Farrell 50: Preseason player countdown begins
With the college football season nearly upon us, it’s time for another installment of the Farrell 50, the top 50 college football players in the country. However, as usual here at Rivals.com, we take a quick look at how each ranked out of high school and if they are exceeding or simply living up to expectations.
We are unveiling five per day leading into the start of the college football season.
Today we start off with Nos. 46-50 and begin with a big-time playmaker from Louisville.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
The Skinny: Having offers from the majority of the Big 12, Fields surprised some with an early commitment to TCU. Despite efforts from several other programs, Fields stayed firm with his pledge and signed with the Horned Frogs. Fields had a huge true freshman season, with 18.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, before injuries slowed him down in 2013. Bigger problems arose for Fields in 2014 as allegations of domestic violence led to his dismissal from TCU. After a season at Trinity Community College, Fields found a new home at Louisville where he had a big first season with 63 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. Now entering his final collegiate season, even more will be expected out of Fields this fall.
Farrell’s Take: Fields was a four-star both out of high school and out of JUCO, but he was obviously much more physically polished coming out of the latter. As a high school prospect he wasn’t that long but he was explosive and powerful. An Under Armour All-American, he was one of the big-time prospects that helped TCU begin to gain national attention and compete with Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma for recruits. Louisville has been a good second-chance school for many recruits.
The Skinny: Baker originally committed to Oregon, but after re-opening his recruitment in December, his process became a two-horse race between Washington and UCLA. Following official visits to both schools in late January, Baker finally committed to the Huskies on National Signing Day. Baker has started for the Huskies since day one, finishing his freshman season with 80 tackles and seven pass breakups. He followed that up last season with 49 tackles, nine pass breakups and two interceptions during his sophomore season. Gaining more than 15 pounds of good weight in the offseason, Baker is set to become one of the top safeties in the country this season.
Farrell’s Take: I loved Baker out of high school for many reasons. The first was his fearlessness and willing to simply smack bigger guys as an undersized safety. He could have played wide receiver as well and planned to do so at Oregon, so the ball skills were there. This was a kid who would destroy you on the field but you knew he was going to stay close to home because he is so tight with his mom. I was surprised when she signed off on Oregon, but it made total sense when he ended up at Washington.
The Skinny: Believing that his childhood favorite, Ohio State, would not be offering, Elflein named a top three of Northwestern, Purdue and Cincinnati during the summer leading up to his senior season. However, the Buckeyes eventually did offer and Elflein quickly ended his process with a commitment. In Columbus, Elflein redshirted as a freshman and saw limited action as a sophomore before starting all 15 games during the 2014 national championship season. His progression continued in 2015, when he was named first-team all-Big Ten. Now the anchor of the Ohio State offensive line, he will be depended on to lead by example in 2016.
Farrell’s Take: Elfein was not a heavily recruited kid because he didn’t have great feet, wasn’t a natural or great athlete and needed some bulk. His success is a great example of a kid buying into a program, getting better through competition and having that brawler mentality combined with smarts on the field. In a loaded 2012 class for the Buckeyes he was the lowest-ranked guy. Hard work has allowed him to rise to the status as one of the top offensive linemen in the country.
The Skinny: Blanding, who had offers from a majority of the top programs in the country by the end of his sophomore season, always held the in-state Virginia Cavaliers in high regard. Realizing early on that Charlottesville was the place for him, Blanding decided not to drag out his process and committed to the Cavaliers almost a year before his National Signing Day. Blanding had a huge true freshman season and followed it up with another productive sophomore season. Now considered as an undeniable leader on the team, both on and off the field, big things are expected out of Blanding this fall.
Farrell’s Take: Blanding was a stud from the beginning but it took until the summer before his senior season for me to be fully convinced he was a five-star and I’m glad I fell in line. He reminds me of Keenan Allen in many ways, a fluid athlete who could have played offense or defense out of high school. Unlike Allen, Blanding chose defense. I remember seeing him in a game his senior year when his team was getting destroyed by Bucky Hodges and Co., and he was making tackles all over the field anyhow and taking on Hodges, a massive quarterback at the time, head-to-head in the hole. Blanding has always been a special talent.
The Skinny: Dobbs committed to Arizona State during the summer leading up to his senior season, but always seemed to keep the door partially open for other suitors. After taking his official visit to Tempe in mid-January, Dobbs took an official visit to Tennessee the following weekend. This led to his flip to the Vols on National Signing Day, which caught many people, including the Sun Devils' coaching staff, by surprise. Dobbs showed flashes of his potential during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, but really began to hit his stride as a junior. It will be interesting to see if he will continue to progress this fall.
Farrell’s Take: Dobbs, who has outplayed his ranking, was a high three-star quarterback out of high school for a few reasons. First, he was skinny and had a skinny frame. He was listed at 190 pounds but he looked closer to 175 on his tall frame. His on-field decision making was questionable as well. That stood out to me at the Elite 11 heading into his junior year. During his junior and senior seasons, he threw 26 interceptions. I remember ranking the QBs out at that Elite 11 and he came in right in the middle, but the kid was smart. When he told me he wanted to work for NASA I also thought his football focus might not be as sharp as some others. He has proven our ranking wrong, especially last season.
