Craig Loston of Aldine (Texas) Eisenhower were all there.

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Headliner: Justin Turner, S, Massillon (Ohio) Washington

Turner was definitely the headliner in an event that was loaded with talent. While other stud recruits like John Simon and Jack Mewhort were there, it was Turner that looked amazing in Akron. Turner measured in at 6-foot-2 and 186 pounds. Seeing how much he's grown physically made it clear that he's got the frame to be an elite prospect. Just a few weeks after the event he committed to Michigan.

Sleeper to emerge: Patrick Nicely, QB, Willoughby (Ohio) South

Nicely looked great on film, but seeing him in person reinforced that he's going to be one of Ohio's top recruits. Measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds, Nicely looked great and drew rave reviews from Rivals.com recruiting analyst Barry Every.

Headliner: Chris Watt, OG, Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard West

It's the year of the offensive lineman in Illinois, and the leader of the pack is Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard West four-star offensive guard Chris Watt. Watt looked amazing with a very solid 6-foot-3, 280-pound frame. His appearance at the event at Naperville North High School helped cement his spot as a Rivals100 prospect. He along with Leon Hill and Patrick Ward all looked great at the event as all three linemen are ranked as four-star players that made it to the event.

Headliner: Jordan Whiting, LB, Louisville (Ky.) Trinity

The event in Cincinnati featured four-star Rivals100 linebacker and Ohio State pledge Jordan Whiting. There had been some questions by people nationally how tall he was and how much he weighed, but he more than answered those questions measuring in at 6-foot and 230 pounds. "It's not always the size of the linebacker," Whiting said. "It's the size of the linebacker's heart. And I think I have a lot of heart and desire. I'm not going to let anybody outwork or outhustle me, because I know that you have to keep working hard to be the best."

Headliner: Frankie Telfort, LB, Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep

Top 100 prospect Frankie Telfort of Miami Gulliver Prep showed up and despite only measuring in at 5 feet 11 and 194 pounds, his film and then later stellar performance at the NIKE Camp helped cement his spot as a national recruit.

Headliners: Devon Kennard and Corey Adams

It doesn't get much bigger than five-star defensive end Devon Kennard. Kennard was one of the top players to attend the events all year long. He showed up at the Phoenix event at Chandler's Hamilton High School, measuring in at 6-foot-3 and 257 pounds. He along with Corey Adams, a four-star defensive tackle, were easily the headliners at the event. Kennard and Adams give Arizona a great one-two punch when it comes to national prospects, but the overall depth at the event was one of the best in the country.