Ranking the Cane 5-stars in the 20 years of Rivals rankings

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With Rivals.com turning 20, yesterday CaneSport broke down the top 20 ranked UM teams based on 4 and 5 stars since 2002.

Today?

It's time to rank the top all-time 5-star Cane signees. There have been 21 in the last 20 years. And for reference, click here for the Rivals.com No. 1 ranked prospects each year and those 20-year rankings.

As you look at the list of 5-stars below and how they actually impacted UM during their careers, we'd lump them as follows:

Lived up to 5-star billing - Devin Hester (as a return man only), Duke Johnson, Greg Olsen, Kenny Phillips

Contributor, multi-year starter, but not at a 5-star level - Ray Ray Armstrong, Graig Cooper, Marcus Forston, Seantrel Henderson, Tracy Howard, Ryan Moore, Chad Thomas, Kyle Wright, Reggie Youngblood

Had flashes, but has to be considered a miss compared to the hype: Lance Leggett, Tyler McMeans, Mark Pope (so far)

Did not pan out at Miami - Latwan Anderson, Arthur Brown, Lorenzo Lingard, Willie Williams

TBD: James Williams

While the above is not an exact science, of course, in general terms you can say that about 20 percent of UM's five stars panned out pretty well, with 35 percent just not really contributing or living up to their hype.

While we have our own take below on where the 5-star signees rank based on their Cane careers, here's an additional list based purely on where they were in the Rivals100:

No. 2 Seantrel Henderson (2010)

No. 5 Kyle Wright (2003)

No. 6 Willie Williams (2004)

No. 7 Marcus Forston (2008)

No. 7 Ryan Moore (2002)

No. 9 Reggie Youngblood (2005)

No. 10 Greg Olsen (2003)

No. 12 Kenny Phillips (2005)

No. 13 Ray Ray Armstrong (2009)

No. 13 Tracy Howard (2012)

No. 13 Lorenzo Lingard (2018)

No. 15 Latwan Anderson (2010)

No. 19 James Williams (2021)

No. 21 Lance Leggett (2004)

No. 22 Chad Thomas (2014)

No. 23 Arthur Brown (2008)

No. 28 Devin Hester (2002)

No. 28 Mark Pope (2018)

No. 30 Duke Johnson (2012)

JUCO

No. 1 Graig Cooper (2007)

No. 8 Tyler McMeans (2004)

No. 2 ranked TE in nation, No. 1 in New Jersey, No. 10 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Olsen gets our top spot on this list, and he was a 5-star standout. A flashback: The top rated guys in 2003 were Ernie Sims No. 1 and Reggie Bush No. 2, and teammate Kyle Wright clocked in at No. 5. The only tight end to rank ahead of Olsen was Tony Hills Jr., and he ranked ahead of No. 4 Vernon Davis. At Miami Olsen was one of the tight end greats, and he finished his time at UM with 1,215 career yards. He was drafted by the Bears with the 31st pick of the first round and has since played for the Panthers and Seahawks, earning Pro Bowl honors three times.

No. 2 ranked CB in nation, no in-state rank available, No. 28 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: 2002 saw Vincent Young ranked No. 1, and Hester was behind fellow signee Ryan Moore (No. 7 on this list). The only cornerback to rank ahead of Hester? Leon Washington. At UM Hester was one of the greatest returners in history (six TD returns). But he worked at running back and receiver on offense, cornerback on defense and just never found a niche. In his career he had two offensive touchdowns and five INTs. He went on to become arguably the NFL's greatest return specialist, setting the record for all-time return touchdowns.

No. 1 ranked safety in nation, No. 2 in Florida, No. 12 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Phillips was ranked No. 12 in the nation with the No. 1 Derrick Williams, and this was the same year that had Mark Sanchez ranked No. 7, Jonathan Stewart No. 10 and his UM teammate Reggie Youngblood was No. 9. The only in-state player to rank ahead of Phillips was WR Fred Rouse. At Miami he was an All-ACC performer and was a second-team All-American as a junior when he had 83 tackles with two interceptions. After that season Phillips was drafted by the Giants with the 31st pick of the first round.

No. 1 ranked all-purpose back in nation, No. 6 in Florida, No. 30 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Johnson just made the cut for five-star status, which went down to No. 32 (he was No. 30). Of note, in-state Johnson ranked two spots ahead of a WR out of Miami Northwestern named Amari Cooper. Johnson enjoyed a standout UM career and was ACC Rookie of the Year in 2012, second team All-ACC in 2013 and first team All-ACC in 2014. He finished his Cane career with 3,519 rush yards and 26 TDs, adding 719 receiving yards and four more scores. Johnson was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played for the Texans last year and is currently a free agent.

No. 1 ranked safety in nation, No. 3 in Florida, No. 19 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Williams trailed only No. 1 JC Latham and No. 2 Mario Williams in-state, and Cane target Maason Smith (LSU signee) was the top-ranked player in the Rivals100. Williams has just arrived on campus, enrolling for Summer Session A, and he'll compete for an immediate role at safety. So are we guessing a bit here with is placement on this list? Of course! But his future is extremely bright.

No. 2 ranked weakside defensive end in nation, No. 4 in Florida, No. 22 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Da'Shawn Hand was ranked No. 1 in this class with Myles Garrett No. 2, Jebrill Peppers No. 3 and Leonard Fournette No. 4. Garrett was the lone WDE ranked ahead of Thomas at the position. And in-state Thomas ranked behind No. 1 Travis Rudolph, No. 2 Sony Michel and No. 3 Dalvin Cook. At Miami he was a highly touted recruit and was a solid college player who started 33 games - as a junior he had 11 TRFL and 4.5 sacks and his senior year he had 12.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks. So while he had a very good career we don't think he ever really lived up to being as dominant a 5-star end as he could have been. Thomas was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft and played there for two years. He was not in the league last year.

Cooper was ranked the nation's No. 1 Junior College recruit

THOUGHTS: Cooper arrived as a 5-star from Milford Prep in N.Y. where he started ahead of Lesean McCoy. He ran for 2,218 yards in three seasons at Miami, adding 374 receiving yards, but wasn't drafted by the NFL (he was on the Eagles' practice squad in 2011 and 2012). McMeans? He started in 2004 at right guard before a knee injury cost him time, and also started in 2005. He went undrafted.

No. 1 ranked OT in nation, No. 1 in Minnesota, No. 2 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: This was as close as the Canes came in the last 20 years to having the overall No. 1 prospect in the nation choose UM. The guy blocking his path? Ronald Powell. And Miami had two of the top 15 in this class when you include Latwan Anderson. Henderson actually signed with USC out of high school but was granted his release by Lane Kiffin in July of 2010 after the program was banned from postseason play for two years and had scholarship reductions due to the Reggie Bush scandal. So he wound up part of the Canes' class. At UM he started nine games as a freshman, then had back surgery and started two games the following year. In 2012 he started seven games at RT, and in 2013 he started eight games but had off-field issues that resulted in a suspension and backup role in several games. So in all he started 26 games and was good, but injuries and off-field issues derailed what could have been a dominating career. Henderson was drafted by the Bills in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft and played there and then for the Texans before moving over to the CFL last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

No. 1 ranked CB in nation, No. 1 in Florida, No. 13 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Dorial Green-Beckham was the No. 1 ranked player in the nation in 2012, and a few notable names just ahead of Howard were Stefon Diggs (No. 8), Jameis Winston (No. 10) and T.J. Yeldon (No. 12). Howard ranked No. 1 in the state, ahead of No. 2 Nelson Agholor. At UM he got at least one start in each of his four seasons, but he was never dominant and as a senior had 30 tackles with eight starts. Howard wasn't drafted but did make the Browns roster in 2016 and started three games before being released. He never latched onto another active roster.

No. 1 ranked DT in nation, No. 2 in Florida, No. 7 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Ranking ahead of Forston that year? Well Terrelle Pryor was No. 1 with other notable names Julio Jones No. 4 and Patrick Peterson No. 5 (Peterson was the only in-state player ranked ahead of Forston). As for his Cane career, he dealt with injuries and never had more than three sacks in a season. But he did contribute when he was on the field and had some flashes of what could have been. Forston wasn't taken in the NFL Draft and worked as a practice squad player for the Patriots and Rams.

No. 1 ranked QB in nation, No. 3 in California, No. 5 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Wright was No. 5 overall, and ranking No. 1 that year was Ernie Sims with Reggie Bush No. 2. Some of the QBs ranked below him: Chris Leak (No. 2), Jamarcus Russell (No. 6), Sam Keller (No. 9) and Brady Quinn (No. 10). When Wright arrived at Miami he was viewed as the savior who would bring national titles to Coral Gables. But instead he didn't have a lot of talent around him and struggled. Wright started in 2005 and 2006, and his first year starting he was productive with 18 TDs. But the following year he had eight TDs and seven INTs in nine games, and the following year Randy Shannon named Kirby Freeman the game 1 starter. That didn't work out either. Wright ended his time at Miami with 38 TDs and 31 interceptions. He wasn't drafted by the NFL and made a practice squad in 2008 but that was it.

No. 2 ranked OT in nation, No. 2 in Texas, No. 9 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Youngblood was eight spots behind top-ranked Derrick Williams and two behind No. 7 Mark Sanchez while just ranking ahead of Jonathan Stewart. The only in-state player to rank higher was Martellus Bennett. At UM he started at left and right tackle but injuries held him back and while he was a starter he never dominated. Youngblood wasn't drafted, the Saints gave him a chance but he never got on an active roster. He's now involved in reality TV, marrying reality TV star Tami Roman.

No. 1 ranked athlete in nation, No. 2 in Florida, No. 13 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: This was the year that had Bryce Brown ranked No. 1 overall with Rueben Randle No. 2. One spot ahead of Armstrong? That was Manti Te'o. The only in-state player to rank ahead of him was Trent Richardson. At Miami he became a starter as a sophomore and was a standout with 66 tackles and three INTs. But the next year he had 34 tackles in seven games, and in the summer of 2012 he was dismissed from the team due to a booster interaction. Armstrong wasn't drafted but was signed by the Rams after the 2013 draft and made the most of that opportunity. He has now played on eight different NFL teams and was on the Seahawks this past season.

No. 1 ranked WR in nation, no in-state rank available, No. 7 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Vincent Young ranked No. 1 in 2002, and the only others ahead of Moore were Haloti Ngata, Lorenzo Booker, Ben Olson, Reggie McNeal and Chris Davis. At Miami, Moore was good but not great - he had 1,456 career yards. Moore wasn't drafted by the NFL and never latched on with a pro team.

No. 4 ranked WR in nation, No. 10 in Texas, No. 21 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: This was the year that had Adrian Peterson ranked No. 1 and Leggett's fellow UM signee Willie Williams No. 6. The other WRs ahead of Leggett? That was Early Doucet, Cameron Colvin and Fred Davis. At UM his only real solid season was 2006 as a junior when he had 584 yards and four TDs. In 2007 he had 238 yards and went undrafted by the NFL. He was a decent player, but certainly not a 5-star performer.

No. 5 ranked WR in nation, No. 9 in Florida, No. 28 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Pope ranked behind Lingard (No. 13) in this class that saw three QBs in the top 4 spots - Trevor Lawrence rank No. 1, Justin Fields No. 2 and JT Daniels No. 4. Pope's Cane career has been underwhelming despite many opportunities. He's struggled with consistency and drops, and in 10 starts last season in Rhett Lashlee's high-powered offense only had 403 yards. It would not be a shock if he's a backup this year with the team returning Mike Harley and bringing in WR transfer Charleston Rambo.

McMeans was ranked the nation's No. 9 Junior College recruit

THOUGHTS: McMeans arrived as a JUCO five-star, and he additionally had quite a back story - he was a 24-year-old veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who played one year of high school football. McMeans spent four years in the Marines (1998-2002), serving much of his tenure with a unit that specialized in closed-quarters battle operations, and he rose to the rank of corporal. A two-time JUCO All-American, he attended the same junior college as UM great Bryant McKinnie at Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna Community College. McMeans started in 2004 at right guard for UM before a knee injury cost him time, and also started in 2005. He went undrafted and had a quiet Cane career.

No. 2 ranked OLB in nation, No. 1 in Kansas, No. 23 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Brown was ranked behind fellow signee Marcus Forston in the class, and many were saying at the time he was the best prospect to come out of the State of Kansas since Barry Sanders. That year Terrelle Pryor was No. 1 overall with other notable names Julio Jones No. 4 and Patrick Peterson No. 5. Only Nigel Bradham ranked ahead of Brown at OLB. Brown's UM career never got going and he left the program in 2010 and transferred to Kansas State where he had a productive career. Brown was a second-round pick of the Ravens and played in the league from 2013-16.

No. 2 ranked RB in nation, No. 4 in Florida, No. 13 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: Lingard and Pope (No. 28) were five-stars in this class, which saw Trevor Lawrence rank No. 1, Justin Fields No. 2, JT Daniels No. 4 and Patrick Surtain No. 8. The only running back that ranked ahead of Lingard? Zamir White. At UM a leg injury derailed his freshman year, and he only saw action in two games as a sophomore before transferring to Florida. Lingard played in nine games at UF last season, carrying five times for 32 yards.

No. 2 ranked athlete in nation, No. 1 in Ohio, No. 15 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: It was Ronald Powell and teammate Seantrel Henderson going 1-2 in the nation in this class, and the only player ranked ahead of him as an athlete was Robert Woods. Anderson's Cane career? Rank him just behind Willie Williams in terms of disappointment. He was supposed to be a game-changer with electric speed. Instead he had personal issues that prevented him from ever reaching his potential, and Anderson wound up in jail in 2016 for three armed robberies, getting a seven-year sentence. Anderson only lasted one semester at Miami, trying community college after that but it didn't stick.

No. 1 ranked OLB in nation, no in-state rank available, No. 6 overall in nation

THOUGHTS: At the time Williams was a can't-miss prospect compared to Ray Lewis, but personal issues cost him his career and put him in jail (in 2013 he was found guilty of second-degree burglary and as a persistent offender was sentenced to 15 years in prison). He never made any impact as a player and UM saw the writing on the wall and let him go - Williams transferred to Louisville where he continued to have issues (playing as a backup in three games before being kicked off the team for marijuana possession). He tried West Los Angeles Community College and Union College afterward, and it's a sad story based on his tremendous potential. The recruits that ranked ahead of him were No. 1 Adrian Peterson, No. 2 Ted Ginn Jr., No. 3 Early Doucet, No. 4 Rhett Bomar and No. 5 Keith Rivers.