Jackson's father prophetically asked hospital staff to put "Drake Jackson from the University of Southern California, starting linebacker coming in at 260" on his son's birth certificate. Still, the recruiting process for the top-60 prospect nationally came down to the wire before he chose the Trojans after an outstanding career at Centennial High School in Corona, California. After enrolling early, he was a Freshman All-American in 2019, starting 11 games at defensive end and leading USC with 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks and adding 46 total stops and three pass breakups. Jackson earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors that season and as an outside linebacker in 2020 (20 tackles, 5.5 for loss with two sacks, one interception in six starts) and 2021 (37 tackles, eight for loss with a career-high five sacks, one interception in 11 games with 10 starts). -- by Chad Reuter

Davis-Price stepped in to contribute as a true freshman for the 2019 national champion Tigers, scoring six touchdowns on the ground in 14 appearances (64-295-4.6; 10-74-7.4 receiving). The former top-10 running back recruit nationally from Baton Rouge's Southern Lab High School led LSU with 446 rushing yards and tied for the team lead with three rushing scores in 2020 (104 carries, 4.3 per; 8-47-5.9 receiving in nine games, four starts). Davis-Price again led the Tigers with 1,003 yards and six scores rushing (211 carries, 4.8 per) in 2021. He also contributed as a receiver (10-64-6.4) in 12 starts. He opted out of the team's bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft. -- by Chad Reuter

Gray was a first-team all-district player his senior year at James Madison High School in Dallas, as well as a state champion in the 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay. He wound up at Blinn College (located between Austin and Houston) for two years and came out rated as one of the top junior college prospects in the country (54-877-16.2, eight TDs in nine games as a sophomore). Gray started eight games in his first year with the Mustangs, catching 33 passes for 448 yards (13.6 per catch) and four scores and contributing as a rusher (3-30-10.0, two TDs) and on special teams (9-180-20.0 kick returns; 2-26-13.0 punt returns). He was a first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection in 2021, leading SMU with 803 receiving yards (49 receptions, 16.4 per rec.) and tying for the team lead with nine touchdowns in 10 starts. Gray missed the final two games of the season with an ankle injury. He opted out of the Fenway Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft but the game was eventually canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. -- by Chad Reuter

Burford hopes to join his cousins, Sam Hurd and LaAdrian Waddle, in getting an opportunity in the NFL. The four-star recruit from Wagner High School stayed in San Antonio for college, making him the first recruit of that caliber to sign with UTSA. He earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team accolades by starting 10 games at left guard his true freshman season and was an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2019, starting 11 of 12 games played at left guard. C-USA coaches then voted him a second-team selection in 2020, when he started 10 of 11 appearances (two at right tackle, eight at left tackle). Burford was a first-team all-league pick in 2021, starting 12 games (one at right tackle, 11 at left tackle). -- by Chad Reuter

Womack walked onto the Golden Rockets in 2017 after earning first-team All-Michigan and All-Detroit honors at East English Village Prep. He played in seven games as a true freshman (four tackles, one interception, one pass breakup) and then contributed in all 13 games with one start in 2018 (12 tackles, 1.5 for loss, one pass breakup). Womack tied for second in the FBS with 15 pass breakups (also 59 tackles, two interceptions) in 2019, starting all 12 games. He led the MAC with eight pass breakups in 2020 (20 tackles, 1.5 for loss). Womack was a first-team All-MAC selection in 2021, tying for second in the FBS with 16 pass breakups while also making 33 tackles and intercepting two passes in 13 games with 12 starts. -- by Chad Reuter

Zakelj (pronounced zah-KELL) was an All-Patriot League selection at left tackle each of the last four seasons. Conference coaches voted him to their second team in 2018 (11 starts). They voted him to the top squad in 2019 (12) and for the 2021 spring (three) and fall campaigns (11). He was also a team captain in 2021. The Ohio native played in nine games with eight starts (seven at right tackle, one at left) as a true freshman in 2017 before earning all those accolades. -- by Chad Reuter

Davis stayed in-state to play for the Knights after earning first-team all-state honors as a senior linebacker at West Florida Tech. He added weight early in his UCF career, though, playing in 10 games as a reserve defensive lineman his redshirt freshman season (17 tackles, 2.5 for loss). Davis started the team's final nine games in 2019 (27 tackles, eight for loss with three sacks in 13 appearances) before opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. He started the first five games of 2021 (17 tackles, 4.5 for loss with one sack) but missed the second half of the year with a torn ACL. -- by Chad Reuter

Castro-Fields was a first-team all-state and Washington, D.C. All-Metro pick at Riverdale Baptist High School in Maryland before arriving at State College. He played in 12 games as a reserve his true freshman year (10 tackles, two for loss, one interception, three pass breakups) and earned two starts as a sophomore (32 tackles, five for loss, seven pass breakups in 13 appearances). Big Ten coaches voted him honorable mention all-conference for his play in 12 starts as a junior, when he tied for the team lead with eight pass breakups in addition to recording 52 tackles, three for loss and two interceptions. Castro-Fields was an honorable mention selection again in 2020 despite missing all but three games with an injury (12 tackles, one pass breakup) and earned the honor a third time in 2021 (32 tackles, six pass breakups in 12 starts). He opted out of the team's 2021 bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft. -- by Chad Reuter

Purdy had several major programs recruiting him as the 2017 Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year, setting state records with 4,405 passing yards and 57 passing touchdowns. He also came back from losing 20 pounds as a junior due to mono to lead his squad to the state semis. Purdy landed at ISU and got on the field in a hurry, starting eight of 10 contests in 2018, garnering honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades and ranking sixth in the FBS in pass efficiency (146-of-220, 66.4%, 2,250 yards, 16 TDs, seven INTs; 100-308-3.1, five TDs rushing). Purdy returned as the full-time starter in 2019, joining Justin Fields (Ohio State), Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma) and Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) as the only FBS quarterbacks with at least 27 touchdown passes (312-475-65.7, 3,982 yards, 27 TDs, nine INTs) and eight scoring runs (93-249-2.7, eight TDs). The team captain set 18 school single-season records on his way to second-team All-Big 12 honors. Purdy got off to a slow start in 2020 but played well enough in his 12 starts to earn first-team all-conference recognition and help the Cyclones reach the Big 12 Championship Game (243-of-365, 66.6%, 2,750 yards, 19 TDs, nine INTs; 87-382-4.4, five TDs rushing). He was a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2021, ranking fourth in the FBS by completing 71.7 percent of his passes (292-of-407, 3,188 yards, 19 TDs, eight INTs; 85-238-2.8, one TD rushing in 13 starts). Purdy set school career passing records with 81 passing touchdowns and 12,170 passing yards and earned second-team Academic All-American honors from sports information directors as well as Senior CLASS Award honors for excellence on and off the field. His brother, Chubba, is a quarterback at Florida State and his father, Shawn, played baseball at Miami (Fla.) before spending a few years in the minor leagues. -- by Chad Reuter