No. 2's history: Classes 2014-15
With Wake Forest, N.C., defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence finishing at No. 2 in the class of 2016 in our final release of the Rivals100 Presented By Under Armour, he finishes as “first runner-up” to No. 1 Rashan Gary from Paramus (N.J.) Paramus Catholic. However, we have learned one thing over the years – No. 2 usually isn’t so bad.
Here’s a look at all the No. 2 prospects in Rivals.com history as Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell puts on his Judge Farrell robe and declares if No. 2 was actually better than No. 1 each year.
Today: 2014 and 2015.
2014: DE Myles Garrett -- Arlington (Texas) Martin
Da'Shawn Hand was the only player ranked ahead of Garrett in the class of 2014, while he was ahead of Leonard Fournette, Quin Blanding, Adoree' Jackson and Kyle Allen in the top 10.
Garrett had long been considered a Texas A&M lean, so when he made his commitment to the Aggies over Alabama, Florida State and Ohio State it was not seen as a surprise. Occasional rumors popped up about possible official visits to other schools, but those never materialized and he signed with the Aggies on National Signing Day despite getting pressure from many of the other top programs in the country.
Only one season into his collegiate career, Garrett is already considered a star at Texas A&M. He finished the 2014 season with 11.5 sacks, which was second in the SEC, and 14 tackles for a loss. Garrett also produced some of his top moments of the season for the biggest games, which included 11 tackles against Mississippi State and blocking a field goal against Auburn that was returned for a touchdown.
Garrett followed that up this season with 59 tackles, 11.5 sacks, one interception and an SEC leading 19.5 tackles for a loss with five forced fumbles.
Farrell’s Take: Garrett is off to an amazing start to his college career and is already projected as a top five draft pick in the 2017 draft while Hand is a backup on a loaded Alabama front four. While Hand showed signs of what’s to come in the national title game, so far Garrett has been much, much better and this is an easy choice. It’s still early, but Garrett has been the better player.
Judge Farrell: BETTER
2015: QB Josh Rosen -- Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
Byron Cowart was the only player ranked ahead of Rosen in the class of 2015, while he was ahead of Iman Marshall, Martez Ivey, Derwin James and Kahlil McKenzie.
UCLA was always considered the front runner for Rosen, even though he did take a closer look at several other top programs from coast-to-coast. One school that was thought of as a contender for Rosen was Stanford, but the Cardinal never offered. After taking a few visits, including one to Michigan only a few days before his announcement, Rosen did decide to stay local and committed to the Bruins.
As a freshman, Rosen completed 60-percent of his passes for 3,669 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Farrell’s Take: This one is obviously earlier than the Hand-Garrett comparison but the way Rosen looked as a freshman compared to Cowart’s limited playing time, this is also a no-brainer. Rosen could be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, he’s that talented, but Cowart obviously has a ton of potential as well. Time will tell but right now it’s easy.
Judge Farrell: BETTER