South Carolina Football: A look at every 5-star recruit in program history; Two are in this year's class!

South Carolina Football's All-Time 5-Star Recruits:
Running Back Demetris Summers (Class of 2003)

The second Gamecock 5-star of the modern recruiting era, Demetris Summers was believed to be the type of player who could challenge George Rogers' throne as the top running back in program history. However, that never happened.

A string of off-the-field issues for Summers kept him from living up to his enormous potential. Some incidents while he was in high school foreshadowed what was to come as he faced several disciplinary issues before his dismissal shortly after Steve Spurrier's arrival in Columbia.

In his shorter-than-anticipated college career, Summers showed the ability that made him a consensus 5-star: he effortlessly coasted his way to a Freshman All-SEC honor in 2003 and had even better per-carry numbers in 2004. He never played at the collegiate level again but was still signed by the Dallas Cowboys when eligible in the offseason before 2006.

His NFL stint didn't last long, however, and he was out of football for a couple of years before getting another chance in the Canadian Football League. He hung on up north for a few years before his legal troubles caught up to him.

In recent years, things only got worse for Summers, and he currently is in prison serving an 8-year sentence for manufacturing and distributing crack cocaine among other charges.

To say he was the 5-star who most failed to live up to his potential is a gross understatement.