Best LB classes: Reviewing 2004

The Rivals100 class of 2016 was historical in many ways and with 10 five-star linebackers, it became the best year for the position in Rivals.com history. Over the next few days, we will look at the other best linebacker classes in our history and how they panned out. Today we start it off with a look at the class of 2004, which had six five-star LBs.

KEITH RIVERS, USC

The skinny: Rivers committed to USC over Florida, after cancelling already planned official visits to both Florida State and Georgia. At USC, after enjoying a successful junior season, Rivers decided to return for his senior season in 2007, which proved to be a good idea as he was named First-Team All-Pac-10 for the second consecutive season and earned multiple All-American honors. Drafted by Cincinnati with the ninth overall pick in 2008, Rivers spent four seasons with the Bengals before making stops with the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys, who he signed with last March but decided to retire in July on the first day of training camp.

Farrell’s take: A beast of a linebacker out of college and honestly one of Pete Carroll’s biggest out-of-state grabs during his reign at USC. Taking the No. 1 player out of the Sunshine State was a huge deal for the Trojans and Rivers was a big contributor to the USC dominance during the time. A top five prospect being drafted in the top 10 of the NFL Draft is a complete success story and Rivers always had the quick-twitch ability to be a great one.

WILLIE WILLIAMS, MIAMI

The skinny: Williams’ recruiting process was one of the more talked about during the Rivals era. After taking official visits, and keeping a diary of each, to Miami, Auburn, Florida and Florida State, Williams decided to stay local and committed to the Canes. He eventually transferred to a junior college in California and then Louisville, Glenville State and finally Union College, an NAIA school in Kentucky. Things went further downhill for Williams after this as he was convicted of second-degree burglary charges in 2010, which resulted in a 15-year prison sentence.

Farrell’s take: One of the best examples of wasted talent, Williams’ recruiting process was more interesting than his college career. He was a long kid with good range and excellent speed and on the field Williams was a freak who was supposed to be the next great one at Miami. Off the field, he was clearly a disaster, very self-involved and wrapped up way too much in the process. He had a huge bust factor, but was so talented on the field, we had to keep him as a top 10 talent because if he ever learned to keep his focus, he’d have had an amazing career.

KYLE WILLIAMS, IOWA

The skinny: Williams committed to Iowa after taking official visits to check out the Hawkeyes, Miami, Oregon and Purdue. Due to academic issues, Williams never made it to Iowa and instead spent a semester at Milford Academy before he made his way to Purdue. His time with the Boilermakers was marred with serious off-the-field issues, which resulted in an arrest. In 2007 he was sentenced to 37 years in prison after being convicted on one count of rape and two counts each of battery and confinement.

Farrell’s take: Like Willie Williams, Kyle Williams allowed off-field issues to destroy his promising career. He wasn’t as long or big as Willie, but he was perhaps a bigger hitter, which is saying something. Kyle Williams loved to deliver punishment when he arrived at the football and took on blockers well, but like Willie, he was so much trouble off the field that he ended up in jail.

CHRIS PATTERSON, OKLAHOMA

The skinny: Patterson committed to Oklahoma during the summer leading up to his senior year over Miami, Illinois, USC and Kansas State. However, due to academic issues, he never actually made it to Norman. He attended junior colleges in Oklahoma and Illinois before making his way to Kansas State. There he struggled on the field, finishing with only 18 career tackles, while dealing with several injuries.

Farrell’s take: Yet another linebacker in this group that turned out to be a bust, Patterson’s issues were a combination of academics and injuries. Like Kyle Williams, he signed with one school but never made it and had to go the JUCO route (Williams went prep) to enroll elsewhere. This was a very promising group of linebackers, but talents like Patterson never had a chance to get rolling.

DAN CONNOR, PENN STATE

The skinny: After a series of spring and summer visits, Connor committed to Penn State leading up to his senior season. He had a storied collegiate career, as he was named All-American after both his junior and senior season. After leaving Penn State as their all-time leading tackler, Connor was drafted in the third round by Carolina in the 2008 NFL Draft. He had two stints with the Panthers, plus stops with the Cowboys and Giants before his career was cut short because of injuries after the 2013 season. He is currently the head coach at Archbishop Carroll High School in Pennsylvania.

Farrell’s take: Finally, a success following the Williams, Williams, Patterson failures. Connor had tremendous instincts and a great football mind to go along with an the ability to arrive at the football quickly. He was also good in coverage and all of his skills led to an amazing college career and a nice NFL run as well.

BRIAN TOAL, BOSTON COLLEGE

The skinny: Toal took official visits to Boston College, Miami, Penn State, Rutgers and Tennessee before committing to the Eagles on National Signing Day. After being named the Big East’s freshman of the year, injuries eventually derailed Toal at Boston College. He missed most of the 2007 and 2008 seasons, which caused him to come up short of the lofty expectations many had for him. He went undrafted in 2009 but played in the UFL for the Las Vegas Locomotives for two seasons. He then had a short stint with the New York Jets in 2011, but never made the active roster.

Farrell’s take: Toal played running back and linebacker in high school and was a legend in the state of New Jersey as one of the best players of all time. He began the run of Bosco to state titles with his two-way ability and, despite not being the longest linebacker, he had athleticism off the charts. Injuries hurt Toal after a great start to his career as the Big East Defensive Rookie of the Year and he was never the same after a neck injury his sophomore season.