Blue-chippers turned breakout candidates: 10 players you shouldn’t forget about

Blue-chip recruits don’t all develop the same way on the same timeline.

We see this year after year. Some top recruits arrive on campus and instantly break out, grabbing starting roles as freshmen and fast-tracking themselves toward stardom and future first-round pick hype. But many more of these coveted signees learn they’ll need to have a little patience. They redshirt, they compete, they improve and eventually they earn their spot on the first string.