Farrell 50: Deshaun Watson tops list of nation's best players
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With the college football season nearly upon us, it’s time for another installment of the Farrell 50, the top 50 college football players in the country. However, as usual here at Rivals.com, we take a quick look at how each ranked out of high school and if they are exceeding or simply living up to expectations. Today we wrap it up with the best of the best.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report
The skinny: Garrett trimmed his list down to Texas A&M and TCU before committing to the Aggies during his senior season. After bursting onto the collegiate scene during his freshman season in 2014 with 49 tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss and 11 sacks, Garrett continued to dominate in the SEC last fall with 59 tackles, 11.5 sacks, one interception, an SEC leading 19.5 tackles for a loss and five forced fumbles. Considered the top defensive playmaker in the country, it will be interesting to see how much better Garrett can perform this fall.
Farrell’s take: There was a heated debate in regards to who was No. 1 in the class of 2014, with many believing it was Garrett. That debate is over. We picked the wrong guy. In the end, we decided Alabama junior Da’Shawn Hand should remain in the top spot with Garrett at No. 2 and while Hand struggles to break out, Garrett could be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft in 2017. Garrett is a freaky athlete who just needs to hold the edge against the run a bit better and have some huge games against the best of the best.
The skinny: McCaffrey was always considered a heavy Stanford lean. With his father, Ed McCaffrey, considered a Cardinal legend, it came as no surprise that his son committed to Stanford in early May. In his two seasons at Stanford, McCaffrey has become the top all-purpose player in the country. His 2015 season was both memorable and historic, as he rushed for 2,019 yards and eight touchdowns, had 645 yards receiving and five touchdowns, plus 1,200 return yards. His 3,864 all-purpose yards broke Barry Sanders’ previous record of 3,250, which was set during his 1988 Heisman Trophy-winning season. With the Cardinal breaking in a new starting quarterback this fall, Ryan Burns, look for them to rely on McCaffrey even more.
Farrell’s take: No one saw last season coming and if they say they did, they are related to McCaffrey or lying. We loved McCaffrey's versatility out of high school, but we expected him to be more of a slasher/third down guy instead of the workhorse he has been on the ground. It’s a shame he doesn’t get goal line carries as he should. That could change this year, but can he follow up such an amazing season with another one that equals or betters it? He's not big, but he's sneaky strong, super quick and has smarts and vision, so I'm proud of our ranking here of a kid from Colorado who played against average competition.
The skinny: Fournette was always regarded as a heavy lean to LSU, and committed to the Tigers over Alabama and Texas during the Under Armour All-America Game. Fournette was off to a fantastic start last fall and was considered the heavy favorite for the Heisman Trophy at the midway point. However, as LSU stumbled in the second half of the season, so did Fournette’s chances at the award. He still finished his consensus All-American season with 1,953 yards rushing, 22 rushing touchdowns, plus 253 receiving yards and an additional score.
Farrell’s take: We were obviously taken with Fournette as he was the highest-ranked running back since Bryce Brown was No. 1 in 2009. I wasn’t thrilled with all the comparisons to Adrian Peterson out of high school because I wasn’t sure he had the same explosion, but Fournette has obviously shown that’s not an issue. After a huge start, teams began to game plan for him and slowed him down last season, but he still rushed for nearly 2,000 yards when everyone knew he was getting the ball. LSU fans love to remind me of how I questioned his ability to break the long run in the SEC coming out of high school, but remember this, we still had him as a top 5 player. It’s not like we questioned much.
The skinny: Cook was an early commitment to Florida, before rumors of a possible flip to Florida State began to intensify during his senior season. He finally did pull off the flip during the week of the Under Amour All-America Game. Despite dealing with a few nagging injuries during the 2015 season, Cook still finished with an ACC leading 1,691 yards rushing and 19 rushing touchdown, plus added 244 receiving yards. With some question marks lingering regarding the Florida State quarterback situation, look for Cook to get additional work this fall.
Farrell’s take: Cook has a ton of talent and was a guy who proved to us he was a five-star talent the more we watched him during that 2014 rankings cycle. He earned that fifth star during the last ranking and showed signs of living up to it early with his solid first season. Last year, he took it to the next level and is more valuable to his team than anyone else in the country, hands down. It was an injustice he was not a Heisman finalist, but that same mistake won’t be made this year.
The skinny: Watson had no drama in his recruiting process as he committed to Clemson on National Signing Day in 2012. Watson earned immediate playing time as a true freshman at Clemson and quickly became the starter. However, injuries to both his hand and knee slowed his progress and eventually cut his season short. Watson quickly hit his stride last season and led the Tigers to the National Championship Game. Winner of the Davey O’Brien Award, annually given out to the nation’s top quarterback, Watson passed for 4,104 yards and 35 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns. Now with even higher expectations, how will Watson and the Tigers respond to the additional pressure?
Farrell’s take: Watson came on strong last season as he didn’t even make my mid-season list but was obviously way up on the post-season list and now heads into the season my No. 1. We loved his run-pass ability in high school obviously based on his ranking and he has grown into an excellent decision-maker and arguably the most dangerous weapon in college football. It’s not unexpected at all for us, the only site to have him as a five star, but it was his character that really struck me when he was in high school. He’s still one of the highest character kids I’ve ever scouted.
