Hit or Miss: How we ranked these recent CFB stars in HS
Did we get it right or did we get it wrong? Each week during the college football season we will pick five players who had outstanding weeks and look at their career so far and determine if our ranking was a hit or a miss. Here are this week’s stars.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
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MORE: Hit or Miss, Oct. 9 | Farrell's overrated teams
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals100 | Position | Team | State
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Isreal Mukuamu – South Carolina
The skinny: Mukuamu initially committed to Florida State, but then re-opened the process amid the rumors of Jimbo Fisher leaving for Texas A&M. Then after taking official visits to South Carolina, Georgia, Purdue and Indiana during his senior season he committed to the Gamecocks in early December. The Gamecocks were his first offer as he began his high school career in South Carolina.
After impressing last fall in limited action with 17 tackles, two tackles for a loss and an interception, Mukuamu has become an extremely important part of the South Carolina defensive unit this fall. He more than proved this on Saturday during the Gamecocks’ stunning victory at Georgia with 11 tackles and three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Farrell’s take: MISS. I think we have a star in the making here and even though it’s early a high three-star ranking is looking too low for him. He was a long, rangy safety in high school who had the frame to grow into a linebacker but was a bit raw and lost in coverage at times. He had an amazing game on the biggest stage for the Gamecocks and this confidence will propel him further. Watch out for him, the NFL is starting to.
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Asmar Bilal – Notre Dame
The skinny: Keeping his recruitment relatively quiet, it was thought that Notre Dame and Michigan were the two favorites. When it came time to make his decision he committed to the Irish during his senior season.
After a productive 2018 season, more was expected from Bilal this fall as he was tasked with trying to replace Trevon Coney. To this point he has answered the bell for the Irish, becoming an integral part of the defensive unit. He also enjoyed his best game of the season on Saturday night against USC with 11 tackles and two tackles for a loss during the victory.
Farrell’s take: HIT. Bilal is starting to come into his own so as a four-star ranked at the bottom of the Rivals250 back in 2015, We hit this one on the head. He was a skinny, undersized linebacker with excellent speed and athleticism coming out of high school and now he’s all over the field as a bulked up, stronger player. He’s not Coney, who we liked a lot more, but he’s a very good player.
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Sage Surratt – Wake Forest
The skinny: Surratt initially committed to Harvard during his senior season, but then re-opened his process in December to take a look at a few programs closer to home. After considering Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina, Surratt committed to the Demon Deacons.
After redshirting in 2017, Surratt flashed his potential last season with 41 receptions for 581 yards and four touchdowns. This season he has taken his game to a new level, having already totaled 46 receptions for 711 yards and nine touchdowns. He continued his impressive play during Wake Forest’s first loss of the season to Louisville, with 12 receptions for 196 yards and three touchdowns.
Farrell’s take: MISS. As a huge wide receiver out of high school, we wondered if he’d grow into a tight end and worried about his speed at the next level. However, he has shown us that our two-star ranking was way off and he’s becoming one of the most dangerous weapons in the ACC. This was a kid considered an FCS player at best, so congrats to Wake for seeing through that and landing him late.
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Verone McKinley – Oregon
The skinny: McKinley committed to Oregon during the summer prior to his senior season over Washington, UCLA, Penn State and Nebraska. The departure of coach Willie Taggart caused a bit of concern for the Ducks, after he took his official visit to Eugene he remained firm with Oregon.
McKinley has begun to blossom this fall for the Ducks, who have one of the more underrated defensive units in the country. He continued his upward trend on Friday night against Colorado with five tackles and his first two interceptions of the season.
Farrell’s take: HIT. McKinley was an interesting evaluation because he wasn’t very big but he had good speed and looked great at times in coverage. However, he also lost focus at times and was beaten in camp settings. We had him as a four-star outside the Rivals250 and so far he’s playing up to that ranking.
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Clyde Edwards-Hilaire – LSU
The skinny: With offers from Vanderbilt, Tulane, Ball State and Cincinnati, Edwards-Hilaire committed to LSU after taking a visit to Baton Rouge with his family in February of his junior year. He was later offered by Oklahoma and Iowa State, but stuck with the Tigers despite a change at offensive coordinator. Edwards-Hilaire showed potential during the 2018 season with 658 yards and seven touchdowns, and followed that up with more productive performances during the first five games of the season for the Tigers. However, on Saturday, during a huge victory against Florida, he enjoyed his best game of the season with 134 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries.
Farrell’s take: HIT. Yes, he had a huge game against Florida as the Tigers surprised the Gators with some excellent run calls but overall he has played like a high three-star. He was simply too short and stocky to get a higher rating. I know there are guys like Darren Sproles and Maurice Jones-Drew, who have done well at the college and NFL level with this size but they are few and far between. I think we nailed this one.