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They arrived as the best of the best.
In some cases, that’s how they left, just 3 short years later.
There were 34 5-star recruits in the Class of 2019. Eight of them were just selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Several are still in college. A few transferred. One gave up football and one just became the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
In order of their ranking, here’s the story of how every 5-star from that class is faring.
No. 1 Nolan Smith
So many Dawgs left the defense, but Smith is back. And that’s huge. Could Smith lead another parade of Georgia first-round picks next April?
No. 2 Kavon Thibodeaux
The No. 2 recruit in the country was taken No. 5 overall in the NFL Draft. That’ll work.
No. 3 Derek Stingley Jr.
Stingley’s college career reminded me a bit of Kyrie Irving’s at Duke. Limited and injury-marred, but never a doubt about the professional prospects. Stingley could have skipped his junior year entirely and still been the No. 3 overall pick.
No. 4 Jadon Haselwood
Haselwood was the top receiver in the 2019 class. He was productive at Oklahoma, but Sam Pittman and KJ Jefferson hope he becomes an All-SEC star at Arkansas.
No. 5 Antonio Alfano
Alfano defines Last Chance U., which is where he ended up after transferring from Alabama to Colorado and then to Independence Community College. Health issues are a huge part of his story.
No. 6 Trey Sanders
No, he didn’t win the Heisman as a true freshman, but he’s still grinding in Bama’s backfield. This year, he’ll take on an even bigger role.
No. 7 Evan Neal
No. 7 coming into Alabama … No. 7 going out to the New York Giants. Neal was everything he was billed to be in 3 years with the Tide.
No. 8 Zacch Pickens
How crazy is it that South Carolina will line up 2 of the top 11 players from the 2019 class this fall?
No. 9 Bru McCoy
McCoy’s off-field issues eventually led him to the transfer portal. He’s a talented WR searching for a home now. Tennessee reportedly is in the mix.
No. 10 Darnell Wright
Wright returns to Tennessee’s o-line, where he’ll start at one of the tackle spots.
No. 11 Spencer Rattler
Rattler transferred from Oklahoma to South Carolina, where he’ll attempt to revive his college career and stock for the 2023 NFL Draft.
No. 12 Zach Harrison
There wasn’t much doubt that Harrison was returning to Ohio State, but he did make a couple of All-Big Ten teams last season. Fans are still waiting for a double-digit sack season. Even if that doesn’t happen, his return bolsters the Buckeyes’ defense.
No. 13 John Emery Jr.
Emery missed last season because of academic issues. He is returning to LSU for his senior season. He’s not a first-round threat in 2023, but he’ll be a key part of Brian Kelly’s first offense.
No. 14 Dax Hill
Cincinnati drafted Michigan’s hard-hitting safety No. 31 overall in the first round.
No. 15 Kenyon Green
Green just missed breaking Texas A&M’s top-10 drought, but that hardly matters. The Houston Texans traded up to grab Green with the No. 15 overall pick. Green is the first Aggie taken in the first round since Jimbo Fisher arrived.
No. 16 DeMarvin Leal
Leal also was part of Fisher’s No. 4-ranked class. He was dominant, too, for 3 years before declaring. Pittsburgh selected Leal in the 3rd round.
No. 17 Logan Brown
Brown is entering his redshirt junior season at Wisconsin, where’s played and occasionally started but hasn’t quite justified his 5-star recruiting hype.
No. 18 Brandon Smith
Smith emerged as a junior, making the All-Big Ten third team. He declared for the draft and the Carolina Panthers took him in the 4th round.
No. 19 Nakobe Dean
Dean was one of the many dominant forces in Kirby Smart’s historic defense. For whatever reason, and everybody seemingly has an opinion on that, Dean slid in the draft — falling to Philadelphia late in the 3rd round. No matter. Dean figures to make plays for the Eagles for a long, long time.
No. 20 Garrett Wilson
Ohio State’s star receiver improved his already-lofty number. He entered college as the No. 20 player in the country and left 3 short, explosive years later as the No. 10 pick in the NFL Draft.
No. 21 Theo Wease
Lincoln Riley stocked receivers, so it’s no shame that Wease is still waiting for his big breakout season. Riley left for USC. Wease thought about leaving too, but he’s back in Norman, where he’s expected to be one of the go-to WRs for new QB Dillon Gabriel.
No. 22 Travon Walker
If you read some of the hot-takes about Walker’s rise up the draft boards, you might have thought he was a walk-on just like Stetson Bennett. Truth is, Walker arrived in Athens already looking like a future pro. Will he justify his No. 1 overall draft spot? That remains to be seen, but let’s not act like he’s a defensive version of JaMarcus Russell, a’ight?
No. 23 Andrew Booth
The only thing Booth didn’t do at Clemson was win a national title. His decision to leave early was a no-brainer — and then justified when he was selected early in the 2nd round.
No. 24 George Pickens
Pickens had an odd but eventful career at Georgia. He’ll never be remembered like an AJ Green, but he had his moments. He caught 8 of his 14 career TDs as a freshman … and the clock started ticking toward his inevitable early departure. Pickens was taken late in the 2nd round.
No. 25 Owen Pappoe
Not much went right for Auburn coach Bryan Harsin this offseason, but getting Pappoe to delay his NFL dreams and return was a highlight. When he’s healthy, Pappoe is a play-maker in the middle of the Tigers’ defense.
No. 26 Clay Webb
Webb is a good example of how impossible it is to assess high school interior linemen. Despite the lofty recruiting numbers, he barely played at Georgia and last month he entered the transfer portal. The good news? Webb potentially has 3 years of eligibility remaining.
No. 27 Charles Cross
The analysts didn’t miss with the massive Cross. He redshirted, then blossomed into a first-team All-American in 2021. His decision to leave early was simple and justified when he was selected No. 9 overall in the first round.
No. 28 Wanya Morris
Morris made his mark early at Tennessee but transferred to Oklahoma. He was part of the Sooners’ rotation last season and is expected to start at right tackle in 2022.
No. 29 Jerrion Ealy
Should Ealy have returned to Ole Miss for his senior season? That’s seemingly easy to answer after he went undrafted. But the Rebels’ highlight reel running back might have found the perfect opportunity after signing as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs. His versatile skill set will give him a chance to play in the NFL.
No. 30 Harry Miller
Football didn’t work out — the Ohio State center recently medically retired — but Miller’s still fighting. Credit him for being so public about his struggle, knowing his voice and platform might reach and help save others, too.
No. 31 Christopher Hinton
Hinton never became the star these rankings seem to promise, but he was an above-average contributor along Michigan’s d-line. He declared early but wasn’t drafted. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants.
No. 32 Marcel Brooks
He signed with LSU but transferred to TCU, where he’s about to enter his senior season. He’s moved back and forth between linebacker and receiver — an odd mix, to be sure. TCU has switched coaches and schemes — and now Brooks is back at linebacker. He’s a hybrid, no question, but he still has elite talent.
No. 33 Bo Nix
It didn’t work out at Auburn. Now Nix is at Oregon, where he’ll try to win the Ducks’ starting QB job.
No. 34 Jordan Whittington
The 34th and final 5-star of the 2019 class, Whittington arrived as a touted running back but soon switched to receiver. He made plays last season and figures to make even more in Steve Sarkisian’s 2nd year.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
