Thinks a lot of rising stars meet security guards (7)
I believe the answer is:
esteems
'thinks a lot of' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'rising stars meet security guards' is the wordplay.
'rising' says the letters should be written backwards (in a down clue, letters go up).
'guards' indicates a hidden word.
'smeetse' is hidden within 'stars meet security'.
'smeetse' in reverse letter order is 'ESTEEMS'.
(Other definitions for esteems that I've seen before include "Regards highly" , "Prizes or admires" , "Treasures" , "Values highly" .)