Top three prospects in the 2018 Rivals250 are getting PAID
Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields and Amon-Ra St. Brown were the top three prospects in the 2018 Rivals250 – all three regulars at Rivals Camp Series events – and they're getting paid.
Lawrence signed a five-year, $275-million extension with the Jacksonville Jaguars in June and St. Brown inked a four-year, $120-million extension with the Detroit Lions in April.
Fields signed this week with the New York Jets, as the former five-star quarterback agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract.
That's $435 million in new contracts for the top three players in 2018. Not bad.
Below, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney shares memories and thoughts on each of those three players before they even headed off to college.
MORE GORNEY: Checking up on five-stars in the 2026 Rivals250
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
Nick Lucero/Rivals.com
Now that it's been years since Lawrence was in high school, it was always very unlikely that we were ever going to move him off the top line.
The five-star quarterback from Cartersville, Ga., was coming to Rivals events from such a young age. He never backed down from competition and even after being named the No. 1 prospect in the 2018 Rivals250, Lawrence kept coming to compete. Every time on the field, he was the best one.
There were always rumors that Lawrence made a silent commitment to Georgia and then backed away from that once he went public with his Clemson pledge early in his high school career. We never got a straight answer on that but it was an interesting rumor for a long time throughout his recruitment.
Through the years, our comp for Lawrence was Peyton Manning – a big pocket presence, big arm, super smart and someone who made everybody around him better. Lawrence is a better athlete but hasn't had the highest level of winning yet with Jacksonville.
Even after Lawrence was really good, but not great, at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio to close out his high school career, we never seriously considered moving him off that top line. His resume of work was way too impressive and his projection was too great to make any changes.
I'm happy we didn't since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH CLEMSON FANS AT TIGERILLUSTRATED.COM
If Fields was in almost any other recruiting class other than 2018, the Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison five-star quarterback would have probably been No. 1 overall. Other than Lawrence and Jadeveon Clowney, there might not have been any other recruiting classes where we were so locked in with the top spot so Fields would've had a chance against anybody.
Throughout the recruiting cycle, there were definitely people close to Fields who were pushing the narrative that he was the best quarterback in the class.
But we had seen Fields numerous times because he also attended Rivals Camps Series events since an early age and throughout his career, and we thought Fields was phenomenal, just not as good as Lawrence.
In some ways, it must have been tough on Fields since he was so dynamic and such a great passer and playmaker to sort of live a little in Lawrence's shadow not only nationally but also in-state as the two lived just 20 miles from each other. It was an incredibly rare circumstance but one that was so intriguing.
Fields originally committed to Penn State but then backed off that pledge and picked Georgia in the middle of his senior season. He ended up in the Bulldogs' class with James Cook and many others, making it the top-ranked class nationally.
He only played one season at Georgia and was used in some curious ways – and too sparingly some would argue – before transferring to Ohio State. He shined in Columbus and was the No. 11 pick in the 2021 draft. Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance were the QBs taken ahead of him.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OHIO STATE FANS AT DOTTINGTHEEYES.COM
The youngest of three brothers (Equanimeous played at Notre Dame and Osiris played at Stanford), Amon-Ra was the talk of the camp and 7-on-7 circuit since he was in middle school. His dad, John Brown, former two-time Mr. Universe, always talked up the youngest brother and said he'd be the best. The dad was not wrong.
St. Brown was so physically dominant in high school that he could basically do whatever he pleased – get open against any cornerback, catch every pass, run by players, headhunt when he was blocking. The five-star receiver had such a killer's mentality on the field as well that it was clear he'd do anything to succeed.
At the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in Indianapolis, St. Brown was unstoppable, just one of many events that he took over and never backed down from a challenge. He was also great that year at the All-American Bowl. After all his big plays, he took to punting the football which is probably regrettable now but it just proved his mindset on dominating every time he was on the field.
St. Brown chose USC over Stanford and Notre Dame and then had 178 catches in three seasons for the Trojans. But St. Brown was overlooked in the NFL Draft and not taken until the fourth round, a steal for the Detroit Lions.
To prove how focused St. Brown has always been on being great, on numerous occasions, the five-star was asked to name – on the spot – the 16 receivers drafted ahead of him. He's never had a problem ripping off those names in order.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH USC FANS AT TROJANSPORTS.COM
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Seventy years after his premature death, there's still never been anyone in these parts quite like Harry Agganis
I was one of the many young lads growing up in the '50s who was enraptured by the fictional exploits of Clair Bee's Chip Hilton, a brilliant three-sports star who also never said or did anything wrong. But young people growing up in our area from 1945-55 actually had such a real-life model in Agganis, who received equal praise in his lifetime for his athletic accomplishments and the way he carried himself on a daily basis. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up He began compiling his résumé in his early teens, when he attracted attention for his summertime baseball exploits. Before he was out of high school, he would play in baseball All-Star Games in Wrigley Field, Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds, and, of course, Fenway Park. His Lynn Classical baseball team would win a state championship. He would have a high school football career without equal. Then came Boston University, a brief stint in the Marine Corps, and a move to the Boston Red Sox, who beat out the NFL for his services. Advertisement One more thing: Agganis's basketball exploits also were worthy of a college scholarship. A teammate happened to be Kentucky great — and future Celtic — Lou Tsioropoulos, who played with Agganis at Classical before graduating from Lynn English. Related : Advertisement Agganis's influence on his collegiate alma mater is on display 365 days a year with the presence on Commonwealth Avenue of the dazzling Agganis Arena. Naming it in his honor was an easy call. Along the way, he twice landed on the cover of Sport magazine, which was a must-read for any serious fan at that time. The first time it was a solo, and the second time it was shared with Allie Reynolds, Doak Walker, and Jackie Robinson, which was pretty good company. Agganis made such an impression as a Marine in his one year in uniform that a field has been named for him at Camp Lejeune. And, are you ready for this? On June 6, 1954, he hit a winning home run at Fenway against the Tigers, and when the game was over he hustled down Comm. Ave. to Braves Field, where he received his BU degree. Even Chip Hilton never did that. Nor Mickey Mantle. It was the only time a local athlete was cheered in two major league ballparks on the same day. Have I mentioned he had a fan club while in high school? Or that he also had the lead in his high school's production of 'Stage Door'? His Lynn Classical days will never be repeated. With southpaw quarterback Harry Agganis at the controls, Classical became a power. 'Manning Bowl was the place to be,' says Johnson. No kidding. Classical played to an estimated 160,000 people during the 1947 season. That was the follow-up to the fabulously successful 1946 campaign, when Classical topped it off by defeating Granby High of Norfolk, Va., in the North-South Shrine Game, which was played in the Orange Bowl. Advertisement Classical made news the following year by spurning an invitation to defend its crown for a most exemplary reason. Led by Agganis, Classical refused to leave behind Black teammates Paul Pittman and Tom Smith. This was in sharp contrast to the shameful Boston College decision six years earlier to play in the Sugar Bowl without Black running back Lou Montgomery. It is impossible to exaggerate Agganis's football skill. He passed. He ran. He punted. His nephew Mike Agganis loves to point out that one year he also intercepted a pass for every TD toss. Statistics and touchdowns are only the beginning of the Harry Agganis story. His elders had never encountered anyone like him. 'I have never once heard him say an unkind word about anybody nor utter an oath or curse,' said his high school football coach, Bill Joyce. 'In all my 28 years of coaching boys at Classical, he is the only boy from whom I have actually learned and from who I have actually sought advice.' Harry Agganis was not a mere local phenomenon. In 1947, he was chosen captain of the All-America high school football team by the 'Wigwam Wisemen of Oklahoma.' The word was out. He was recruited by more than 60 schools, which was a lot in those days. Among his most ardent pursuers was Notre Dame immortal Frank Leahy. It turned out those outsiders never had a chance. To the delight of Terriers coach Buff Donelli, Agganis chose BU because he didn't want to go far away from his widowed mother. A few years later, he would use the same reasoning to choose the Red Sox. Advertisement Before that choice, however, there was a stellar career at BU. It did not take long for people to take notice. In November 1949, Agganis's sophomore year, legendary Washington Post columnist Shirley Povich wrote the following: 'With each succeeding Saturday, what was Agganis's purely localized fame in New England has been burgeoning all over the football landscape.' The big issue eventually confronting Agganis was deciding between a professional career in football or baseball. Cleveland Browns pooh-bah Paul Brown lusted for him, but in the end Agganis chose to stay with the hometown team in what was still America's favorite sport. As was the custom everywhere he went, Agganis became the toast of Louisville en route to Fenway. He was named 'Colonel of the Year' by the Triple A affiliate, citing his 'brilliant performances on the field and his gentlemanly disposition.' After going through an up-and-down rookie season in 1954, he was figuring things out and was batting a robust .313 with some power when he was stricken with a blood clot issue in early June. He entered the hospital on June 5, 1955. He died of a pulmonary embolism emanating from the blood clot on June 27. The front page of the June 27, 1955, Boston Evening Globe shared the news of the death of Harry Agganis. Globe archives The news was stunning. Harry Agganis was Boston's young prince. He was only 26. How could this be? Austen Lake of the Boston Record-American spoke for countless thousands when he wrote, 'Now Harry is dead! My ears hear it, but my mind rejects the idea.' Mike Gillooly of the Record-American added this: 'He appeared immune to pain, plague, pox, virus, and that's why the death of Harry Agganis yesterday pierced the heart of the city; plunged the entire sports world into deep grief.' Advertisement The story was only going to get better. A deal was being worked out with the Red Sox allowing Agganis to report to training camp with the Baltimore Colts in 1955. Nope. You couldn't make this up. With Harry Agganis, you never had to fabricate anything. He just was. Bob Ryan can be reached at
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Scorching hot Coastal Carolina glides into CWS final looking to extend history
Sixty days and 26 games have passed since Coastal Carolina's last loss. Every team arrives at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, on a hot streak of one form or another, having at least survived the gauntlet of two double-elimination weekends to be one of the final eight in competition for the national championship. But the Sun Belt regular-season and tournament winners have taken this to another level. The 23-game streak the Chanticleers carried out of the super regionals was the longest for any team entering World Series play since the current tournament format debuted in 1999, topping Oregon State's 21-game winning streak in 2017. "Once an umpire says, 'play ball,' our win streak goes away," said sophomore pitcher Jacob Morrison. "I really don't think that it ever carries over, is in our head, quite frankly." They've added another three at Charles Schwab Field. After topping Arizona and Oregon State, the Chanticleers beat Louisville 11-3 on Wednesday to reach this weekend's best-of-three championship series against LSU. With this winning streak in tow, the Chanticleers head into the series against the Tigers poised to make history – again. Nine years ago, Coastal came out of relative anonymity to capture one of the most unexpected banners in college baseball history. Then led by longtime coach Gary Gilmore, the Chanticleers spent more than half of the regular season unranked before hitting a grove in the second half of May. Coastal then won the North Carolina State regional, swept LSU in the super regional and won the final two games against Arizona to become the first and still only team in Sun Belt history to win the national championship. Coastal is still one of four non-major-conference teams to win the World Series since 1999, joining Rice in 2003, Cal State Fullerton in 2004 and Fresno State in 2008. After being picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt poll amid questions about how the program would fare under first-year coach Kevin Schnall, a former Coastal catcher and MLB draft pick who spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant, the Chanticleers are in position to capture an out-of-left-field championship. "It's incredible, but it's not unbelievable," Schnall said after Wednesday's win. "And it's not unbelievable because we've got really good players, really good players." One is junior catcher Caden Bodine, a multiple-time All-America pick and "the best catcher in the country," Morrison said. Bodine leads Coastal in batting average (.326) and on-base percentage (.459), ranks second in OPS (.932) and entered the tournament having thrown out 16 of 44 would-be base stealers while posting a .998 fielding percentage. "It's very calming knowing he's back there every time," Morrison added. Morrison (12-0) headlines maybe the best pitching staff in college baseball. Coastal ranks second nationally in ERA thanks in part to the offseason addition of pitching coach Matt Williams, who spent last season at South Carolina. Morrison was named the Sun Belt pitcher of the year after missing last year following Tommy John surgery. Sophomore Cameron Flukey, who earned the win against Arizona, has cut his walk rate nearly in half and trimmed more than two runs from his ERA. Fifth-year senior Riley Eikhoff's ERA sits at 3.10 following the Louisville win after he posted an ERA above 4.43 in each of his first three years. The pitching staff embodies one of the crucial factors behind this year's success. At a time of extensive player movement through the transfer portal, Coastal has largely avoided the same roster turnover to grant a level of continuity that has paid dividends in the postseason. "Gary Gilmore was able to teach us how to assemble a roster," Schnall said. "It's not about putting together just the best players. You have to put together the best team. Sometimes money doesn't always buy that." Of the Chanticleers' 10 most-used pitchers, nine arrived as freshmen. The exception, closer Ryan Lynch, played on the junior-college ranks before joining the program. But the Chanticleers lost three of their four top hitters from last season and, in Gilmore, a Hall of Fame coach who engineered Coastal's development into one of the most consistent winners on the non-major level. "We had to figure out who was going to fill those gaps," Schnall said. Former transfers such as outfielders Sebastian Alexander and Wells Sykes have provided an offensive boost: Alexander leads the team in OPS (.948) and steals (27), while Sykes has added 37 RBI and 18 steals. The pair has also combined for 37 hit by pitches, part of Coastal's NCAA-record 176 on the year. "I think not just me but my teammates, we're locked in," Sykes said. "We're on a crazy win streak. We're really consistent. So I think that's helped everybody, not just me." The Chanticleers will face another major test against seven-time national champion LSU, which is 8-1 in the tournament after sweeping through World Series games against Arkansas and UCLA. The Tigers spent two weeks at No. 1 in the Coaches Poll and were No. 3 nationally at the end of the regular season. "We got a bunch of humble dogs in that dugout that are willing to do whatever it takes to win," Schnall said. "That's why we're one of two teams in the country still playing today."
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Jake Fischer: Rockets might be Kevin Durant's top trade preference
'They might be the (trade) spot that Kevin Durant wants the most, when all is said and done,' veteran NBA insider Jake Fischer says of the Rockets. Since last Saturday, it's been widely reported that the three preferred trade destinations for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant are the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, and San Antonio Spurs. Because the All-Star forward's current contract expires after next season, his choice to sign (or not sign) an extension carries significant weight in these talks, since many teams won't risk surrendering significant asset capital if they might lose him as an unrestricted free agent a year later. But among those three teams, is there one in particular that Durant and his agency representation might push even harder for? Earlier this week, The Athletic's Sam Amick said it could be San Antonio, citing something the Timberwolves were allegedly told during their negotiations with the Suns (Minnesota is seemingly reluctant to bid aggressively unless Durant wants to be there). But Friday, in a Bleacher Report video, veteran NBA insider Jake Fischer (now of The Stein Line) indicated that it could be Houston that Durant desires most. 'They might be the spot that Kevin Durant wants the most, when all is said and done,' Fischer said as part of a 2025 mock draft. Should a Durant deal with the Rockets reach the finish line, Houston's No. 10 overall pick in Wednesday's first round could potentially be part of the trade. A Durant deal is reportedly possible at any time, with the upcoming draft a key date in the talks. Should Phoenix acquire a 2025 draft asset as part of the trade, finalizing a deal prior to the draft would allow the Suns to make such a selection for themselves, as opposed to having a player chosen for them by another team. But as great as Durant is as a player, he turns 37 years old in September. Thus, Houston is reluctant to dip too deeply into its warchest of assets. That's led to an ongoing standoff in recent days, and the Rockets' hope is that perhaps Durant's leverage will ultimately win the day and force a deal on their terms. Durant has had a longstanding relationship with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and assistant coach Royal Ivey, which might work to Houston's advantage in these closing stages of trade negotiations. Stay tuned! More: Arizona Republic: Rockets 'ideal trade destination' for Kevin Durant
