1/20/2016 football Edit

Farrell Postseason 50: Nos. 11-15

Mike Farrell and Mark Pszonak

Rivals.com

With the college football season in the books, Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell releases his postseason Farrell 50, the top 50 college football players in the country. This list is based on this year's performance balanced with the level of competition each player has faced and how they've fared when the pressure is on.

Today’s countdown: Nos. 11-15

15. OT Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame | Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman (4-star, 2012)

The skinny: No. 176 overall, the No. 15 offensive tackle and the No. 1 recruit from Nevada, Stanley trimmed his list down to Notre Dame, Nebraska and Arkansas as his recruiting process began to reach a conclusion. Finally, after taking official visits to all three schools, Stanley committed to the Fighting Irish in December. Stanley, who earned consensus All-American honors this season, was once again the anchor on the improving Notre Dame offensive line, which helped the Irish average over 471 yards per game.

Farrell’s take: Coming back for an extra year helped him a lot and Stanley is technically the best offensive lineman in the country. I like his pass sets and he gets good leverage in the run game. Playing for a powerhouse like Bishop Gorman was a good thing -- he certainly played the top competition at the high school level -- but he has exceeded our projections so far and is more physical than expected, which is a good thing.

14. CB Jourdan Lewis, Michigan | Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech (4-stars, 2013)

The skinny: No. 131 overall, the No. 10 cornerback and the No. 3 recruit from Michigan, Lewis was a long-time Michigan lean before it even offered. So when the Wolverines finally did a couple of months after his junior season, he only waited a couple of weeks before committing. This season, Lewis further established himself as a lockdown corner for the Wolverines. Despite teams usually throwing away from him, Lewis accumulated 52 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, one forced fumble, two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, and an extremely impressive 20 pass break-ups.

Farrell’s take: It's hard to find a cornerback who has played better than Lewis this year and his instincts and ability to make a play on the ball have been unmatched as evidenced by his insane number of PBUs. We liked him quite a bit as a top 150 player, but of course his size was and still is a concern in regards to handling bigger receivers. But he has hops and his timing is excellent. He made some huge plays in high school and on the camp circuit, but he's taken his game to the next level under Jim Harbaugh.

13. WR Corey Coleman, Baylor | Richardson (Tex.) Pearce (4-star, 2012)

The skinny: No. 232 overall, the No. 38 wide receiver and the No. 29 recruit from Texas, Coleman trimmed his list to Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State before committing to the Bears in May. While he did receive some serious late interest from both Texas and California, he stuck with his commitment to Baylor. Coleman was on pace for a historic season until injuries at the quarterback position slowed his production during the last four games of the regular season, and sports hernia surgery forced him to miss the bowl game. Even with this, he still finished with 74 receptions for 1,363 yards and a nation’s best 20 touchdowns, which earned him the Biletnikoff Award and consensus All-American honors.

Farrell’s take: A huge get for Baylor during the time where teams such as the Bears and TCU began to chip away at Texas and Texas A&M to set themselves up for success in state. Coleman was a blazer coming out of high school and a guy who did as much damage on the ground as he did in the air, so it's no surprise to see how good he is in space and after the catch in college. But I didn’t see him being as elite a pass catcher as he’s turned out to be and really thought KD Cannon would cut into his touches. Oooops.

12. DE Joey Bosa, Ohio State | Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas (4-star, 2013)

The skinny: No. 47 overall, the No. 4 strongside defensive end and the No. 9 recruit from Florida, Bosa took a number of unofficial visits after his junior season, which helped him trim his list to Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State and Alabama. Not too long after, Bosa surprised some by making a somewhat sudden commitment to the Buckeyes. While Bosa may not have been as consistently dominating as many expected, he still showed more than enough to prove himself as one of the top defensive playmakers in the country. Named a consensus All-American for the second consecutive year, Bosa finished with 51 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, five sacks, one interception and one forced fumble for the Buckeyes.

Farrell’s take: The son of former Boston College defensive end great John Bosa was a monster in high school. He was physically imposing and had the ceiling to warrant five-star status, so we missed a bit there despite his top 50 ranking. His play this season has been uninspired at times, but other times he is simply dominant. Consistency is something he will be questioned on at the NFL level, but physically you can’t match his attributes overall.

11. DE Shaq Lawson, Clemson | Central (SC) D.W. Daniel (4-stars, 2012)

The skinny: Lawson was the No. 19 weakside defensive end and the No. 3 recruit from South Carolina in 2012 and the No. 1 Prep prospect in the country in 2013. Lawson committed to Clemson in the spring after his junior season, soon after receiving his offer from the Tigers. However, academic issues caused him to spend a prep season at Hargrave Military Academy before he finally made his way to Clemson. Lawson flourished this fall with the Tigers, especially during the second half of the season, as he finished with 59 tackles, 24.5 tackles for a loss, which led the nation, and 12.5 sacks for the Tigers.

Farrell’s take: Lawson was an absolute beast out of prep school as he began to grow into the body and skills that made him a four-star out of high school. His emergence is not a big surprise now that it's his time to shine on the Clemson defense. He's even more disruptive than his stats indicate, if that’s possible, as he has excellent pass-rushing moves but can set the edge well also. He was the best prep player in the nation in 2013 for good reason.