Overlooked college football recruits who blossomed into stars

College football's spring practice is on the horizon after one of the most unusual seasons in history.

As players start to prep for the 2021 season, there are several notable names who weren't nationally heralded coming out of high school. While many of the top players in college football were ranked in the ESPN 300 and recruited by blue-blood programs, there is a small fraternity of players who didn't receive much fanfare.

Here are a few of college football's top players who weren't among the elite prospects coveted by the nation's top programs and were left outside of our top-ranked 300 prospects in the country.

RB Breece Hall
Iowa State Cyclones
Three stars, Class of 2019

The Kansas native stood out at the high school level but rarely faced players of his caliber. We felt he could be an every-down back that grows stronger the longer the game goes. As a bigger, more physical runner, the questions out of high school revolved around his top-end speed, which likely limited his recruitment to some degree by upper-echelon programs.

Nonetheless, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Hall has been a difference-maker for the Cyclones since he arrived in Ames. He's powerful, strong, elusive and deceptively agile in tight quarters. His speed has turned out to be about what we thought: competitive and more than capable in the open field. He ran for 1,572 yards and 21 touchdowns en route to being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2020.

TE Isaiah Likely
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Three stars, Class of 2018

The Chanticleers garnered a lot of attention during the 2020 season, going undefeated during the regular season and fielding one of top scoring offenses in the country. A key contributor was Likely, who established himself as one of the premier tight ends in college football.

From a local football powerhouse in Massachusetts, Likely didn't have any Power 5 offers and was ranked as a low three-star wide receiver prospect. A two-sport athlete in high school who also played basketball, his raw skill set should have been more closely evaluated.

He since added size to reach 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, and has grown more into the tight end position while maintaining his good body control and agility with excellent ball skills. Overlooked by many, Coastal Carolina saw his potential and is being rewarded for it.

CB Tiawan Mullen
Indiana Hoosiers
Three stars, Class of 2019

Mullen has overcome his size -- 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds out of high school -- to become a great player. He is so competitive and instinctive on film that it's easy to forget he is undersized compared to other Big Ten players.

He became a first-team All-American as a true sophomore, recording three interceptions and 3.5 sacks in 2020. An opportunist playmaker, he's really effective over the slot and developed into one of the best space players in coverage in college football. He's now 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds, but had Mullen been taller, it's possible he would have been among the top-ranked cornerbacks in the 2019 class.

RB Deuce Vaughn
Kansas State Wildcats
Three stars, Class of 2020

As a recruit, being 5-foot-5 is a very difficult obstacle to overcome. College coaches are going to have durability concerns. With Vaughn, it was all about how coaches could use him. He's not big enough to be an every-down back and not tall enough to be a true receiving threat as an outside target, but if teams are creative enough, he can become a jack of all trades.

That is exactly what happened. Vaughn had a stellar freshman campaign, leading the Wildcats in rushing and receiving and was one of three FBS players to finish the season with at least 600 yards rushing and 400 yards receiving. He plays well in space and if he stays healthy, his potential can be realized.

QB Desmond Ridder
Cincinnati Bearcats
Three stars, Class of 2017

Ridder is the definition of a late bloomer. He received virtually no recruiting interest out of St. Xavier in Louisville, Kentucky, during his senior year in 2016. His path to becoming the starter at Cincinnati included a redshirt year prior to bursting onto the scene in 2018, becoming the AAC Rookie of the Year.

Over the last two seasons, he has proved to be one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. He was named AAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 leading Cincinnati to a New Year's Six bowl this past season and also became the program's all-time winningest quarterback.

LB Micah McFadden
Indiana Hoosiers
Three stars, Class of 2018

Coming off a strong 2020 season, Indiana has positioned itself as a program on the rise in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers aren't regularly among the highest-rated classes nationally -- over the past five cycles, their highest ranking was No. 38. But their ascent can be partially attributed to identifying and developing overlooked talent.

One prime example is McFadden. Head coach Tom Allen, who has coaching ties to the Tampa, Florida, area, returned there to sign McFadden, a three-star prospect in the 2018 class who had just two Power 5 offers.

An instinctive and physical player, McFadden has developed into a captain and highly productive defender, leading the Hoosiers in tackles the past two seasons earning All-Big Ten recognition in 2020.

C Tyler Linderbaum
Iowa Hawkeyes
Three stars, Class of 2018

A one-time three-star defensive tackle prospect has now developed into one of the top centers in college football. Even though he was among the top signees in Iowa's 2018 class and evaluated at a different position, time has shown he was deserving of an even higher ranking.

Position-wise, he was universally projected as a defensive tackle and participated on defense his first year before he moved to center his redshirt freshman season.

That move has been fruitful and why a three-star rating may have been too low given his tools. He went from 6-2, 260 pounds, to 6-3, 289 pounds. Along with his added size, his blend of flexibility, body quickness and balance have all factored into him becoming an outstanding center and NFL draft prospect.

DL Trajan Jeffcoat
Missouri Tigers
Three stars, Class of 2018

Jeffcoat held only single-digit FBS offers in high school, and despite being from Columbia, South Carolina, his only SEC offer came from the Tigers. He showed explosive flashes and good strength as a high school prospect, but was relatively inconsistent and fell through the cracks.

He developed at the next level, working on making those big plays a more regular part of his game. A disruptive performer for Missouri's defense in 2020, he finished with six sacks and earned All-SEC first-team honors.