National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance drops new football recruiting power rankings, looks at the top returning tacklers for next season and identifies a few programs USC QB transfer J.T. Daniels should consider.
ASK FARRELL: Will Alabama's class finish outside the top 10?
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
1. THE FARRELL INDEX - RECRUITING POWER RANKINGS
I’ve decided to make up my own power rankings for college football recruiting. Is it backed by a mathematical formula? Nope. Do people get to vote on it? Not a chance. This is all me. So here are the top-10 recruiting programs in the country based on the last few years.
Georgia — I don’t care how good anyone else is currently recruiting, Kirby Smart sets the bar these days and Georgia can't be counted out for another recruiting title.
Ohio State — Ryan Day has the Buckeyes recruiting at an even higher level than Urban Meyer did. Okay, maybe they’re even, but either way it’s impressive.
Clemson — An offer from Dabo Swinney and the Tigers is now the most coveted offer in college football recruiting and Clemson is getting super picky. This shows they can choose rather than recruit in many cases.
Alabama — Nick Saban is still the best recruiter in the business and Alabama will get theirs. Anything less than a top-five finish is considered a failure, so the bar is still high.
LSU — Ed Orgeron could always recruit but now with a national title in his pocket and coming off an amazing recruiting class, LSU can now recruit nationally.
Florida — The Gators have more interest from elite prospects than they’ve had in a long time and they are separating themselves from Miami and Florida State.
Oregon — Mario Cristobal has the Ducks recruiting at a level we haven’t seen before and their national reach is impressive. They are the “it” team in the Pac-12.
Michigan — The Wolverines are falling behind Ohio State as far as roster talent and recruiting, but they are still a national power.
Texas A&M — Jimbo Fisher has the Aggies recruiting really well. They always finish high but he has to take them up a notch.
Texas, Oklahoma — OK, naming both is a cop-out but how do you choose between the two when recruiting is so close?
2. FIVE MOST PRODUCTIVE TACKLERS RETURNING IN 2020
Defense wins championships, right? Not in college football. But you still need players who can tackle and these are the five most productive tacklers returning to the Power Five.
Jahad Woods, Washington State (141) — Woods isn’t a household name but he’s a heckuva player and is all over the field for the Cougars.
Garret Wallow, TCU (125) — The Big 12 isn’t known for defense but Wallow is an exceptional player and tackler. He’s another under-the-radar star.
Rayshard Ashby, Virginia Tech (120) — Ashby is one of the best players in the ACC and another player few have heard of.
Kuony Deng, California (119) — Colin Schooler and Hamilcar Rashed get a lot of the attention in the Pac-12, but Deng is a good one as well and little known.
Chazz Surratt, North Carolina (115) — The converted quarterback is an amazing defensive player and should be better this year.
What? Where the heck is Micah Parsons from Penn State, Paddy Fisher from Northwestern and some other big names? Parsons had 109 tackles, so he just missed the cut. Fisher had 88 tackles, which surprised me a bit. It’s not a great linebacker year next season when it comes to big names, but there will be some players that emerge in a big way.
3. EIGHT PROGRAMS THAT J.T. DANIELS SHOULD LOOK AT
J.T. Daniels might affect the college football landscape next season depending on if he gains immediate eligibility and what program he chooses. More likely than not, he’ll end up at a solid program with quarterback need. Here are a few programs he should be interested in.
Tennessee — The Vols have serious quarterback issues and Harrison Bailey is expected to be the savior, but Daniels would be a huge get if it didn’t upset the quarterback room too much.
Michigan — Jim Harbaugh recruited Daniels hard and does a good job of recruiting California, so this seems like a natural fit as the Wolverines look to upgrade after Shea Patterson.
LSU — Joe Burrow worked out pretty well, huh? LSU has Myles Brennan, but you know they’d be open to a guy like Daniels to replace Burrow.
Oklahoma — The Sooners are likely not in play here with Spencer Rattler set to emerge as the starter, but why not mention them? Their last three QB transfers — Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts — have turned out OK.
Washington — The Huskies have good depth at quarterback, but with Jacob Eason gone, a talent like Daniels would be nice to plug and play.
Penn State — This one is a bit of a stretch with Sean Clifford set to start another season, but James Franklin is a great recruiter and Daniels is a special talent.
Alabama — Mac Jones and Bryce Young are set to battle and Alabama doesn’t need quarterback help, but Tua Tagovailoa did well in Tuscaloosa coming west and it’s something they could sell to Daniels if interested.
Notre Dame — I have to mention Notre Dame because the Irish recruit California quarterbacks so well and liked Daniels a lot. But with Ian Book set to start another season this is unlikely unless Daniels is willing to sit.
