Four consecutive NFL Defensive Players of the Year have one thing in common: they were all featured on Sports Stars of Tomorrow before they ever took a professional snap. That streak is the backdrop for a segment that revisits three of the most decorated players in the league today.
Patrick Surtain II enters his sixth NFL season as arguably the best defensive back in football. The 2024 Defensive Player of the Year is already a two-time First-Team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler—credentials that make his 2017 profile at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida feel like a glimpse into the future. His coach back then was his father, Patrick Surtain Sr., a former NFL cornerback who saw something beyond what he himself had at the same age. "He's way further along than I was at the same exact age," the elder Surtain said. With Surtain anchoring the secondary and Bo Nix developing at quarterback, the Denver Broncos project as a legitimate playoff contender.
Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers represents another chapter in the show's history with the Bosa family. The connection began when the program visited Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale to profile older brother Joey—then returned years later when Nick emerged as one of the top prospects in the 2016 recruiting class. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022 with a league-leading 18.5 sacks and has earned five Pro Bowl selections across seven seasons. Their father, John Bosa, credited football with bringing the brothers together after the typical big-brother, little-brother friction of their youth. "The one year of sharing the field here at Saint Thomas was fantastic," he said.
The segment closes with Christian McCaffrey, whose story also began with an older sibling. In 2011, the show stopped at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado to meet Max McCaffrey—and caught a first look at his younger brother Christian, then just a freshman. The coaching staff recognized his talent immediately but tried to manage his workload. It didn't last long. "We tried to hold him back as much as we could," his coach recalled, "and what we found was, it was tough—because he kept fighting his way onto the field." Once he got there, he scored roughly once every five touches. The rest is well-documented NFL history.
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