Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
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. 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 move on to No. 6-10 led by some elite pass rushers.
FARRELL 50: Nos. 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50
The skinny: Oliver pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the 2016 recruiting cycle by committing early to Houston. While he did take a closer look at Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Ole Miss during the fall, he put pen to paper with the Cougars. The overtime that Houston put in to keeping Oliver committed paid off immediately as he finished with 50 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss and five sacks during his true freshman season last fall. Now all eyes will be on Oliver to see if he can take his game to an even higher level this fall.
Farrell’s take: Oliver was a blocky but athletic defensive tackle when I first saw him. He grew into a stout, solid and super quick gap shooter by the end of the rankings cycle. Oliver had such great instincts and followed the football so naturally that he was effective blowing up plays in the run game and getting after the passer. And his snap anticipation was off the charts as well. Oliver was given his fifth star in our final 2016 rankings cycle and that was one of our better decisions as he’s already a dominant college player and has an amazing future.
The skinny: Landry surprised many with a commitment to Boston College soon after he had named Duke as his favorite. However, after visiting Boston and interacting with the coaching staff, he quickly committed to the Eagles. The coaching staff was also able to hold off numerous top programs who went after Landry until Signing Day. After an impressive 2015 season, 2016 was even more memorable for Landry as he finished with an NCAA leading 16.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles.
Farrell’s take: I remember watching film of defensive tackle Lamont Gaillard, who another website inexplicably ranked as a five-star, over and over again trying to see if I was missing anything (I wasn’t), and seeing this defensive end come off the edge and make play after play. That was Landry, who we made a four-star after that and who ended up ranked much higher than his hyped up teammate. Landry was undersized but he was strong, quick and had a tremendous shoulder dip. He’s turned into the elite pass rusher in college and has surpassed his rating.
The skinny: Guice committed to LSU during the spring of his junior year, but then ended up taking an official visit to Alabama in January. While rumors persisted that he may look to flip, he did sign with the Tigers on Signing Day. Guice burst onto the scene last fall due to the injury plagued season of star back Leonard Fournette. After finishing with 1,385 yards and 15 touchdowns last fall, Guice comes into the season as one of the top backs in the country.
Farrell’s take: I loved Guice out of high school because he was mean and nasty. He was the kind of kid, similar to Eddie Lacy, who hated to be tackled and would fight hard for extra yardage and wear down defenses. He also had very good speed and vision and light feet, but it was his desire when running, something clear on tape and in person, that pushed him to five stars. Even with his lofty ranking, Guice was never happy being No. 2 at his position in his class behind Damien Harris, and last year showed why. We were the only major recruiting service to have him as a five-star, and he’s making us look smart.
The skinny: Wilkins took official visits to Clemson, Stanford, Penn State, Ohio State and Boston College before committing to the Tigers at the Under Armour All-American Game. Expectations were high for Wilkins last season after a promising true freshman performance and he responded with 44 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks. Now he is one of the leaders on a talented Clemson defensive line that is looking to make another march towards a National Championship.
Farrell’s take: I remember the first time I saw Wilkins on film. It was after his freshman season and his athletic ability was off the charts. As a Connecticut prospect, he didn’t get the national attention of many until later in his career, but I knew how good he was from day one. Wilkins has already turned into one of the elite defensive tackles in the country and could emerge as one of the top five picks in the NFL Draft.
The skinny: Darnold took an aggressive approach with his recruiting process, as he took unofficial visits from coast-to-coast. He checked out schools such as Duke, Oregon, Northwestern and Utah, but ultimately Darnold’s familiarity with the in-state Trojans put USC over the top. Darnold began the 2016 season backing up Max Browne, but he became the starter by the end of September. Once he took control of the offense, he led the Trojans to a 9-1 finish, including a memorable performance against Penn State in the Rose Bowl.
Farrell’s take: Darnold is obviously playing better than his four-star ranking. He slid considerably after an underwhelming performance at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where his arm strength was questioned, but that was clearly an anomaly. While Darnold had some throwing issues mechanically, he could run and hurt you with his arm or legs. He's playing like a five-star now and could be the top pick in the NFL Draft when he becomes eligible.
