Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
It’s time for the Farrell 50, the ranking of the top 50 players in college football by Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell. We continue today with Nos. 6-10, led by two former three-stars.
MORE FARRELL 50: Nos. 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50
MORE: 10 best recruiting programs in the past five cycles
The skinny: Brown took official visits to Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Georgia and Alabama before committing to the Tigers on National Signing Day.
Over the last two seasons with the Tigers, Brown has firmly established himself as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the country. He also surprised many with his decision to forego the NFL Draft, after totaling 105 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks over the last two seasons.
Farrell’s take: Brown moved inside full-time and developed into a dominant defensive tackle two seasons ago and had a great year and he took it to the next level last season. He has the power, the quickness and ability to crush the pocket to get the job done. In high school evaluations, he was always a bit up and down. He was inconsistent, but his ceiling was too high to keep him from that fifth star and so far we are looking smart.
The skinny: Fromm initially committed to Alabama, but then flipped to Georgia during the spring after his junior season.
Having already started 29 games since his arrival in Athens, Fromm is the unquestioned leader of an offense that has the potential to be special this fall. He improved his overall game from 2017 to 2018, so now the expectations are that he will continue that ascent as he will likely have a big decision after the season regarding next spring’s NFL Draft.
Farrell’s take: Fromm became a five-star late in the process, earning that fifth star after a great week at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and was a huge flip for Kirby Smart from Alabama. He was a kid we felt was a “gamer” who might not have as many natural skills as some other five-star quarterbacks but had more of the intangibles. His efficiency and maturity were off the charts as a freshman and he led his team to the title game, so bigger things were expected last year and he delivered. Now he should be in the Heisman discussion.
The skinny: In the summer before his senior season and shortly after attending the Buckeyes’ Friday Night Lights camp, Young committed to Ohio State. Maryland was also considered, but the Buckeyes were always thought to be the favorite.
The buzz regarding Young has continually gotten louder since the end of last season. Having finished his sophomore season with 33 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks, he looks primed to have an All-American caliber season this fall.
Farrell’s take: Young was a five-star out of high school and a physical freak and he’s taken that to the next level in college. He’s added size without losing speed and he should be arguably the best and most dominant pass rusher in the country this year. There was no doubt he was going to be special if he stayed healthy.
The skinny: Moore was initially committed to Texas, but when he re-opened his process during his senior season, Purdue jumped at the opportunity. The Boilermakers, who were already talking to Moore before his de-commitment, were able to seal the deal after he took an official visit to West Lafayette in December.
Moore turned in one of the more surprising all-around performances of the season in 2018. A game-breaking threat any time he touches the ball, will defenses find a way to slow him down in 2019?
Farrell’s take: Moore was a high three-star out of high school with great speed and sneaky strength. Despite a great high school career, there was no way to see how much he would impact college football so early. He’s been amazing, and was the best true freshman in the country with much more expected this year.
The skinny: Etienne was initially committed to Texas A&M, but re-opened his recruitment two months later. After trimming his list to Clemson, LSU and Tennessee, and taking official visits to Clemson and Tennessee in January, he committed to the Tigers a week before National Signing Day.
While Trevor Lawrence will continue to get more of the publicity, without Etienne’s accomplishments out of the backfield, his job would have been much more difficult in 2018. Averaging 8.1 yards per carry, while totaling 1,658 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground last fall, Etienne possesses a unique blend of size, strength and speed, which should produce another huge season.
Farrell’s take: This is a kid I thought might be under-ranked, because he had size, speed and shiftiness. LSU really coveted him and Clemson did a great job winning this recruiting battle. He’s faster than I expected and his burst has improved greatly. As a guy just outside of that four-star ranking, he might make us look bad during his career, based on early returns. Etienne has already turned into one of the fastest and most explosive running backs in college football and could make a case for the best running back in football.
