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Farrell Midseason 50: Nos. 46-50

With the college football season a little beyond the halfway point, 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. Today, we begin with Nos. 46-50, led by three SEC defenders and a massive Big 12 back.

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

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The skinny: White left no doubt about his recruiting process by making a commitment to LSU at a Junior Day almost a year before his own National Signing Day. The LSU coaching staff did an impressive job identifying his potential early on, as Mississippi State was his only other offer at the time of his commitment. White received immediate playing time at LSU and excelled, finishing with 55 tackles and two interceptions as a true freshman. He continued to thrive during his next two seasons and surprised some by deciding to return for his senior campaign. This season he hasn’t been targeted much, but he’s been excellent in run support, is still a special teams nightmare for opponents and has one of the most exciting punt returns for a score you’ll see this year.

Farrell’s take: We saw White as an athletic lockdown corner who could also impact special teams. He's one of the five-star prospects in that loaded 2013 class that gets mentioned the least with prospects like Jalen Ramsey, Vernon Hargreaves III and Kendall Fuller all in the NFL now. White has played his way into the discussion as one of the top corners in 2017 by staying for an additional year. He played quarterback in high school, which has helped him read offenses.

The skinny: Williams committed to Alabama after a January official visit, but still decided to take additional visits to both Florida State and Miami, which caused some stress for Crimson Tide fans. However, the extra visits weren't enough to help the Seminoles and Hurricanes as he decided to stick with his commitment. At Alabama, Williams saw limited playing time during his first two seasons but began to flourish during the 2015 campaign with 18 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks. After a slow start this season, he now has seven sacks and is beginning to show how unstoppable he can be in passing situations.

Farrell’s take: Williams was a lanky, skinny kid who was an excellent pass rusher out of high school. The only thing holding him back from a higher ranking was his frame. While he's not huge by defensive end standards, he has than overcome that with his quickness off the edge. The interesting part? He was overshadowed at his school by a freshman named Dylan Moses his senior year.

The skinny: Foreman committed to Texas in June prior to his senior season along with his twin brother Armanti Foreman. Armanti was the more heavily recruited of the two by far, and had once been committed to Oklahoma, while D’Onta’s best offer aside from the Longhorns was from Missouri. Foreman is leading the Big 12 in rushing with 855 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry.

Farrell’s take: In high school, Foreman was not the beast you see crushing opponents and leading the Big 12 in rushing. In fact, he was thought to be a bit of a throw-in to secure the commitment of his brother. My how times have changed. The 6-foot, 198-pounder we had as a two-star athlete has turned into a 250-pound monster who has sneaky speed, light feet and can bowl anyone over. As a high school running back, Foreman put up monster numbers as a senior, but there were concerns about his speed and change of direction. Oops. We will look very bad on this ranking in the end.

The skinny: Hamilton was an early commitment to Alabama, but then caused some stress among Crimson Tide fans by taking official visits to UCLA and, most notably, Auburn. He actually took several visits to Auburn during the fall, but when it came time to put pen to paper, he signed with the Crimson Tide. Hamilton began to emerge last season, but has truly hit his stride in 2016. Now with 40 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks, he has quickly become yet another important cog in Alabama’s elite defense.

Farrell’s take: Hamilton was a Rivals100 prospect who was not only a good downhill gap filler and tackler but was also good in coverage. We liked his instincts quite a bit and the way he flowed to the ball, and he’s showing all of that now in college. Hamilton is one of the most underrated defenders on the nation’s best team. His tackling ability is up there with most linebackers in the country, which is not a surprise to us at all.

The skinny: Ross took official visits to Washington, Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA before committing to the Huskies after the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl. After failing to reach his potential during the early part of his Washington career, and then missing the 2015 season due to a knee injury, Ross has made a highlight tape worth of big plays this fall. Totaling 486 yards and an extremely impressive nine touchdowns on 34 receptions, plus adding a rushing touchdown and returning a kickoff for another score, Ross is a legitimate threat to score every time the ball is in his hands.

Farrell’s take: A small but electric receiver out of high school, Ross was a high three-star and national top 70 wide receiver his senior season. We had questions about his size and catch radius. We thought he’d be a great fit with Troy Williams, who he played 7-on-7 with out of high school, but now he has hooked up well with Jake Browning as Williams is off at Utah. Ross is hard to cover in space and his special teams play was always something to keep an eye on. He’s earning the attention of NFL scouts for his speed.

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