The mid-season point of college football is here, give or take a week, so it’s time to name our All-Americans.
THE FARRELL AWARDS: Best of the 2017 season's first half
FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
Farrell’s take: The best quarterback in the country was a former walk-on out of high school.
RUNNING BACK
Farrell’s take: Barkley is a beast and was underranked a bit out of high school. Love played on the same high school team as fellow All-American Dexter Lawrence.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Farrell’s take: The best deep threat in the country is Washington and Kirk could be the best combo wide receiver/return man in the nation.
TIGHT END
Farrell’s take: He does a little of everything for NC State and is a big reason for the team's offensive success.
OFFENSIVE TACKLES
Farrell’s take: Brown was an overweight three-star out of high school who has turned himself into a great player. Williams went from five-star to starter right away.
OFFENSIVE GUARDS
Farrell’s take: Nelson is the best offensive lineman in the country. O’Connell could be the best few people know about.
CENTER
Farrell’s take: You could swap Price and Bradley Bozeman (below) as both as so crucial to their teams' offensive success.
ALL-PURPOSE
Farrell’s take: The records speak for themselves. Don’t kick to this guy.
FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE
Farrell’s take: Chubb is amazing in every aspect from pass rushing to holding the edge. Landry is the best pure pass rusher around and somehow doesn’t get enough playing time.
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
Farrell’s take: Two former five-stars and future first-rounders.
LINEBACKERS
Farrell’s take: Put this group together and watch the hits. Smith is quick twitch, Jewell is instinctual and Bush is a head hunter.
CORNERBACKS
Farrell’s take: McFadden has gotten a bad rap this year because of poor defensive play calling but is still elite. Ward is the next athletic freak in the Buckeye defensive backfield.
SAFETY
Farrell’s take: The ‘Bama teammates can’t be beaten as each brings something different to the table but can impact the game in so many ways.
SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE
Farrell’s take: Wait, what? Look at the numbers. The Oklahoma game was rough, but he’s been amazing otherwise albeit against average to weak competition.
RUNNING BACKS
Farrell’s take: A true freshman and a former three-star we worried wouldn’t fully recover from a serious injury. These guys are fun to watch and bring sneaky speed.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Farrell’s take: Two athletic freaks at wide receiver for teams that don’t get a ton of national attention.
TIGHT END
Farrell’s take: A massive and athletic target who played wide receiver in high school.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
Farrell’s take: One is an elite pass blocker, the other an elite run blocker.
OFFENSIVE GUARDS
WILL HERNANDEZ, UTEP
Farrell’s take: Smith is an athletic powerhouse on a national program. Hernandez is a guy no one knows about but has great pro potential.
Farrell’s take: See Price above. He is key to his offense.
ALL-PURPOSE
Farrell’s take: Jackson is a one-man gang this year moreso than last season and is about as all-purpose as it gets. He’d return kicks effectively if he wasn’t so important to the offense.
SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE
Farrell’s take: Ferrell gets the nod over his teammate Austin Bryant. Okoronkwo has taken his game to the next level.
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
Farrell’s take: A former five-star in Lawrence we knew would be a star, and a former three-star in Hurst we never expected to be so good.
LINEBACKERS
Farrell’s take: Jefferson had a bad start but has been awesome since the Maryland game. Kiser is one of the nation’s best kept secrets. White is the best player on a talented defense.
CORNERBACKS
Farrell’s take: Davis has his lapses but his size and length allow him to make plays others can’t. Wallace is a former walk-on who has played outstanding football.
SAFETIES
Farrell’s take: James has been very good, just not as great as many expected. Elliott has shown some of the best ball skills in the country.