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Farrell Freshman 15: Nos. 15-13

It’s that time of year again, the end of the college football regular season where we take a look at some of the top true freshmen in the country and how they were ranked out of high school.

We call it the Farrell Freshman 15. Today we look at Nos. 13-15, led by two SEC running backs.

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report

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The skinny: Richards committed to Miami before his junior season, but then re-opened his process after coach Al Golden was fired during his senior season. After taking official visits to Miami, Tennessee, Louisville, Alabama and Auburn, Richards trimmed his list down to the Canes, Crimson Tide and Tigers before re-committing to his in-state option. After a somewhat slow start to his season, Richards finished second on the team in receptions with 46 and first in both yards (866) and yards per reception (18.8).

Farrell’s take: Richards jumped from a three-star to a four-star during the summer before his senior season because of his length and catch radius, but he never cracked our Rivals250 despite a strong senior season. Richards was good at everything but wasn’t great at anything, and a hamstring injury slowed his efforts to show he was the best at the U.S. Army All American Bowl. But he clearly took the next step as a reliable target at Miami as he hit his stride after a slow start. With his size he will eventually become a touchdown maker in the red zone as well.

The skinny: Williams originally committed to TCU over offers Texas A&M, Texas and Houston, but re-opened his recruitment in November of his senior year. The Aggies, who became the immediate favorite, had to wait only a couple of days to pick up his commitment. Williams earned immediate playing time with the Aggies and formed a formidable backfield duo with quarterback Trevor Knight. While his level of production did slip a bit as the season progressed, he still finished with 1,024 yards and eight touchdowns on 7.0 yards per carry.

Farrell’s take: Williams was a three-star at one point and a guy we liked for his speed and elusiveness, but we worried a bit about his size and durability. We bumped him to a four-star at the end of the rankings cycle despite his production dropping from his junior to senior season because we saw a thicker, stronger version with the same explosion. However, a ranking just inside the Rivals250 is looking off this early. He started the season like gangbusters but fell off at the end.

The skinny: Crockett initially committed to Boise State over Arizona State in July, but after taking an official visit to Missouri in January of his senior year, he flipped to the Tigers. While he finished the season with fewer carries than Ish Witter, by the end of the year he was the lead back for the Tigers. Rushing for at least 145 yards in four of the team's last six games, Crockett finished with 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 6.9 yards per carry.

Farrell’s take: Crockett was a top-10 running back in what we considered a down year last year for the position, but with so many making an impact as true freshmen, we appear to be wrong. Crockett was a four-star kid who had a great power base and could easily break tackles, but breakaway speed was a question. Like Williams, he started as a three-star but earned his fourth star after in-person evaluation where he showed off better feet and much better change of direction than expected. He’s off to a great start in his college career and could be an SEC workhorse next season.

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