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. 16-20 led by two big-time quarterbacks and a top SEC corner.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
MORE Farrell 50: Nos. 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50
The skinny: After originally making a surprise commitment to Arizona, Tabor flipped to Florida in early January after taking official visits to both Gainesville and Alabama. With the departure of Vernon Hargreaves to the NFL, Tabor entered the 2016 season as the Gators’ veteran in the secondary. After missing the first game due to a suspension, Tabor has performed like the veteran he is. Through five games, he has totaled 10 tackles and three interceptions, despite not seeing many balls thrown his way.
Farrell’s take: The Honey Badger? That’s what I first saw when Tabor was making plays as an eighth grader against much older players, and he continued to develop each year. He grew a bit taller than Tyrann Mathieu in the end and is longer, and you can’t teach many of the things he does. His instincts were off the charts and the only think lacking in his game was being physical in the run game. That came together as a senior. He’s not a blazer, never has been, but his amazing instincts more than make up for that and if he’s focused, he is hard to beat.
The skinny: Smith-Schuster’s recruitment came down to a battle between USC and UCLA, and while the Bruins coaching staff worked overtime, the Trojans gained his signature after being considered the leader for a majority of his process. After having one of the better statistical seasons in the country last season, Smith-Schuster is once again proving himself while working with two new quarterbacks. Currently with 40 receptions for 565 yards and eight touchdowns, he will be an interesting player to watch in the NFL Draft next spring.
Farrell’s take: An amazing athlete, JuJu reminded me a bit of Marqise Lee because he could be dominant on defense or offense in high school. But unlike Lee, I didn't freeze up when it came to giving out a fifth star here, and Smith-Schuster is proving worthy. He's one of the best weapons in the country and has emerged as a dominant, physical receiver despite taking some hits from the national media early when USC was struggling. It’s clear that the move to Sam Darnold at quarterback saved his season and he’s been excellent ever since. I’m convinced he’d be an All-American safety as well if he went that route.
The skinny: Mayfield actually walked-on at Texas Tech, despite earning offers from Washington State, Rice and Florida Atlantic. Surprisingly, he immediately became the starter for the Red Raiders as a walk-on and earned Big 12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year honors. However, after the season he decided to transfer to Oklahoma. After sitting out the 2014 season, Mayfield’s performance in 2015 led him to a fourth place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting. Currently he is on pace for another memorable season in Norman this fall, with 2,348 yards, 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions through seven games.
Farrell’s take: With a gunslinger’s mentality, Mayfield had a great high school career, but many felt he was a system kid and he didn’t get a ton of offers. Now that he’s settled into the OU spread offense and has been driving opponents crazy with his ability to extend the play and run when needed, he’s one of the top players in the country despite a rough start. I’m happy with his three-star ranking since we saw something none of the local schools did at least (he was a walk-on after all), but he has clearly outplayed his ranking and his leadership skills are off the charts.
The skinny: Trubisky committed to the Tar Heels during the spring over offers from Tennessee, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Minnesota and Northwestern. At UNC, Trubisky had to wait his turn, but with Marquise Williams graduated, he has excelled this fall as a first-time starter. Surrounded by several offensive weapons, Trubisky has shined with 2,378 yards, 18 touchdowns and only two interceptions for the 6-2 Tar Heels.
Farrell’s take: Trubisky’s high school career was epic as he was Mr. Football for Ohio and passed for more than 9,000 career yards. As a mid-range three-star quarterback, we took a lot of abuse from North Carolina fans, who felt his high school numbers should have translated to a higher ranking. As a big dual-threat he could also move around, extend the play and gain yardage when he tucked and ran. He has had a very efficient year and has shown to other quarterbacks that sometimes it’s best to wait your turn, learn a system and then dominate rather than just transfer at the first sign of trouble.
The skinny: Cunningham took official visits to Vanderbilt, Auburn and Oregon in January before surprising some people with a commitment to the Commodores on National Signing Day. Cunningham has quietly become one of the top defensive players in the SEC. He first emerged last season with 88 tackles and 14 tackles for a loss, but has really taken his game to the next level this fall with 85 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, one force fumble and one fumble recovery through eight games.
Farrell’s take: Cunningham was a tall, skinny linebacker who continued to rise in our rankings throughout his cycle. He started off as a three-star and ended up as a four-star outside of our Rivals250. He was a tackling machine during his high school career, especially as a senior where he nearly eclipsed 200 tackles. He was always in the backfield and made a living making tackles for a loss, but his thin frame was what kept him back from a higher ranking. Those tackling instincts have obviously continued in college.
