National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with some true freshmen that just missed the cut for the Freshman 15, a ranking of the most powerful prospects in the 2021 class and a look at the next great short quarterbacks in college football.
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FACT OR FICTION: Myles Brennan will fail trying to fill Joe Burrow's shoes
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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1. FRESHMEN THAT JUST MISSED THE CUT
Last week, I put out my Farrell Freshman 15, ranking the top true freshmen in college football this season. Even without the Big Ten scheduled to play at the time and the Pac-12 not playing, it was difficult to limit it to 15. Here are some ACC, Big 12 and SEC freshmen who just missed the cut. I will look at the Big Ten as its season gets closer.
LB William Anderson, Alabama — Named a starter already. the former five-star looks like he will have an amazing career at Alabama as a hybrid pass rusher.
DE B.J. Ojulari, LSU — Ojulari is a hybrid similar to Anderson and will make some key plays in the backfield this season as LSU tries to replace K’Lavon Chaisson.
WR Jordan Addison, Pitt — Addison is already one of the most dangerous players on the Pitt offense and just missed the initial cut of 15. He already has 14 catches and a TD in two games.
WR Josh Downs, North Carolina — Give him some time and he will be heavily involved in this offense down the line as an elite slot receiver.
CB Elias Ricks, LSU — Ricks is too talented not to see time this season and could eventually pair with Derek Stingley Jr. as a permanent starter.
DL Alfred Collins, Texas — The massive tackle already has a tackle for a loss and a sack to his credit and he’s showing he’ll be hard to move.
WR Lawrence Arnold, Kansas — It will take a few games, but Arnold should be a big part of this offense despite a tipped pass that led to an interception. He’ll bounce back and Kansas needs him.
WR Jordan Johnson, Notre Dame — He hasn’t emerged yet and Notre Dame is run-heavy, but when the Irish need outside threats he has to be given a chance.
RB Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State — Vaughn already has 12 carries and one catch in one game of action and will be counted on not only in the run game but as a receiver as well.
WR Justin Robinson, Georgia — Marcus Rosemy gets most of the attention but watch out for this guy who has turned heads since he arrived.
DL Jordan Burch, South Carolina — Despite missing some time in practice, Burch is far too talented and versatile to avoid an impact this season. He’s going to see a lot of action.
2. THE TEN MOST POWERFUL PROSPECTS IN THE 2021 CLASS
Speed kills, but what about power? These are the 2021 prospects that play with the most physical force.
1. OG Bryce Foster — Foster is as nasty as they come and could dominate as a tackle or guard. He is great using leverage and finishes every block. I still have him pegged for Oklahoma.
2. OT JC Latham — Latham is still learning the position but as a former defensive player he has that physical edge and anger to his game. He’s going to be the next star tackle at Alabama.
3. OT Landon Tengwall — Tengwall is a beast who, like Foster, could play tackle or guard at Penn State. He loves to flatten people.
4. LB Aaron Willis — Just watch Willis play and picture what kind of hits he will bring to the Vols' defense. He’s beyond aggressive.
5. DT Maason Smith — Smith can beat you with speed but can also overpower you with ease. His bull rush is nasty.
6. OG Rocco Spindler — Spindler loves to mix it up and won’t quit until his man is out of the play or on the ground.
7. DE Tyreak Sapp — Sapp plays with natural leverage and is still raw, which is why his power stands out so much.
8. DT Leonard Taylor — Taylor is right up there with Smith when it comes to powerful and elite defensive tackles who can push the pocket.
9. OT Amarius Mims — Mims has developed into a pancake machine and has become much more physical. That's scary.
10. OT Blake Fisher — Fisher has added athleticism but kept his nasty streak as we saw this summer.
3. THE NEXT CROP OF 'TOO SMALL' QUARTERBACKS
Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray are tearing up the NFL and players like Johnny Manziel dominated at the college level. What did they have in common? They were all “too small.” But the game has changed and here is the next group of “too small” quarterbacks in college football.
1. D’Eriq King, Miami — King has improved as a passer and is dynamic as a runner and the NFL is noticing.
2. Dillon Gabriel, UCF — Gabriel is thick but he’s not tall and the lefty had been considered undersized. Now he’s putting up monster numbers.
3. Sam Howell, North Carolina — Howell isn’t ideal size but he’s already on his way to breaking records at North Carolina. He has already broken out.
4. Bryce Young, Alabama — I thought he was undersized at first and then he just kept getting better and better. He should probably be first on this list, but he hasn’t thrown a pass yet.
5. Caleb Williams, Oklahoma — Williams is a year away from college but he’s likely to be the next Baker Mayfield or Murray at Oklahoma.
6. Sam Huard, Washington — The smooth lefty needs to fill out quite a bit but he reminds me of Tua Tagovailoa who was also a bit short coming out of high school.
7. Gunner Stockton, South Carolina — Stockton is stocky and thick. He’s not as tall as you’d like but it doesn’t appear to matter.