Trevor Lawrence appears to be the perfect quarterback recruit. The top-ranked passer in the 2018 class has an FBS-ready 6-foot-6, 196-pound frame, powerful arm and smooth mechanics.
Despite once-in-a-generation talent, the Clemson commit from Cartersville, Ga., is not perfect, at least according to 247Sports Composite ranking. He’s two ten-thousandths of a point away from being perfect.
Since 247Sports began ranking prospects in 2000, only two other quarterbacks have given Trevor’s Lawrence’s composite score of 0.9998 or higher, and none in 15 years. Brock Berlin, a pro-style quarterback from Shreveport, La., was a five-star prospect who played at both Florida and Miami (FL) had a composite of 0.9998 in 2000, and Vince Young, a dual-threat quarterback from Houston who dazzled at Texas, had a perfect 1.0000 rating.
Trevor Lawrence is 0.0002 shy of becoming just the sixth player since 2000 to receive a perfect rating. Here’s a look at the five.
Vince Young – 2002
The highest-ranked quarterback recruit ever, Vince Young signed with Texas in 2002 after compiling nearly 13,000 yards of offense at Madison High School in Houston.
He led the Longhorns to their first national title in 35 years, was a consensus All-American and Heisman runner-up in 2005 and the third-overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.
Ernie Sims – 2003
One year after Vince Young earned a perfect grade, linebacker Ernie Sims did the same. Still the highest-rated linebacker ever, Sims was a two-way star at North Florida Christian in Tallahassee, Fla., rushing for 23 touchdowns and over 1,000 yards at running back and registering 133 tackles on defense.
He helped lead Florida State to 27 wins in three years (2003-05) and was a First-Team All-American in 2004. The Detroit Lions selected him with the ninth pick in the 2006 draft.
Jadeveon Clowney – 2011
Jadeveon Clowney became the first perfect-rated recruit in eight years when he received a 1.0000 rating in 2011. He dominated for three seasons at South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, S.C., and passed on offers from a who’s who of elite college football programs to sign with nearby South Carolina.
A two-time First-Team All-American with the Gamecocks, he had 24 sacks, 47 tackles for loss and nine forced fumbles in three seasons, leading them to three-straight 11-win seasons. Clowney was the top pick in the 2014 draft.
Robert Nkemdiche – 2013
The second defensive end to earn the top-overall ranking since 2011, and the second to earn a perfect grade since then, Robert Nkemdiche committed to Clemson the summer before his junior year at Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga. Five months later, the two-time USA Today High School All-American decommitted from the Tigers and reopened his commitment.
The 6-foot-4, 285-pound destructive force who had the power of a defensive tackle but quickness of a safety signed with Ole Miss in early 2013 and made an immediate impact in the fall. He was a Second-Team All-America and First-Team All-SEC selection in 2015, his final year in Oxford.
The Arizona Cardinals drafted with the 29th pick in 2016.
Rashan Gary – 2016
Rashan Gary became the first defensive tackle to earn a perfect rating in 247Sports history.
A 6-foot-5, 293-pound menace from Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey, Gary notched 29 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks as a senior. He pledged to Michigan in February 2016 and appeared in 12 games for the Wolverines last year, recording 23 tackles, five tackles for loss and one-half sack.
