With the college football season a little beyond the halfway point, it’s time for another installment of the Farrell 50, the top 50 college football players in the country. However, as usual here at Rivals.com, we take a quick look at how each ranked out of high school and if they are exceeding or simply living up to expectations. And with such a crazy season of injuries and disappointing seasons from some of the bigger names, you could be stunned at who’s missing from the list. Today we look at Nos. 11-15 led by two shutdown corners and an elite pass rusher.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
MORE Farrell 50: Nos. 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50
The skinny: Fitzpatrick committed to Alabama over Florida State. While he did take an official visit to Tallahassee after making his commitment, he ultimately stuck with his word and signed with the Crimson Tide. Fitzpatrick has followed up a tremendous true freshman season with an even better start to his sophomore campaign. Already with 36 tackles, two tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, three interceptions, five passes defended and one forced fumble, Fitzpatrick’s play has made an already dominant Alabama defense even better.
Farrell’s take: I've watched Fitzpatrick since he was a freshman in high school. He has always been a five-star talent, but scouting him so much might have led to expectations that were too high. It's why we moved him from cornerback to safety in the end because he struggled in solo coverage against elite wide receivers. So much for that, huh? Fitzpatrick's instant impact last season on the Alabama defense was amazing and he’s taken it to the next level this season. He's living up to that five-star status but also sticking it in our face a bit about that move to safety.
The skinny: King was originally committed to Ball State, but eventually flipped to Iowa when he received an offer from the Hawkeyes. He surprised everyone by deciding to return for his senior season after winning the Jim Thorpe Award last season. While he only has one interception this season - which he returned for a touchdown - King has added 41 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, six passes defended and one fumble recovery.
Farrell’s take: King was not heavily recruited out of high school and was essentially ignored by in-state powers Michigan and Michigan State, much to their dismay now. He was always a guy who was around the ball with double-digit interceptions consistently in high school, but we questioned his speed. King's instincts continue to be off the charts and make up for that lack of blazing quickness. He breaks on the ball like a sub-4.4 guy even though that's not his straight-ahead speed. This year he’s been targeted much less but is still very active and locks things down.
The skinny: Walker originally committed to Alabama and planned to be an early enrollee, but in January he suddenly flipped to Florida State after assistant coach Jeremy Pruitt moved from the Crimson Tide staff to the Seminoles' program. Coming off of an impressive 2015 season, Walker has continued to excel this fall. The senior currently has 31 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks for the Seminoles, as he has also positioned himself nicely for the 2017 NFL Draft.
Farrell’s take: Walker was highly-ranked out of high school and he hasn’t disappointed. In fact, I’ve been so impressed with him this season that he’s moving up the list. Walker was part of an amazing group of defensive ends in his class, including Carl Lawson, Jonathan Allen, Robert Nkemdiche, Chris Jones and Joey Bosa, so a fifth star was hard to come by back then and he wasn’t quite as explosive as the prospects in group at the time. Walker has added power, increased his speed and his technique is excellent. He’s one of the few shining spots on the Florida State defense.
The skinny: Foster's recruiting process was one of the more chaotic ones in recent years. Foster originally committed to Alabama, but then flipped to Auburn. However, the coaching change at Auburn caused him to re-open his recruitment and take all five of his official visits. Again it came down to Auburn and Alabama, and finally he committed to the Crimson Tide two days before National Signing Day. Several Crimson Tide defenders have shined this season, but Foster is right there at the top with 53 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and two passes defended through eight games.
Farrell’s take: Foster was a huge linebacker with a ton of potential who could thump downhill but also move laterally. He also had a major bust factor tag between a knee injury that limited him late in high school and his bizarre recruiting process. Foster waited his turn and is having a breakout season. Despite all the questions, he was so talented that we still had him ranked as the No. 13 player in 2013 and No. 1 inside linebacker. He’s showing with his play this season that he can put it all together.
The skinny: Key, who was committed to South Carolina at two different points in his process, ended up taking official visits to South Carolina, LSU, Miami and Texas Tech before committing to the Tigers on National Signing Day. While he still remains in the shadow of several other defensive ends in the SEC, Key's play in 2016 deserves more attention. Currently with 33 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, eight sacks and two forced fumbles, Key has been one of the breakout players of this season.
Farrell’s take: Key was a tall, skinny edge rusher who was a four-star just inside the Rivals250. His frame concerned us a bit as did as his strength in the run game, but there was never a question about his pass-rushing ability. However, I will admit that he’s been better at the other aspects of the game than I expected at this early stage. He has developed into one of the elite pass rushers in college football.
