National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with some sleeper commits in the SEC, some freshmen who are making an early impact on college football and another version of Correct Me If I’m Wrong.
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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. UNDERRATED SEC COMMITS
The highest-ranked players in any program's recruiting class typically get a lot of attention, but what about prospects who aren't getting the same attention? Here’s one for each team in the SEC.
Alabama - DB Kadarius Calloway — Calloway is a dynamic talent who was flipped from Mississippi State for a reason. Nick Saban loves him as a potential difference-maker in the secondary.
Arkansas — OL Devon Manuel — You can’t teach size and Manuel has plenty of it at 6-foot-8 and over 300 pounds.
Auburn — DE Tobechi Okoli — Okoli may be raw but he has excellent size and athleticism and he could pick things up quickly at Auburn.
Florida — QB Jalen Kitna — OK, Kitna’s numbers have been up and down, but he had the bloodlines (his father Jon started at least one game in 12 NFL seasons) and the last prospect the Gators took a shot at from Texas turned out well as Kyle Trask was vastly underrated.
Georgia — OL Jared Wilson — Wilson isn’t as highly rated as many of the UGA offensive line commits in recent years, but he can be an excellent interior lineman if he drops some bad weight.
Kentucky — DB Maxwell Hairston — Kentucky does a really good job with defensive backs, as good as anyone, and this kid has the skill set to outplay his ranking.
LSU — TE Jalen Shead — He’s an athletic tight end who can also block and could be a great complement to Arik Gilbert and others down the line.
Mississippi State — RB Amaryion Howard — In a pass-happy offense, you need someone who can catch the ball and make people miss and he can do all of that.
Missouri — OL Connor Tollison — Perhaps one of the more underrated offensive linemen in the country, I see a great career ahead of him at Mizzou.
Ole Miss — WR Cameron Brady — Ole Miss does pretty well with big and physical receivers right? This kid is college ready and could be next if he adds a bit of speed.
South Carolina — WR Sam Reynolds — Reynolds is tiny but that makes him hard to hit and he’s also going to be a problem in special teams if he can take the beating needed at the college level.
Tennessee — DT Isaac Washington — On the interior, you need guys like Washington who will do the dirty work and stuff the run and he’s already emerged as a leader in this class.
Texas A&M — DT Albert Regis — Regis is sawed off and won’t wow anyone on the hoof, but he could play that Daylon Mack role.
Vanderbilt — DE Jacques Hunter — He’s tall, long and athletic and just needs to get stronger and fill out to be an effective pass rusher.
2. TEN ELITE FRESHMEN
There will be no mid-season Farrell Freshman 15 this year because of the staggered start across the Power Five, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t true freshmen making a big impact in the ACC, SEC and Big 12 this season. And a few from the Group of Five as well. Here’s my top 10.
1. RB Tank Bigsby, Auburn — My favorite freshman by far this season, Bigsby is carrying the offense already and running decisively, which was an issue his senior season.
2. DE Myles Murphy, Clemson — As a former top-five prospect in the country, it’s no surprise to see Murphy impact, but he’s become a force even earlier than I thought he would.
3. WR Marvin Mims, Oklahoma — With four touchdowns already, Mims has become an early favorite target for Spencer Rattler and has stepped up when needed.
4. TE Arik Gilbert, LSU — Gilbert has 14 catches for 177 yards and 2 TDs through 3 games and been impressive as expected. He is a mismatch problem for everyone. He’s going to be a touchdown machine in college.
5. DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson — Bresee was our No. 1 player in the country in the 2020 class for good reason. He’s handling college offensive linemen well.
6. LB Tyler Grubbs, Louisiana Tech — He has become a leader at Louisiana Tech already and is a tackling machine at the middle FBS level.
7. LB B.J. Ojulari, LSU — Coaches raved about him early and he’s lived up to that as not only as pass rusher but someone who can diagnose plays like a veteran.
8. OL Willie Lampkin, Coastal Carolina — Coastal Carolina is undefeated and ranked and the overlooked OL has been a big reason.
9. LB Stephen Dix, Florida State — The Seminoles defense needs young defensive leaders and Nix has been an early impact guy.
10. RB Chris Tyree, Notre Dame — The speed is evident but he’s also more physical than expected. He has 235 total yards in four games as RB2 for the Irish.
3. CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG
Finally, it’s time for Correct Me If I’m Wrong...
Correct Me If I’m Wrong but there will be an upset in the Big Ten this weekend with the rust being kicked off. Maybe Minnesota over Michigan or Maryland over Northwestern?
Correct Me If I’m Wrong but Pitt DE Patrick Jones II is having the breakout season in the ACC that Greg Rousseau had last year and could be a first-rounder.
Correct Me If I’m Wrong but Cincinnati will solidify their status as the best Group of Five program with a big win over SMU.
Correct Me If I’m Wrong but Chuba Hubbard will rush for more than 200 yards against Iowa State.
Correct Me If I’m Wrong but North Carolina will rebound and beat NC State handily in an important in-state matchup with recruiting implications.
Correct Me If I’m Wrong but there is no way Jarrett Guarantano finishes the game against Alabama as the starter for the Vols.
Correct Me If I’m Wrong but Ohio State QB Justin Fields will remind everyone how good he is with five touchdowns against Nebraska.
Correct Me If I’m Wrong but LSU could be in big trouble with the NCAA based on the money given by boosters to a recruit and the antics of Odell Beckham Jr. However, the NCAA will take years to get around to any final decision.
Correct Me If I’m Wrong but it is so puzzling how quarterbacks in the SEC can look OK one game and so awful the next. This has to be lack of coaching development.