Rival Views: Instant impact freshmen

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney don’t always see eye to eye. In this edition of Rival Views, the two debate which 2017 prospect will have the biggest impact this season.

MORE: Twitter Tuesday mailbag | Farrell's Three-Point Stance

I’ll go with Cam Akers at Florida State because I think he’s a special talent jumping into a good situation. Jacques Patrick is the incumbent running back, but Akers brings a different style of running to the FSU offense with more natural leverage and power. I think the duo will be hard to handle next season, and Akers could emerge as the go-to guy before too long.

Najee Harris at Alabama is an amazing talent as well, but there is much more depth at the position in Tuscaloosa. When talking about an Alabama freshman, I’ll go with Jerry Jeudy to have a big impact as he teams with Calvin Ridley. Keep an eye out for offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood as well. Lamont Wade at Penn State is guy to keep an eye on, and I also like Jaelan Phillips at UCLA to make a few freakish plays. But defensive players don’t get the same attention as the running backs and wide receivers nationally. So overall give me Akers, who probably has the best situation.

I am really looking forward to Florida State freshman running back Cam Akers and Alabama’s Najee Harris to see which one emerges as the star in college football. I think Akers will probably have more of an opportunity early, although Harris is probably the more special NFL prospect.

But the guy I’m going with here as the freshman who will thrive in college football this season is Michigan wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, a former five-star who was the top-rated prospect at his position last recruiting cycle.

There are a few things playing in Peoples-Jones’ favor: Michigan is wide open at wide receiver and the Wolverines are looking for some young, unproven players to step up this season. And Peoples-Jones is arguably already the most talented receiver on the roster.

Coach Jim Harbaugh is smart enough to see that, and he’ll probably get Peoples-Jones on the field early. There aren’t established veterans ahead of him, so this is the former five-star’s chance to shine right away in Ann Arbor.

I also think UCLA freshman defensive end Jaelan Phillips is a special talent and a freak show physically, and he can do damage for the Bruins. But my answer for this one is Peoples-Jones as Michigan looks toward young players at receiver.