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3 Heisman finalists were only 3-star recruits

Brett Deering / Getty Images Sport / Getty

It seems Alabama is ranked No. 1 in college football on an annual basis. Recruiting is a key factor, so it should be no surprise, then, that Nick Saban's program also ranks No. 1 in that department seemingly every year.

With that in mind, one might assume the finalists for the 2016 Heisman Trophy - to be awarded to the country's best player on Saturday night - were all top-ranked recruits that could have picked the program they played for.

That would be massively wrong, however, as according to ESPN's recruiting rankings, three of the five finalists for the prestigious award weren't even listed as four-star recruits in their respective classes. Here's a look:

Baker Mayfield

Rating: 3-star (70/100)
Position Ranking: 69
State Ranking: 238
National Ranking: N/A
Offers: New Mexico, FAU, Rice, Washington State
Signed: Played for Texas Tech as a walk-on before transferring to Oklahoma

Dede Westbrook

Rating: 3-star (77/100)
Position Ranking: 97
State Ranking: 115
National Ranking: N/A
Offers: Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, UTEP, Wyoming, Texas State
Signed: Texas State before transferring to junior college

Lamar Jackson

Rating: 3-star (79/100)
Position Ranking: 17
State Ranking: 80
National Ranking: N/A
Notable offers: Florida, Auburn, Florida State, Clemson, Georgia, Nebraska
Signed: Louisville

Jabrill Peppers

Rating: 5-star (95/100)
Position Ranking: 1
State Ranking: 1
National Ranking: 2
Notable offers: Michigan, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Alabama
Signed: Michigan

Deshaun Watson

Rating: 4-star (88/100)
Position Ranking: 1
State Ranking: 3
National Ranking: 16
Notable offers: Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, LSU, USC, Ohio State
Signed: Clemson

Highlights

Here's the best from the five finalists throughout their high school careers.

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