Written By: Noah Underhill
The second installment of the first RFL Top 100 is here! Make sure you let us know what you think of the list brought to you by Noah Underhill and tune in to the RFL Weekly Podcast tomorrow to talk about this list and the College Series!
90. Enrique Garrett DT Bulls Enrique Garrett came out of nowhere and became a big part of the Brooklyn Bulls’ success in the middle of their defensive line. The 29-year-old earned his spot in the line up with a 2 sack performance against the Huskies, and he never looked back. He finished the year with 11 sacks and at least one sack in each of the Bulls’ last four games. Garrett was the starting defensive tackle for the ARC in the Pro Bowl, and still not enough people are talking about him. His 38 Tackles inside to go along with those sacks make Garrett one of last year’s biggest breakouts.
89. Angel Francisco G Monarchs The Monarchs were very bad last year, but there was one spot in which they excelled. The Monarchs were in the top 3 in sacks allowed and Angel Fransisco was the primary reason why. The Staring RG in London, Francisco is an amazingly talented individual that is surprisingly athletic for his size. The 28-Year-old may be the only Monarchs player you would put your money behind, but he still shouldn’t be overlooked in the grand scheme of things. He should be in the running for the Pro Bowl for the next few years and a stable force to help develop the rest of the offense. 88. Antonio Kellum OLB Dreadnoughts Antonio Kellum is one of those veteran LBs that you would love to have in your locker room. The 32-year-old had a great season at MLB that drove the Dreadnoughts to be as good as possible. The Dreads were second in the ARC in rush yards allowed, and Kellum was a big part of that. He racked up 84 Tackles, which was second on the team only to his partner and protégé Nolan Angulo. He also grabbed 5 INTs which bailed out the subpar secondary play of his team. This might be his last great season, but he was a great player on this great team. 87. Tom Wilson QB Shamrocks Many die-hards were begging for Tom Wilson to be on this list, and here he is. This spot makes him the 11th QB in the league, and that isn’t anything to overlook. I’m sure the lancers are kicking themselves for letting Wilson walk out the door after the excellent season he had for the Shams. His 3500 yards and 20 TDs are solid, but that’s not the reason he is here. Tom Wilson racked up 954 Yards...On the ground. He also ran in 10 more TDs with his legs. I don’t think many people saw that coming, but it was incredible to watch. I think the reason he is a bit lower is that he couldn’t get the Shams back into the postseason, but the man who nearly had two 150 yard rushing performances this year has earned his spot on the Top 100. 86. Adrian Dodge MLB Monarchs I know that I said that there were no other good Monarch players but this guy is definitely a great one. Another guy that came out of nowhere, Dodge stayed under the radar because of the amount the Monarchs were shown. The UCF product put up a great stat line with 89 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 3 Forced Fumbles, 2 INTs. We all know how bad the Monarchs defense was and maybe Dodge was just able to get the stats for that reason, but I want to bet on Dodge for the future. He is only 26, so there is still room for improvement, and I can’t wait to see what happens with his future. 85. Trenton Christian SS Barons Trenton Christian is all about the big play. The 8th ranked safety had an incredible season that defied everything you would think could happen. 54 tackles is solid, but he also had 2 Forced Fumbles, 4 INTs, and an insane 3 TDs. Christian was the defense for an otherwise statistically weak defense. The 31-year-old kept the team together even if their record didn’t show that, and even though he was “replaced” by Ethan King, Christian will be on the field a lot and will continue to make those plays. 84. Robey Havner DT Cougars Robey Havner was one of the guys that I pounded on the table to get back in the league, and he made me look outstanding. Coach Roby took a chance on him, and he made him a big part of his defense. He was able to get 11 sacks, which seems to be the magic number for breakout players this year, along with 10 TFLs. The 29-year-old beefed up this top 5 RFL defense and should continue to be for the next few years.
83. Hudson Johnston TE Huskies The Huskies were amazed by the greatness that was Hudson Johnston’s rookie season. He had 20 more receptions than one of the best in the RFL, Keith Guyton. He had 102 receptions with 1018 yards and a nifty 7 TDs. His first game might have been his best when he had 8 Receptions and 110 Yards, and a TD. Johnston was given Pro Bowl honors in what seems to be the first of many awards in his young career. He is one of the young stars that will be around for a long time. 82. Tyrone Johnson OLB Elks
There was a point in last season in which the league leader in sacks was Tyrone Johnson. He has 7 sacks in the first four weeks, and it shocked a lot of people. Not many rookies have had that kind of performance, and while he did cool off a bit, he still had a great first season. He racked up 48 tackles and ended the year with 11 sacks. His season gave him a Pro Bowl nod and a lot of hype going into year two. Another productive UCF product, Johnson will be a force for the Elks defense in the year to come.
81. DuJuan Church DE Voyagers
“Big Daddy” DuJuan Church is a very large dude. At 6’7 302, Lining up against him is always a chance of being knocked down. He racked up 15 sacks and 38 tackles last season, which was enough to give him the starting RE spot in the Pro Bowl. He had six 2 sack games and was always pushing the offensive line around. Church is 27 and will be leading this Voyagers defense into the future.