From top prospects to the NFL Draft — revisiting the recruitment of projected to

On Thursday night in Detroit when the first round of the NFL Draft begins, several of the nation’s most prominent players will hear their names called. A new chapter will begin. A dream years in the making will finally come to fruition.

It wasn’t long ago, though, when these projected top picks were still high school prospects wrestling with the decision about where to play college football. Some, like quarterback Caleb Williams and edge rusher Dallas Turner, were obvious five-stars who were expected to be on this stage. Others, like Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt — ranked No. 400 in the Class of 2021 — needed some development.

As we inch closer to Thursday night, let’s take a look back at the recruitments of the projected top 10 picks in Dan Brugler’s latest mock draft.

Note: All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite.

1. Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Williams’ recruitment was unlike any other that Randy Trivers, the head coach at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., had seen in 20-plus years of coaching. First of all, quarterback recruiting is always different. And Williams — a five-star in the Class of 2021 and the nation’s No. 2 quarterback — was no average recruit.

“It’s Caleb Williams, who’s the quarterback. Not just a quarterback,” Trivers said. “He’s the guy.”

Williams had offers from several of the nation’s top programs, including Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State and others. But things started to get serious with Oklahoma after former five-star Brock Vandagriff — who eventually signed with Georgia and is now at Kentucky — decommitted from the Sooners in January 2020. That’s when coach Lincoln Riley and his staff made Williams their top — and only — priority at the position.

Williams visited Oklahoma in March 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic halted in-person recruiting activities for over a year. He eventually trimmed his list of suitors down to five: Clemson, LSU, Maryland, Oklahoma and Penn State. From there, he released a top three of LSU, Maryland and Oklahoma, where Riley had made a name for himself as a quarterback guru and one of the most promising young coaches in college football.

Williams committed to the Sooners on July 4, 2020. You know the rest. He beat out former five-star Spencer Rattler midway through his true freshman season and then followed Riley to USC after the 2021 season and won the 2022 Heisman Trophy.

“Caleb was thoughtful and thorough, so there were certainly (other schools) that were being considered,” Trivers said. “But at the end of the day, all the things that coach Riley was able to convey, it made sense for the fit for Caleb. Eventually, it became clear for him.”

Like Williams, Daniels won a Heisman Trophy, thanks to a dominant 2023 season in which he passed for 3,812 yards and rushed for 1,134.

But unlike Williams, he didn’t commit to a national championship contender straight out of high…