This is my latest attempt to show that recruiting rankings are not reliable and should only be reviewed five or six years later. I reviewed the 2014 top 25 VA HS players according to 247 Sports to determine which players contributed to their teams and which players were overrated.
It may not be fair or accurate to label a kid as overrated when they do not contribute on the field and my evaluations only concern their athletic abilities.

The five stars may not have lived up to the hype but they were all solid players. Hand didn't dominate but he was sharing playing time with a bunch of future first round picks. Out of the seven four stars, three were overrated and one had to retire for medical reasons. That means only 43% of the four stars contributed on the field.

Of the fifteen three star recruits in the top 25, two were overrated and one did not pursue football. That means 80% of the three stars in the top 25 contributed on the field. I noticed a lot of solid players outside of the top 25 and I probably overlooked a few.

2014 247 Sports Top VA HS FB Recruits *** 247SPORTS COMPOSITE ***

FIVE STARS

1. Da'Shawn Hand DL played four seasons at Alabama. ok career stats.4th round NFL draft pick
2. Quin Blanding DB played four seasons at UVA. Impressive stats. Undrafted
3. Andrew Brown DL played four seasons at UVA. Two good seasons. 5th round NFL draft pick

FOUR STARS

4. Jalyn Holmes DE played four seasons at OSU. Two good seasons. 4th round NFL draft pick
5. Derrick NNadi DL played four seasons at FSU. Three good seasons. 3rd round NFL draft pick
6. Jamil Kamara WR didn't do much at UVA, transferred to Cincy and tried to go to Wisc. OVERRATED
7. Caleb Henderson QB had to retire after medical issues. Went to UNC and MD.
8. Steven Moss OL went to UVA and didn't contribute much. OVERRATED
9. Raymon Minor LB went to Tech and didn't do much. OVERRATED
10. Travon McMillian RB who had 1K rushing yard seasons at both Virginia Tech and Colorado. Undrafted

THREE STARS

11. Greer Martini LB played four seasons at ND. Solid career. Undrafted
12. Jeremiah Clarke DT played four seasons at UNC. Solid career. Undrafted
13. Ricky Walker DT played four seasons at VT. Three solid seasons. Undrafted
14. Marshawn Williams RB played a couple seasons at VT before medical retirement.
15. Wilton Speight QB had a huge soph year at Michigan and played final season at UCLA.
16. Vinny Mihota DL played four seasons at Virginia Tech. Undrafted
17. C.J. Reavis DB spent a year at Tech befor going to Last Chance U and then two years at Marshall. Was on a couple NFL practice squads and played.
18. Alec Eberle C was a multi-year starter at FSU. Undrafted
19. MJ Stewart CB played four seasons at UNC and had really good stats. Second round NFL draft pick UNDERRATED
20. Xavier Burke DL played at Tech with minimal impact. Couldn't find a position and left program. OVERRATED
21. Nick Scott S had a couple solid seasons at PSU.
22. Trace McSorley QB became a PSU legend who had three great seasons. Sixth round NFL draft pick. UNDERRATED
23. Melvin Holland WR graduated from Minnesota without playing much. Played a little at Tenn Tech. OVERRATED
24. Marcus Boone ATH who did not show up on any rosters anywhere. Damon Boone's son & Da'Shawn Hand's cousin
25. Coleman Thomas OG played three years at Tennessee.

29. Terrell Edmunds DB played three great seasons at Virginia Tech. !st round NFL draft pick. UNDERRATED
36. Greg Stroman CB/PR played three seasons at Virginia Tech. 7th round NFL draft pick. UNDERRATED

TWO STARS

52. Mike Herndon OG started final season at Pittsburgh. Undrafted. UNDERRATED
55. Doni Dowling WR had two great seasons at UVA. Undrafted. UNDERRATED
58 Phil Haynes OL was a multi-year starter for Wake Forest. 4th round NFL draft pick. UNDERRATED
60. Cornell Urquhart DT had two solid seasons at JMU. Tech Legacy. Undrafted. UNDERRATED
65. Cole Herdman TE played four solid seasons at Purdue. Undrafted. UNDERRATED
78. Chris Peace LB had two great seasons at UVA. Undrafted. Played in 5 NFL games. UNDERRATED

ONE STAR

82. Steven Peoples RB had three solid seasons at Virginia Tech. Undrafted. UNDERRATED