Preseason Farrell 50: Nos. 21-25
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report…
With the college football season nearly upon us, 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. Today continue with 21-25 led by a former quarterback turned wide receiver.
MORE FARRELL 50: Nos. 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41 - 45 | 46-50
The skinny: Akers initially committed to Alabama before the start of his junior season, but eventually re-opened his recruitment. After trimming his list down to Florida State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Ohio State, he committed to the Seminoles over the in-state Rebels in late December. With Dalvin Cook making his move to the NFL last year, Akers grabbed his opportunity as a true freshman and rushed for 1,025 yards and seven touchdowns, plus added 16 receptions. Now that Willie Taggart is at the helm in Tallahassee, Akers should be given even more opportunities in an offense that should give the running backs the potential to shine.
Farrell’s take: Akers was a freaky talent out of high school, as evidenced by his national ranking, and there was quite a debate between Akers and Najee Harris for No. 1 running back and No. 1 overall. Akers played quarterback in high school and could do it all, but it was his ability with the ball in his hands that impressed the most. He had a great freshman season, but better things should be coming.
The skinny: Little was initially committed to Texas A&M, but re-opened his recruitment during the summer leading up to his senior season. After taking official visits to LSU, Auburn and Alabama, he committed to Ole Miss before solidifying his plans with an official visit to Oxford in late January. Little’s game progressed as expected last season, but now even more is expected from the former five-star. Will he continue to improve?
Farrell’s take: Little was a two-time participant at the Five-Star Challenge, making back-to-back solid performances in Baltimore in 2014 and 2015 and always impressed me. He’s a special prospect with light feet, the ability to re-set quickly and a nice punch. I fully expected him to be a star in college and beyond and his improvement from year one to year two at the Five-Star Challenge shows how much he learns from facing top competition. Now he’s improving year to year in college and is easily one of the top offensive linemen for this season.
The skinny: Hudson took official visits to Michigan, UCLA and Penn State before committing to the Wolverines in late January. Pittsburgh was also in the picture until the end. After making only a minimal impact in 2016, Hudson burst onto the scene last fall with 77 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, two interceptions, nine pass break-ups and two forced fumbles. Quickly becoming one of the top playmaking safeties in the country, he should continue to flourish in defensive coordinator Don Brown’s attacking style of defense.
Farrell’s take: Hudson was a high three-star athlete for us who could play many different positions in college and came on strong near the end of his senior season. His coming out party was at the annual Big 33 game well after our final ranking, where he showed he had just started to tap into his potential. He was always a great athlete. He just never stood out at one position until that Big 33 game and he has taken things to the next level since then.
The skinny: After initially committing to Michigan during Brady Hoke’s final year in Ann Arbor, Harris then flirted with in-state program Kentucky for several months before finally committing to the Crimson Tide. Harris has rushed for 2,037 yards over the last two seasons with the Tide, along with 11 touchdowns in 2017. He will likely continue to split carries this fall with several other talented backs, but look for him to be the main backfield weapon when it comes down to crunch time.
Farrell’s take: I liked Harris on film quite a bit, but the level of competition worried me until I saw him at the Under Armour All-America Game. He was thicker and stronger than I expected, his jump cut was awesome and he had vision and power. He not only held his own against the best in the country, but was dominant at times. A thick, powerful back with the speed to bounce it outside, Harris was our No. 1 running back when all was said and done for 2015. Now that he’s dropped weight and added speed, he’s simply dynamic and should be ever better this season.
The skinny: Sills' road to West Virginia was a unique one. He committed to USC at the age of 13 as a quarterback prodigy, but eventually re-opened his recruitment and signed with West Virginia. He, however, was moved to wide receiver, which led to his transfer to a junior college. After one season at El Camino C.C. he found his way back to Morgantown, where he decided to embrace his move to receiver. With the Mountaineers he became one of the biggest surprises of the 2017 college football season with a nation’s leading 18 touchdown receptions. This was especially impressive considering quarterback Will Grier missing some time with an injury. Will Sills be able to put up comparable numbers this fall when all eyes will be on him?
Farrell’s take: Sills’ journey to college stardom is an amazing one, and I can tell you with zero hesitancy that I never saw him becoming an elite wide receiver. I scouted him as a quarterback from 8th grade until his senior year, and he was a four-star prospect at that position, but he never showed the athleticism to handle any other position. Clearly, we just didn’t see it and now he’s one of the most amazing stories I’ve been a part of covering.
