Michigan Football: Aaron Rodgers and many others were 3-star prospects

Michigan football added several three-star recruits and the fans are losing their minds wondering why their beloved Michigan isn’t going after five-star recruits. Here’s why.

A majority of the people that read this article were never given a star by Rivals or 247Sports. Most were not recruited by the Michigan football staff or even evaluated.

Stars weren’t even a thing before the 2000’s when Rivals and 247Sports began the practice. Players were evaluated by coaches and their scouts, generally not by members of the media.

With that said, getting a star is a huge accomplishment, it means you are recognized nationally as being part of the one percent of Americans playing football. As Alex Kirshner wrote in his SBNation article How rare it is to be a 5-star (or even a 2-, 3-, or 4-star) college football recruit if the average number of seniors playing football around the country was somewhere around 300,000 then only .44% of the class would be rated as a three-star, .13% would be a four-star and .01% would be a five-star.

These kids are accomplishing spectacular feats in their desired field of football; truly outrageous acts of bravery, strength, and courage.

247Sports provided an explanation of their star system which only proves the point further.

"110 – 101 = Franchise Player. One of the best players to come along in years, if not decades. Odds of having a player in this category every year is slim. This prospect has “can’t miss” talent.100 – 98 = Five-star prospect. One of the top 30 players in the nation. This player has excellent pro-potential and should emerge as one of the best in the country before the end of his career. There will be 32 prospects ranked in this range in every football class to mirror the first round of the NFL Draft.97 – 90 = Four-star prospect. One of the top 300 players in the nation. This prospect will be an impact-player for his college team. He is an All-American candidate who is projected to play professionally.89 – 80 = Three-star prospect. One of the top 10% players in the nation. This player will develop into a reliable starter for his college team and is among the best players in his region of the country. Many three-stars have significant pro potential.79 – below = Two-star prospect. This player makes up the bulk of Division I rosters. He may have little pro-potential, but is likely to become a role player for his respective school."

Things change

That three-star kid others are dismissing is really “one of the top 10% players in the nation” and is only a three-star because Rivals or 247Sports says he is, but if you track those athletes you will most certainly see some of them don’t stay with whatever star category they initially are given.

It’s a camp invite, a few pounds of muscle, or simply another year of development that gives Steve Wiltfong or Allen Trieu the kick in the butt they need to bump the young men up a star. Even if they never come to the realization the kid they are watching is better than they think, time is the only true evaluator of athletic prowess.

Aaron Rodgers was a three-star

You heard that right, Aaron Rodgers was a three-star coming out of junior college. He didn’t even receive a single Division I offer coming out of high school. Other three-stars were A.J. Hawk, Shawne Merriman, Joe Flacco, Arian Foster, James Laurinaitis, Jeremy Maclin, Demaryius Thomas, Richard Sherman, Michael Crabtree, Von Miller, Mike Pouncey, Earl Thomas, Ryan Kerrigan, Kirk Cousins, Luke Kuechly, Tyler Eifert, Aaron Donald, Marcus Mariota, Baker Mayfield, Kareem Hunt, and many other award and championship winning football players.

Michigan football’s spring depth chart features a hefty haul of three-star potential and returning starters including Ronnie Bell, Michael Dwumfour, Nick Eubanks, Devin Gil, Khaleke Hudson, Ben Mason, Sean McKeon, Josh Metellus, Jon Runyan Jr., Andrew Stueber, Joshua Uche, and Kwity Paye who Don Brown said “might be, technically, the best football player in the country”.

All that is not to say the guys over at Rivals or 247Sports are wrong, it’s meant to provide perspective. Not everyone goes to college ready to play college football. Not everyone had all the extra time in the weight room or the added attention of a private school. Some schools don’t even have weight rooms or they’re in such bad condition that it makes it impossible to lift weights without a tetanus shot.

All of that is to say before judgment is passed on a 17-year-old child that is technically a three-star, know that some of the best athletes in the world were once three-stars and that where we are currently isn’t where we always end up.