Farrell Postseason 50: Nos. 31-35
With the college football regular season over and bowl games underway, it’s time for the final installment of the Farrell 50, National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell's ranking of the nation's top 50 college football players for 2016.
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.
The countdown continues with Nos. 31-35, led by three elite defensive backs.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
Farrell postseason 50: Nos. 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50
The skinny: 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. Despite not seeing many balls thrown his way, he still finished the 2016 season with 32 tackles, two tackles for a loss, three interceptions, one sack, one fumble recovery and five pass break-ups.
Farrell’s take: The Honey Badger? That’s what I first thought 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 thing 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: Price committed and signed with Ohio State after taking official visits to both Columbus and Iowa, but Pitt was really the school that challenged the Buckeyes the most. And he never played a down for Ohio State. Price was released from his from his scholarship after various resignations and investigations at Ohio State, which led to his transfer to Pittsburgh. Somewhat under the radar last season, Price finished with 19.5 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks. This fall, he has proven his performance was not a fluke, as he finished with 42 tackles, 21 tackles for a loss, 12 sacks and three forced fumbles.
Farrell’s take: Price has gone from a sawed off inside linebacker prospect in 2011 who had committed to Ohio State to a sawed off sack machine at defensive end for Pitt in 2016. He was always an excellent pass rusher and made a ton of tackles, but he was a low three-star prospect because he didn’t have much length and was closer to 5-foot-11 than he was 6-foot. It might have been the best thing for him that he ended up at Pitt because I can’t see Ohio State giving him as chance along the defensive line with his size. Now he’s one of the toughest pass rushers in the nation and his natural leverage works for him in a big way. He had another great season for the Panthers despite being targeted more than ever.
The skinny: Robinson's recruiting process was an Alabama-LSU battle from start to finish. With Alabama coach Nick Saban making Robinson a recruiting priority, he committed to the Crimson Tide early during his senior season. After paving the way during Derrick Henry’s Heisman Trophy winning season in 2015, even more was expected out of Robinson this fall. While he experienced some struggles early on, he rebounded and once again played like one of the better offensive linemen in the country by October and November.
Farrell’s take: Robinson is an elite talent and we saw that in high school as evidenced by his lofty ranking. The fact that he's in the discussion for best offensive tackle in the country is not a surprise, but I’m still impressed by how quickly he adapted to college football because he was so raw in high school when it came to technique. He is a very good run-blocker and his pass protection has improved steadily. Robinson was much better at the end of the season and more consistent.
The skinny: Adams came down to LSU, Florida and Ole Miss, after taking official visits to each of the three schools. Despite a strong relationship with Hugh Freeze at Ole Miss and having his godfather, Joker Phillips, as an assistant at Florida, Adams committed to LSU at the 2014 Under Armour All-America Game. He entered the 2016 season regarded as one of the top safeties in the country, and he continued to play like that this fall with 70 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, one interception, one fumble recovery, one forced fumble and three pass break-ups.
Farrell’s take: Many felt Adams would head to Florida even leading up to his announcement and the Tigers are thrilled they kept him closer to home. Adams was one of the most active safeties you’ll ever see on a high school football field. He was fearless in run support and loved to make receivers pay for coming into his area. Adams also had excellent ball skills at the prep level. The only thing that held him back from a fifth star was his lack of length, but he has overcome that with amazing instincts. I can still hear his constant chatter and smack talk from our Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Presented by Under Armour in Chicago as Adams certainly doesn’t lack for confidence.
The skinny: McFadden only took one official visit to Florida State, so while Georgia and LSU were also in his top three, it was the Seminoles who pulled in his commitment in late October. After receiving minimal playing time as a freshman last season, McFadden really stepped his game up this fall. He finished his debut campaign with 17 tackles, three tackles for a loss and a NCAA-leading eight interceptions. McFadden could be the next great defensive back to come through Tallahassee.
Farrell’s take: A controversial five-star on Rivals as many questioned our ranking. McFadden was a tall kid who could have projected at safety as well. While he did get beat at times deep, he had the length, speed and hips to be special. After a slow start to the season, he came on and started to be more consistent in coverage. Almost everyone had him as a five-star at the end of the 2015 recruiting cycle, but we had him ranked higher at cornerback than anyone else.
