Farrell Freshman 15: Nos. 9-7
We're taking a look at the top true freshmen following the 2016 regular season and how they were ranked out of high school. We call it the Farrell Freshman 15. Today, we look at Nos. 7-9, led by two big-time defensive ends.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report
FARRELL FRESHMAN 15: Nos. 13-15 | 12-10
The Skinny: Lee surprised many by signing with Kansas. His relationship with coach Tony Hill was one of the major factors that put the Jayhawks over the top. Initially a 2017 recruit, Lee was able to graduate early and made it on campus for the 2016 season. He quietly put together one of the better true freshman seasons in the country, finishing with 77 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, one interception, two forced fumbles and three pass breakups. He was most impressive at the conclusion of the season when he finished with 33 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception during the last three games.
Farrell’s Take: We liked Lee a lot based on his four-star ranking - he’s the rare four-star who committed to Kansas in recent years. We expected him to remain a 2017 recruit, get better as a senior and impact early, but the fact that he has made a major impact when he should still be playing high school ball is impressive. He wasn’t the biggest or the fastest corner but he had great instincts, he loves to hit and he was always physical.
The Skinny: After trimming his list to Texas, Mississippi State, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas Tech, Roach committed to the Longhorns in November. He did take a late January official visit to South Carolina, but stuck with his word and signed with Texas a few days later. Roach surprised many this fall, as he finished with 33 tackles, eight tackles for a loss and three sacks in 10 games this fall, and was especially impressive during the last three; he totaled 12 tackles, five tackles for a loss and one sack in that span.
Farrell’s Take: Roach was a mid-level three-star recruit who looked like a million bucks but was inconsistent overall and played standing up, so he was awkward and lacked technique as a pure rush end. He could come off the ball well from a two-point stance but was hard to project as a true end. He was very active as a tackler and was often in the backfield, and showed that the step up in competition is not an issue for him. Others have better sack numbers, but Roach also played the run very well, and held the edge and had a ton of pressures. LSU didn’t offer him in-state, and Texas stole one away that the Tigers thought didn’t fit their scheme. Their loss.
The Skinny: With his brother, Joey Bosa, a star at Ohio State, many expected Nick to follow him to Columbus. And he did not pull any surprises despite pressure from Notre Dame, Florida and Florida State, as he committed to Ohio State in July. As a true freshman on an impressive defensive line, Bosa had to earn his playing time this fall. He did just that with 25 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and five sacks. He showed the potential that should make him an elite playmaker next season for the Buckeyes.
Farrell’s Take: Bosa was drawing comparisons to his brother, Joey, before his ACL injury in November of his senior season. Some said he would be even better. We had him ranked higher than Joey out of high school, but we whiffed on Joey being a five-star, so there’s that. Nick was as athletic and physical as his brother and loved to hit. We knew he’d be special and he’s off to a great start in his career.
