Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
The regular season has ended so it’s time for the final Farrell 50, the top 50 players in college football and how they looked out of high school. Today we start the countdown by going from 50 to 46 - a group that includes the best tight end in the country.
RELATED: Midseason Farrell 50 | Preseason Farrell 50
The skinny: Sills has had a very unique journey to get him to where he currently is. Originally considered a child prodigy as a quarterback, Sills actually committed to USC when he was in seventh grade. However, when Lane Kiffin departed from USC, Sills decided to look elsewhere, eventually signing with West Virginia. In Morgantown, Sills made the move to wide receiver before heading to El Camino College for a semester to give it one more try at quarterback. Surprising to some, he found his way back to Morgantown, where he has become one of the more productive wide receivers in the country. Currently with 60 receptions for 980 yards and 18 touchdowns (tops in the nation), Sills has become one of the special stories of the season.
Farrell’s take: Sills’ journey to college stardom is an amazing one, and I can tell you with zero hesitancy that I never saw him becoming a star wide receiver. I scouted him as a quarterback from eighth grade until his senior year, and he was a four-star prospect at that position, but he never showed the athleticism to handle any other position. Clearly, we just didn’t see it and now he’s one of the most amazing stories I’ve been a part of covering.
The skinny: Ward held offers from Kentucky, Syracuse, Rutgers, Washington State, Cincinnati and others, but when he earned his offer from the Buckeyes at the Ohio State summer camp, his commitment came only a few minutes later. He saw minimal playing time as a true freshman, but has quickly become one of the leaders of the Buckeyes’ secondary during the last two seasons. Currently with 37 tackles, two tackles for a loss, two interceptions and a very impressive 15 pass break-ups, Ward has quickly become one of the top cover corners in the country.
Farrell’s take: Ward had a great season, especially playing the football. He wasn’t filled out in high school despite having a solid frame and average height to work with. He was better on offense than he was on defense, so you can see where his ball skills come from, and despite his lack of size he was a willing tackler. He has benefited from learning from some elite talent ahead of him at Ohio State and is continuing the recent trend of athletic freaks to play in the defensive backfield.
The skinny: Ridley was an early commitment to the Crimson Tide, and while rumors persisted throughout his senior season and leading up to signing day that he was taking a look at other programs, he stuck with his word and signed with Alabama. Ridley became an immediate star at Alabama as a true freshman and has continued his consistent and top-level play. While his reception totals have lessened the last two seasons, he has become more of a big-play threat, averaging a career high 16.3 yards per catch this fall. He is also the reliable receiver that Jalen Hurts looks for in a big spot.
Farrell’s take: Ridley set freshman records as a receiver at Alabama, the same place where Julio Jones and Amari Cooper dominated. So that's heady stuff, and after an average sophomore season he was back to his dominant ways this year. Ridley was always an elite prospect in high school and a no-brainer five-star from the start. He was an accomplished route runner, had solid size and amazing hands and just needed to fill out and find his way into the Alabama offense. Now he is the clear No. 1 target among wide receivers for the Tide and a huge key to their offense, as well as a future pro.
The skinny: Bryant trimmed his list down to a top 10 and then took several visits before Clemson and Notre Dame emerged as his two leaders. He took an additional visit to both schools before committing to the Tigers in July before his senior year. A foot injury slowed Bryant’s progress during his first two seasons, but he has been fully healthy in 2017, and he has flourished with 47 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Farrell’s take: This was a breakout year for Bryant. He was an interesting recruit out of high school because he made the adjustment from a huge linebacker to a defensive end. As a result, I was worried a bit that his ranking was too high, which is the opposite of what you’d normally think, because the athleticism to play in space as a linebacker would help any defensive end. Bottom line for me is that I wasn’t convinced he could be an elite pass rusher with the get off and pass rushing moves I saw. He’s was up and down his first two seasons, but this year he’s been amazing and is certainly helped by the additional talent on the Clemson defensive line.
The skinny: Andrews committed to Oklahoma the summer before his senior season during a trip to Norman. Several Pac-12 schools, along with Alabama and Ohio State, were involved at the time of his decision. With the Sooners, Andrews' performance on the field has improved from season to season. Now one of the top receiving tight ends in the country, he has 58 receptions for 906 yards and eight touchdowns, as he has become one of Baker Mayfield’s favorite and most reliable targets.
Farrell’s take: Andrews is a massive target and has shown more athleticism than he did last year, and better footwork. A tight end with size but wide receiver skills, he was always right up there when it comes to athleticism at the position, and he’s taken his game to the next level this year. He is my only tight end on the list. He slid in the final rankings out of high school because he was a bit underwhelming at the U.S. Army Bowl week and didn’t use his size properly, but he has clearly learned to do that as he transitioned from wide receiver to tight end in college. He’s a big target who can get downfield.
