re: Class of 2016 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: Waiting On Demetris Robertson Edition

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@_KevinConnell: The 2013 Alabama recruiting class included 4 highly-rated RBs: Derrick Henry, Tyren Jones, Altee Tenpenny and Alvin Kamara. Only 1 is left.

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Another grassroots movement wants to make freshmen ineligible in college football and basketball, though it's unlikely to get much traction considering how impactful freshmen have become in these sports.

This list could be used as Exhibit A.

College football coaches are no longer worried about throwing first-year players into the fire and giving them immediate playing time, not if the prospects are ready to handle the burden and have the skills needed to help the team. The days of redshirting almost every freshman are long gone, though some standout players from the 2014 recruiting class didn't see the field last season for various reasons.

Here's our look at the top 25 freshmen heading into the 2015 season, factoring in their chance to start and make an instant impact. Becoming Heisman-worthy is entirely optional.

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15. Marlon Humphrey, Alabama

Position: Cornerback

Height, weight: 6'1", 192 lbs



One of the fastest players in the game, Marlon Humphrey was able to work on technique as a redshirt last season since Alabama had plenty of capable cornerbacks to turn to. While he didn't get a chance to wear a Crimson Tide uniform in football, he did don the school's track attire as a member of the record-setting 4x400-meter relay team.

Now ready to race around on defense for the Tide, Humphrey has been tabbed by Bleacher Report SEC expert Barrett Sallee as a player who's ready to "explode onto the scene in 2015."

"He's got tremendous recovery and ball skills, is good in coverage and has everything it takes to be a star—including the speed of a track star," Sallee wrote.

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9. Calvin Ridley

Position: Wide receiver

Height, weight: 6'0", 170 lbs



What was basically a one-man job last season is going to get divvied up among several this fall for Alabama, as none of the wide receivers the Crimson Tide have on the roster figures to be able to come close to matching the production that Heisman finalist Amari Cooper had in 2014. One who could come close to reaching that potential sooner than others is Calvin Ridley, the nation's top-rated wideout from the 2015 class.

While Chris Black, Robert Foster and ArDarius Stewart are looking to be Alabama's starters during spring ball, when Ridley arrives in the summer, that could change.

Ridley will be hard-pressed to match what Cooper did as a freshman in 2012 or what Julio Jones put up in his first season in 2008, but he'll still get his chances.

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