Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with some teams that fooled him this season, a few coaches doing a lot with a little and the impact tight ends are having on football.
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1. TEAMS THAT WILL HAVE TO EARN MY TRUST BACK
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Here are five teams that certainly fooled me this college football season, and I'm determined to not get fooled again.
1. Michigan — I believed. I knew the Wolverines wouldn’t beat Ohio State or win their division, but they were surely going to be much better this year with a new offense and a more comfortable Shea Patterson. And then I went on Twitter and picked them to handle Wisconsin and all hell broke loose. They looked like garbage, were out coached and now I don’t believe even after a dominating win over Notre Dame.
2. Wisconsin — I bought into Wisconsin after the Badgers throttled Michigan and then they go and lose to Illinois and get smoked by Ohio State. Never again. Well, at least not until they get a real quarterback to go with the running game.
3. Miami — I was sure the ‘Canes would win the ACC Coastal this season even if I didn’t believe in their quarterback play. But then again I expected Tate Martell to be the starter. They have been a massive disappointment.
4. Texas — What the heck? Tom Herman was a great hire, or so I thought. While recruiting is going well overall, the loss to TCU and a near-loss to Kansas is just embarrassing. This was a team that was supposed to take the next step and challenge Oklahoma, not trip over its own shoelaces.
5. Washington — Chris Petersen is supposed to be a genius and Jacob Eason was supposed to be the QB to lead the Huskies back to the playoff. Three losses later and they are a major disappointment.
2. COACHES THAT HAVE MAXIMIZED THEIR TALENT THIS SEASON
On the flip side, there have been a lot of teams have surprised in a positive way this season even without four- and five-star talent up and down their roster. Here are the ones that have done the most with the least.
1. Matt Rhule, Baylor — Baylor was a mess when he arrived, elite recruits were allowed to leave without penalty and recruiting was a challenge. Rhule has done an amazing job evaluating talent, overcoming negative recruiting and winning without a ton of depth. He’s a magician.
2. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota — Fleck was always known as a tireless recruiter and he’s won a few battles he likely shouldn’t have, but this is a roster loaded with two- and three-stars. And yet they are undefeated and set to win the West. That’s amazing.
3. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest — Pay attention to this guy because he’s winning at Wake Forest with a ton of recruits no other Power Five school wanted. He’s in line for a much bigger job soon.
4. Kyle Whittingham, Utah — Utah has a major recruiting disadvantage when it comes to geography yet the Utes still find players that are a great fit for what they want to do. They recruit the occasional four-star but it’s mostly twos and threes winning big games.
5. Chris Klieman, Kansas State — Kansas State has never been a recruiting juggernaut and often have to rely on JUCO prospects and scrambling out-of-state for overlooked talent. And yet here they are at 5-2 fresh off a win over Texas.
3. TIGHT ENDS MAKING AN IMPACT IN 2019
Tight ends are making a big impact on the college football landscape, which is why prospects like Arik Gilbert and Darnell Washington are so coveted in the 2020 class. Here are five guys who could impact the national title race at the position.
1. Kyle Pitts, Florida — Pitts has been a dangerous weapon for the Gators and is too big to be covered by defensive backs and too fast and athletic for linebackers. He’s a matchup problem and if the Gators make a playoff push by beating Georgia this weekend, he will have an impact.
2. Pat Freiermuth, Penn State — He’s a touchdown machine and a huge part of the Penn State offense. If the Nittany Lions are going to beat Ohio State, Freiermuth could be the key. NFL scouts are already drooling.
3. Thaddeus Moss, LSU — Don’t think LSU uses the tight end in their offense? Think again as Randy Moss’ son is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the LSU offense. He’s an athletic kid who can make a difference.
4. Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State — Why not Luke Farrell? Because Ruckert is more of a receiving threat and could have some huge catches down the stretch. He can stretch the field and will get space with all the talented wideouts on the team.
5. Grant Calcaterra, Oklahoma — The Sooners still have an outside chance to make the playoff and the return of Calcaterra could be a big part of that. The offense isn’t struggling without him, but a huge target can’t hurt especially with the attention paid to the receivers.
