Derrick Henry was supposed to be a Georgia Bulldog. Christian McCaffrey took a visit to Duke -- where his brother Max is a standout receiver -- before settling on their father's alma mater of Stanford. Deshaun Watson committed to Clemson as a sophomore -- but took a secret visit to Auburn at the 11th hour and got the heart rates of both fan bases going.
Below we look back at the recruitment and high school evaluations of three 2015 Heisman Trophy finalists, pointing out what we saw, where we ranked each player, and which schools other than the ones they chose were in the mix.
RB Derrick Henry, Alabama Crimson Tide, No. 9 in the ESPN 300 for 2013
(See Henry's ESPN recruiting player page)
Recruitment: Henry was a high school legend at Yulee high school in Florida. He rushed for more yards in his career -- 12,124 -- than anyone in the history of high school football, breaking a 60-year old record. As a senior, he set the Florida state rushing record for a season with a ridiculous 4,261 yards and 55 touchdowns. Henry, who had offers from all the top programs, originally committed to Georgia in the summer prior to his junior season, but backed off that pledge a year later, before committing to Alabama in September. Prior to his commitment to Alabama, Henry made trips to Tennessee and Georgia one more time in July before committing to the Crimson Tide thanks in part to the success of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson in Alabama’s pro-style offense. Despite all of his success on the field, it was difficult to project Henry to the next level because of his freakish combination of size, strength and speed. At a combine-verified 6-3, 243-pounds, Henry looked more like a defensive end on the hoof than a running back, and there were also some concerns about his speed after he ran a 4.72 electronic 40-yard dash. For these reasons, Henry was evaluated as an athlete coming out of high school and ultimately graded as a five-star and the ninth-rated prospect in the ESPN 300.
Scouting report: Henry's measurables were obvious, but his position at the next level was not. We wrote: "No doubt this is a big, strong, fast and athletic prospect -- but what position Henry plays in college is up for debate. … Could develop at H-Back, TE or on defense anywhere in the front-seven." His level of competition was also a concern: "He's at a different size and speed level than the players he's on the field with at the prep level." However, if he were to stick at running back, it was clear he would need to be in "the right downhill college system" or exactly the one run by the Crimson Tide.
Current: Henry, who is considered by many to be the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, leads the country in rushing yards (1,986) and rushing touchdowns (23). He is the definition of a workhorse, as he has also carried the ball more than anyone else in the country (339 times). His abilities as a bell cow were on full display in the Iron Bowl vs. Auburn and in the SEC Championship, as he helped lead the Crimson Tide to consecutive victories by wearing down and demoralizing Auburn and Florida with his 46 and 44 carries respectively, for a total of 460 yards.
RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford Cardinal, No. 218 in the ESPN 300 for 2014
(See McCaffrey's ESPN recruiting player page)
Recruitment: McCaffrey was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Colorado as both a junior and senior. During his decorated career at Valor Christian, he set Colorado high school records for career touchdowns, career all-purpose yards, career touchdown receptions and single-season all-purpose yards. McCaffrey, who is the son of former Stanford Cardinal and NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, decided to follow in his father's footsteps and committed to Stanford in the spring of his junior year. Prior to committing to Stanford, McCaffrey made a number of unofficial visits to Power 5 schools including Duke, where his brother Max McCaffrey signed in 2012. As a senior, Christian was a four-star rated in the ESPN 300, the top player in the state of Colorado and he had offers from Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA and many others. Like Henry, McCaffrey was evaluated as an athlete coming out of high school, as he had the potential to play a variety of offensive skill positions at the next level.
Scouting report: The majority of McCaffrey's evaluation was dedicated to his versatility and potential in an all-purpose role: "While not an elite inside or outside runner, he is very versatile in his overall skill set and gives an offensive coordinator a lot of options to move the sticks," we wrote. "Also shows good return ability in the kick game." The scouts also predicted that McCaffrey's "blend of size, speed and ball skills" would allow him to contribute early and bring "immediate versatility to a college roster."
Current: McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders' NCAA record for all-purpose yards in a season in 2015 with 3,496. Not only did he rush for the second-most yards in the country, McCaffrey also had the second-most receptions for an RB, the second-most kickoff return yards, and he even threw for two touchdowns. As a true freshman, McCaffrey was stuck behind three players in the Cardinal backfield (including Barry Sanders' son of the same name), but he still managed to finish fourth on the team in all-purpose yards.
QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson Tigers, No. 16 in the ESPN 300 for 2014
(See Watson's ESPN recruiting player page)
Recruitment: Watson became the first freshman to start at quarterback for Gainesville High School and went on to lead the Red Elephants to 46 wins in four years, including the 2012 Class AAAAA state championship. He broke Georgia's high school career records for passing yards and touchdowns while rushing for 4,057 yards and 59 more scores. Off the field, the soft-spoken and humble Watson impressed college coaches with his character and excelled on the combine circuit, posting a 96.93 SPARQ Rating. Although his offer list of nearly 50 included a who's who of college football, Watson ended his recruitment very early by committing to Clemson, the first school to offer him as a freshman, in February of his sophomore year due in large part to the relationship developed with them Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris. In June of 2013, Watson caused quite a stir when he made a secret visit to Auburn before firming up his pledge to Clemson in the weeks following. As a senior, Watson was rated as the No. 1 quarterback in the country and was selected to play in the Under Armour All-America Game.
Scouting report: Watson's evaluation raved about his mental makeup: "A very savvy and confident player with a nice feel for the game and a presence for what is going on around him. Poised and calm. Makes quick, good decisions on passes and on the give/keep option plays off the zone-read game." He was also praised for being "a dual-threat with a passer's mentality" and compared to another big winner in the ACC, Jameis Winston. The last line of his scouting report predicted that he "could end up being one of the best this class has to offer both as a passer and runner."
Current: Watson, who is the leader of the No. 1 team in the country, has thrown for 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns while adding 887 yards and 11 more scores on the ground. He is also the third-most accurate quarterback in the FBS, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. Even more impressive, Watson is coming off a serious knee injury that ended his freshman season early. Prior to that injury, he posted a passer rating of 188.6 which would have been better than Marcus Mariota's FBS-leading 181.7 rating in 2014. For his career, Watson has a perfect 16-0 record as the starting quarterback for the Clemson Tigers.
ESPN's Tom Johnson contributed to this article.