Undersized (130 pounds on graduation day) and qualifying late academically, Brown struggled to make ends meet while waiting for his shot. He attended College of the Canyons in California, working jobs while trying to keep up his grades so he could take the next step. The playmaker with the nickname "Hollywood" (his hometown in Florida, as well as his highlight-reel style of play) was a four-star junior college recruit after his one season with COC (50-754, 10 TD receiving, 13-402, TD kickoff returns, 9-182, TD punt returns). The cousin of NFL star receiver Antonio Brown chose Oklahoma because of its wide-open attack, and he excelled with Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, leading the Sooners with 1,095 yards and seven touchdowns on 57 catches (19.2 average). The honorable mention All-Big 12 selection did his part against Georgia in the national semifinal, catching eight passes for 114 yards and a score. He excelled in his junior season, receiving first-team All-Big 12 and first-team All-American notice from the Associated Press by catching 75 passes for 1,318 yards, averaging a hardy 17.6 yards per reception, and 10 touchdowns. His receiving yardage total ranked in the top 10 nationally. Brown failed to make a catch in the team's playoff loss to Alabama, as he was slowed by a foot injury suffered in the Big 12 Championship Game.

The Bulldogs kept Ferguson in Louisiana despite his all-state senior season, and the move paid off as he became the FBS record-holder with 45 career sacks. He started five times as a true freshman, receiving honorable mention All-Conference USA honors by leading the team with 15 tackles for loss and tying for the lead with six sacks. Ferguson continued tearing up C-USA backfields as a sophomore, starting all 14 games and compiling 49 stops, 16 for loss, and tying for third nationally with 14.5 sacks. He earned first-team all-conference honors in 2017, when he started 11 of 12 games played (39 tackles, 9.5 for loss, seven sacks). Ferguson ended his career with an Associated Press third-team All-American senior campaign, leading the nation with 17.5 sacks (2.5 in the Hawai'i Bowl) and ranked in the top five with 26 tackles for loss. He finished the year with 64 stops, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles in 13 games for the Bulldogs.

Boykin grew up in Tinley Park, winning the state Player of the Year award as a senior (65-1,035-15.9, 19 TD) despite missing three games due to injury. He played on the scout team in 2015 before suiting up with the varsity the following year, making six catches for 81 yards (13.5) and a score in 12 games. His sophomore season was, for the most part, uneventful. Boykin did show up in a big way in the team's Citrus Bowl comeback win over LSU, winning MVP honors with three receptions for 102 yards, including a one-handed 55-yard touchdown that sealed the deal. He was the Irish's leading receiver as junior, compiling 59 receptions for 872 yards (14.8 average) and eight touchdowns. His brother, George, had to give up football in high school after he suffered a head injury. Miles changed his jersey number to 81 in high school to honor George.

Cowboys coach Mike Gundy has succeeded at Stillwater because of his ability to win recruiting battles in Oklahoma. Hill was the state's Division II Offensive Player of the Year as a senior for Tulsa's Booker T. Washington High School (198-1,948, 32 TD). Gundy did not hesitate to get Hill on the field his first year with the team, starting him in 10 of 13 games played, which allowed him to become the nation's leading freshman rusher, a Freshman All-American selection, and the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. He ran for 1,142 yards and six scores on 206 carries (5.5 per) that season. Hill had no sophomore slump in 2017, leading the Big 12 with 268 carries, 1,467 rushing yards (5.5 per), and 15 rushing touchdowns to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors. He was also a 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-American. Hill was a first-team All-Big 12 pick again in 2018 though his numbers were significantly lower (158-930-5.9, nine TD rushing; 13-68-5.2 receiving) due to getting fewer carries and missing two games due to a rib injury. He also chose to sit out the team's bowl game to stay healthy and prepare for the NFL Draft.

The Wichita, Kansas, native started his collegiate career at home-state Butler Community College, where he was considered a top 40 junior college recruit nationally after the 2015 season. He stayed in the Midwest by signing with the Sooners and played well enough in his first season in Norman to earn honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades by starting the final 10 games at left guard. Powers garnered second-team all-conference as a junior, playing in all 14 games with 12 starts (10 at left guard, two at right guard). He was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2018, starting all 14 games at left guard with the group that won the Joe Moore Award as the top offensive line in college football.

Mack arrived in College Station as a USA Today first-team All-American from east Texas. He excelled as a true freshman, playing in all 13 games as a key reserve, making 32 tackles, 9.5 for loss. Mack again played in 13 games as a sophomore, but made fewer plays (25 stops, 2.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks). Though his total tackles dropped in 2017 (19), Mack got his first college start and had five tackles for loss and a sack on the season. Coaches inserted Mack in the starting lineup for all 13 games of his senior season and he delivered with 32 tackles, 10 for loss, and 5.5 sacks while also blocking a kick.

McSorley was only a three-star recruit despite starting four state title games and throwing for 12,000 career passing yards and 150 touchdowns at Ashburn, Virginia's Briar Woods High School. James Franklin recruited McSorley to Vanderbilt, and Richard Thomas III (thus Trace) followed Franklin to Happy Valley. He played seven games as a reserve in 2015 (20-of-40, 50.0 completion percentage, 185 yards, two touchdowns) and then exploded onto the national scene by earning second-team All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore (224-of-387, 57.9 completion percentage, 3,614 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, eight interceptions; 365 yards, seven touchdowns rushing in 14 starts). McSorley was the Big Ten Championship Game MVP in 2016 (22-of-31, 384 yards, four touchdowns) and led the FBS with 16.1 yards per completion. He excelled again as a junior, being named a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm and Manning Awards, as well as second-team all-conference. He ranked eighth in the FBS by completing 66.5 percent of his passes (284-427), which covered 3,570 yards and 28 touchdowns (against 10 interceptions). McSorley also rushed for 491 yards and 11 touchdowns to earn his team's Most Valuable Offensive Player. His passing statistics were not as impressive in his final campaign with the Nittany Lions (192-of-361, 53.2 completion percentage, 2,530 yards, 18 touchdowns, seven interceptions) but the team captain and second-team All-Big Ten selection was the unquestioned leader of the offense in 2018. He did a lot of damage against opposing defenses with his feet (170 rushes, 798 yards, 4.7 ypc, 12 touchdowns).