These 2021 defensive standouts were underrated recruits

Any type of talent evaluation is a crap shoot and not anything close to resembling a science. If it were a science, no pro draft pick — in the NFL, NBA, MLB or the NHL — ever would be a bust (well, assuming no injury, of course). The same goes for college recruiting. How will a 17- or 18-year-old recruit handle the next level?  You can’t measure intangibles, and that usually is the No. 1 factor in an athlete’s development.

FBS schools sign about 2,800 players each season. There generally are about 35 five-star prospects annually, meaning less than 1.5 percent of the players signed are five-star guys. Generally, there are about 350 or so four-star prospects annually, which means the great bulk of players who sign with colleges each season — about 85 percent — are two- or three-star recruits.

Simple math tells you a lot of those two- and three-star guys become key players in college. Some even become stars. Today we’re going to spotlight 20 defensive players nationally who were not even consensus top 1,000 players as high school seniors — and some weren’t even among the top 2,000. Our criteria: The player has to have a legit chance to be a conference player of the year in a Group of 5 league or a first-team all-league pick in a Power 5 conference. Trust us: We still left guys off this list.

Regardless, take a gander at our all-underrated recruits defensive team. (We did an offensive version of this Tuesday.)

Virginia Tech EDGE Amare Barno

The buzz: Barno signed with Virginia Tech in 2019 out of junior college, but he was an unranked high school recruit from Blythewood (S.C.) Westwood in the class of 2017. He wasn’t really a big-time JC recruit, either, ranking just outside of the top 75 at Butler CC in El Dorado, Kan. Barno (6 feet 6, 235 pounds) had 16 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks for the Hokies last season, and is expected to be one of the more destructive edge rushers nationally this season.

Louisville CB Kei’Trel Clark

The buzz: Clark was an unranked 5-10, 165-pound recruit out of Midlothian (Va.) Manchester in the 2019 class. He signed with Liberty and was a part-time starter for the Flames that season. Clark transferred to Louisville last year, criticizing Liberty’s administration on his way out. He earned second-team All-ACC honors after tying for the league lead with 10 pass breakups. Clark (5-10, 180) also had 36 tackles, a pick and a fumble recovery. He should be one of the best corners in the ACC this season.

Cincinnati CB Ahmad Gardner

The buzz: Gardner, from Detroit Martin Luther King, was barely inside the national top 1700 in the 2019 signing class. He has become one of the best cover corners in the nation and is a possible first-rounder in the 2022 draft. He has excellent size (6-2, 188), top-notch ball skills and good speed.

Coastal Carolina EDGE Jeffrey Gunter

The buzz: Gunter was just inside the national top 3900 (bet you haven’t seen that written all that often — or ever) as a senior at Durham (N.C.) Riverside. He was a 6-4, 225-pounder as a high school senior and now is listed at 6-4 and 260. Gunter played extensively as a reserve as a true freshman in 2017, then became a starter and an All-Sun Belt performer as a sophomore. He transferred to NC State in 2019, sat out that season — and then returned to Coastal in 2020. Last season, he had 58 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and an FBS-best six forced fumbles. He has 11 sacks and 30 tackles for loss in his career.

San Jose State DE Cade Hall

The buzz: Hall was ranked in the 2900s nationally as a senior at San Jose Bellarmine College Prep, but he has become one of the best defensive linemen in the Group of 5. Hall, who is 6-3, was a 225-pounder as a prep senior but now weighs about 270. He will be a four-year starter and has 108 career tackles, 14 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss. Hall, a Dean’s List student, was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year last season, when he had 10 sacks in seven games. His dad, Rhett, was a defensive lineman at Cal and for eight seasons in the NFL.

TCU CB Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson

The buzz: Hodges-Tomlinson (5-9, 177) was ranked in the 1300s nationally (and in the 170s in Texas) in the class of 2019 out of Waco (Texas) Midway. He was a key reserve as a freshman, then earned All-Big 12 honors and second-team All-America accolades as a starter last season, when his 13 pass breakups were second-most nationally. Hodges-Tomlinson, who is the nephew of LaDainian Tomlinson, lacks size, but has excellent anticipation, top-flight ball skills and can run.

Northwestern S Brandon Joseph

The buzz: Joseph (6-1, 192) was an All-American last season as a redshirt freshman, finishing with 52 tackles, six picks and eight pass breakups. He was just outside the national top 1000 as a prep senior in the 2019 class at College Station (Texas) High. He chose Northwestern over Arizona and Texas Tech.

Utah LB Devin Lloyd

The buzz: Lloyd was a safety at Chula Vista (Calif.) Otay Ranch, in the San Diego suburbs, and ranked in the 1600s nationally as a high school senior in 2017. Lloyd was 6-3 and 215 in high school but has gained 20 pounds at Utah. He redshirted in 2017 and was moved to linebacker. He was a reserve in 2018 and started each of the past two seasons. Lloyd will try to become a three-time All-Pac-12 selection this fall.

Western Kentucky DE DeAngelo Malone

The buzz: Malone was barely inside the national top 3000 as a high school senior from Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove in the class of 2017. Malone was listed at 6-3 and 210; now, going into his senior season, Malone is 6-4 and 240 and the frontrunner to win Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second time. He has 25 sacks, 42.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles in his career; Malone is the current national career leader in sacks and TFL.

Troy LB Carlton Martial

The buzz: Martial was an unranked recruit in the 2017 class out of Mobile (Ala.) McGill-Toolen — perhaps not surprising when you consider he was listed at 5-8 and 208 pounds. He walked-on at Troy and has become a tackle machine. He has 315 career stops, third-most among players nationally (the guys ahead of him, Texas Tech’s Colin Schooler and Washington State’s Jahad Wells, have each played one more season than Martial.) He’s a two-time All-Sun Belt selection. By the way, he’s listed at 5-9 and 210 now.

Indiana LB Micah McFadden

The buzz: McFadden was barely inside the national top 2000 as a senior at Tampa Plant, one of the best public-school programs in Florida, in the 2018 recruiting class. McFadden had a school-record 218 tackles for Plant as a senior. He was a reserve as a true freshman at IU and has started each of the past two seasons. McFadden (6-2, 232) was a first-team All-Big Ten selection last season, when he had 58 tackles, six sacks (which led the Big Ten) and 10.5 tackles for loss in eight games.

Arkansas LB Grant Morgan

The buzz: Morgan (5-11, 230) led the nation in tackles per game last season (12.33) and was named a first-team All-SEC performer, a nice feat for a guy who had zero offers and was an unranked recruit out of Greenwood (Ark.) High in the 2016 class. Morgan walked-on with the Hogs and redshirted as a true freshman. He was a key backup in 2017, ’18 and ’19 before becoming a starter as a fifth-year senior last fall. Morgan already has a master’s degree in operations management.

Baylor S Jalen Pitre

The buzz: Pitre was just outside the national top 1000 in the 2017 class out of Stafford (Texas) High, in the Houston suburbs. He made an immediate impact, starting eight games as a true freshman. Pitre was a key reserve in 2018, then redshirted in 2019 while playing in four games. Last season, he re-emerged as a key player for the Bears, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors after making 60 tackles and 13 tackles for loss. He also had two interceptions and returned both for touchdowns — and in back-to-back games, no less. Pitre was the first player in program history with two pick-sixes in one season.

Cincinnati DE Myjai Sanders

The buzz: Sanders (6-5, 258), from Kingsland (Ga.) Camden County, was just outside the national top 1000 in the 2018 recruiting cycle. He heads into his senior season as a fringe first-round draft prospect, and is coming off a season in which he had seven sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in 10 games. He has gained about 35 pounds since signing with Cincy.

San Diego State DL Cameron Thomas

The buzz: Thomas has gone from a recruit ranked in the 1800s nationally in the 2018 recruiting class to a guy aiming to be a first-team All-Mountain West pick for the third consecutive season. Thomas was a 6-5, 235-pounder as a senior at Carlsbad (Calif.) High, in suburban San Diego. He redshirted as a true freshman, then was a starting defensive tackle (at 260 pounds) in 2019, earning all-league honors. He again started at tackle early last season (at 265 pounds) before moving to end in the Aztecs’ 3-3-5 set; Thomas had 9.5 tackles for loss in eight games and again earned all-league acclaim. Now weighing 270, Thomas looks set to play end for SDSU this season. His older brother, Zachary, is a starting offensive tackle for the Aztecs.

Clemson S Nolan Turner

The buzz: Turner was an unranked recruit in the 2016 recruiting class out of Birmingham (Ala.) Vestavia Hills. He had planned to walk-on at Alabama, but Clemson coach Dabo Swinney — who had played with Nolan’s dad, Kevin, at ’Bama — offered him a scholarship late in the process. Turner redshirted that season, then gradually saw more time over the next three seasons, including starting four games in 2019. He became a fulltime starter last season, finishing with 66 tackles, six tackles for loss and a team-high three interceptions. Turner (6-1, 205; he has gained 20 pounds since high school) was a second-team All-ACC pick in 2020 and is a first-team preseason all-league selection this season.

Rutgers DE Mike Tverdov

The buzz: Tverdov, who starred at Union (N.J.) High, was ranked in the 1500s nationally in the 2017 recruiting class. He redshirted that fall, was a key reserve in 2018 and became a starter in 2019. But he blossomed last season for coach Greg Schiano, finishing with 10.5 tackles for loss (tied for third in the Big Ten). He also had four sacks and five quarterback hurries. Tverdov is a three-time member of the Big Ten’ all-academic team and is on track to get a master’s degree in counseling psychology.

Washington LB Edefuan Ulofoshio

The buzz: Despite starring as a senior for powerhouse Las Vegas Gorman — he had 100 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions — Ulofoshio (pronounced YOO-lo-FOE-shee-oh) somehow was an unranked recruit in the 2018 class. He walked-on at Washington, redshirted in ’18, was a key reserve in ’19 and became a starter last fall, when he had 47 tackles in four games (he was fourth nationally in tackles per game, at 11.75). Ulofoshio (6-1, 231) will contend for All-Pac-12 honors this season.

Iowa DE Zach VanValkenburg

The buzz: VanValkenburg was an unranked recruit in the 2016 class out of Zeeland (Mich.) West; he helped West win two state titles. He signed with Division II Hillsdale (Mich.) College and played two seasons there after injuries caused him to redshirt as a 6-4, 240-pound freshman. VanValkenburg transferred to Iowa in the summer of 2019 and was a reserve that fall. He became a starter last season and led the nation with four fumble recoveries; he also had 8.5 tackles for loss and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection. VanValkenburg (who’s now 6-4 and 267) should vie for first-team honors this season.

Colorado LB Carson Wells

The buzz: Here’s another productive Pac-12 linebacker who was a relative blip on the recruiting radar. Wells was ranked in the 1600s in the class of 2017 as a defensive end at Bushnell (Fla.) South Sumter, a town in the middle of the state about 70 miles south of Gainesville. He redshirted as a true freshman linebacker, became a part-time starter in 2018, then was a fulltime starter the past two seasons. Wells (6-4, 250; he has gained 20 pounds since arriving at CU) had 6.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in six games last season; his 2.7 TFL per game led the nation by a wide margin.

A look at the other side: A by-the-numbers look at 5-star recruits in the past 10 classes

(Top photo of Grant Morgan: Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)