Super Bowl 60: Where big game's stars ranked in high school recruiting

Since they were in high school, everyone’s recognized the talent of the quarterbacks and top wide receivers in Super Bowl LX.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye as one of the premier signal callers in a loaded 2021 class — a group that included Caleb Williams, JJ McCarthy, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Shedeur Sanders.

Seattle’s Sam Darnold was one of the top five dual-threat quarterbacks in the 2015 class. He was ranked behind Kyler Murray and ahead of Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson.

Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the league in receiving yards, and New England’s leading receiver Stefon Diggs both were five-star recruits.

Of course, not every player in the NFL was a can’t-miss superstar at every stage of their development.

Seattle star cornerback Devon Witherspoon, the first Seahawks player selected to the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons since Russell Wilson, had the distinction of being a zero-star recruit while at Pine Forest High School.

Here’s a look at how some of the top players in Super Bowl LX were recruited in high school. All rankings are 247Sports composite rankings unless otherwise noted:

New England Patriots

The Quarterback: Drake Maye

Maye was a four-star recruit, the No. 9 pro-style quarterback in the nation and No. 3 player in North Carolina as a senior at Myers Park. Maye initially committed to Alabama before his junior year but flipped to North Carolina before his senior season. Maye is the highest-rated quarterback in Tar Heels history.

Big Man on Campus: WR Stefon Diggs

Diggs was the highest-rated recruit in Maryland history until five-star edge rusher Zion Elee signed with the Terrapins in December. Diggs was a five-star recruit and the No. 2 wide receiver in the nation as a senior at Our Lady of Good Counsel (Maryland) in 2012. He signed with Maryland over Auburn, Cal, Florida and Ohio State.

Florida Grown: CB Carlton Davis

An All-American at Miami Norland in the 2015 class, Davis was a four-star recruit, the No. 31 cornerback in the nation and the No. 47 recruit in Florida. Davis took official visits to Ohio State, Miami and Auburn before signing with the Tigers.

Under-the-Radar: DL Milton Williams

Williams was a relative unknown as a senior at Crowley (Texas) in the 2017 class. The two-star player was ranked the No. 2,640 player in the nation, No. 127 strongside defensive end and No. 378 player in Texas. He signed with Louisiana Tech over offers from New Mexico State and Tulsa.

Other notable players

RB Rhamondre Stevenson

Stevenson had offers from Kansas State and Middle Tennessee as a senior at Centennial (Nevada) in 2016, but instead went to Cerritos, a junior college in California. By the time he left Cerritos, Stevenson was the No. 2 ranked junior college running back in the nation. He picked Oklahoma over Texas, USC, BYU and Kansas State.

CB Christian Gonzalez

Gonzalez was a four-star recruit, the No. 31 safety in the nation and the No. 45 recruit in Texas as a senior at The Colony in 2020. He committed to Purdue the summer before his senior year but flipped to Colorado a month before the early signing period. Gonzalez transferred to Oregon after his sophomore season.

LB Harold Landry

Landry was a three-star recruit and the No. 22 weakside defensive end in the nation as a senior at Pine Forest (N.C.) in the 2014 class. Landry committed to Boston College during the spring of his junior year and stuck with the Eagles despite rising up the rankings as after his commitment. Clemson, Miami, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Indiana and Auburn were among the schools to offer after he committed to B.C.

Seattle Seahawks

The Quarterback: Sam Darnold

Darnold was a four-star recruit and the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback in the nation in the 2015 class as a senior at San Clemente (California). The U.S. Army All-American picked USC over Duke, Northwestern, Oregon and others. Darnold is not the highest-ranked quarterback from the 2015 class on the Seahawks roster. Drew Lock was the No. 98 overall recruit in the class, 50 spots higher than Darnold.

Big Man on Campus: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Smith-Njigba was a five-star recruit, the No. 5 overall recruit in Texas and the No. 5 wide receiver in the nation as a senior in Rockwall High School in the 2020 class. He picked up an offer from Ohio State early in his junior year and committed to the Buckeyes less than two months later.

Florida Grown: CB Devon Witherspoon

Witherspoon played two years of football at Pine Forest High School and was named the 2018 Pensacola News Journal Male Athlete of the Year. He had offers from Appalachian State, South Alabama, Temple and UMass and took an official visit to South Alabama but didn’t commit to Illinois until four days before fall camp began in 2019.

Florida Grown: DL Leonard Williams

Williams was a four-star recruit, the No. 51 recruit in the nation, No. 3 strongside defensive end and No. 10 recruit in Florida as a senior at Mainland in the 2012 class. Williams took official visits to Auburn, Florida State, Florida and USC and picked the Trojans on National Signing Day.

Under-the-Radar: WR Rashid Shaheed

Want a snapshot of how little Shaheed was regarded as a college football recruit? He still doesn’t have a profile on 247Sports. A star track athlete and running back at Mt. Carmel (California) in the 2017 class, Shaheed turned down a track offer at USC to play football at Weber State.

Other notable players

S Nick Emmanwori

Emmanwori was a three-star recruit, the No. 39 safety in the nation and the No. 6 recruit in South Carolina as a senior at Irmo in the 2022 class. Emmonwori's only other offers were from UNC-Charlotte, Georgia Southern and Richmond. He committed to South Carolina 12 days after the Gamecocks offered during the summer before his senior year.

EDGE Demarcus Lawrence

Lawrence was a North-South All-Star selection as a senior playing tight end, offensive tackle and edge rusher at Sliver Bluff (S.C.) in the 2010 class but was a zero-star recruit and ended up at Butler Community College (Kansas). After two years at Butler, Lawerence signed with Boise State, picking the Broncos over USF, Kansas State, Tennessee and others.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Super Bowl 60: From high school football stars to making The Big Game