It’s that time of year. The college football season is almost over, so it's time for a look at the Farrell 50 — the top 50 players in college football and how they were ranked as recruits. We continue today with Nos. 26-30.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
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MORE FARRELL 50: Nos. 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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30. Aaron Banks, Notre Dame
The skinny: Banks took official visits to Notre Dame, Tennessee, Michigan and Oregon during his senior season before committing to the Irish in early December.
Starting 31 games in South Bend during his career, he enjoyed his best season at Notre Dame this fall. Banks was named First-Team All-ACC while earning several All-American honors. He also declared for the NFL Draft on Sunday.
Farrell’s take: Banks was a Rivals250 offensive tackle out of high school and a big recruit for Notre Dame from California. It’s no surprise that he’s become a leader of the line and one of the most consistent players in the country.
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29. Khalil Herbert, Virginia Tech
The skinny: Herbert picked up a January offer from Kansas, took an official visit to Lawrence and committed to the Jayhawks while on campus.
He spent four seasons at Kansas before transferring to Virginia Tech before the 2020 season. Herbert, who recently declared for the 2021 NFL Draft, enjoyed only one season in Blacksburg but it was a memorable one with 1,183 yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
Farrell’s take: Herbert was a two-star out of Florida with few offers who headed to Kansas with questions about his speed. He became a star at Virginia Tech and has obviously improved in so many areas.
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28. Trevon Moehrig, TCU
The skinny: Moehrig committed to TCU during the spring after his junior season over offers from Ole Miss, Stanford, Georgia, Tennessee, Baylor, Texas A&M and Arizona.
Having already established himself as one of the top defensive backs in the country, Moehrig continued his impressive play this fall with 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions and nine breakups.
Farrell’s take: Moehrig was a big three-star athlete coming out of high school who could play corner of safety or even grow into a linebacker. He developed fast under Gary Patterson and his football instincts were way beyond what we thought projecting him to college.
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27. Zach Wilson, BYU
The skinny: Wilson was initially committed to Boise State, but after re-opening his process in December a quick visit to BYU resulted in him flipping to the Cougars.
Wilson had one of the top breakout seasons in the country this fall with 3,699 yards and 33 touchdowns through the air. He also only threw three interceptions while completing over 73% of his passes. His accomplishments saw him finish eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Farrell’s take: Wilson was recruited by a lot of smaller schools as a tall and thin quarterback coming out of high school with good accuracy and a solid arm. He’s emerged this season as a star and is likely a first-rounder.
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26. Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
The skinny: Leatherwood committed to Alabama during the summer before his junior season. However, Florida State, Michigan and others continued to push for a flip. In the end, he stuck with the Crimson Tide.
Leatherwood continued his dominance in Tuscaloosa this fall, earning numerous post-season All-American honors while paving the way for running back Najee Harris.
Farrell’s take: Leatherwood was the No. 4 player in the class of 2017 and a massive tackle with franchise potential, and he’s certainly living up to that. He has been solid and projects as a second-rounder or a late first-round reach.
