Take two: Ole Miss' issues, trouble at USC, Georgia's big miss

Take Two is back this week tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape.

Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

Storyline: Ole Miss had three first-round NFL Draft picks (and five overall), which would make one believe it was a tremendous night for the Rebels and should help recruiting efforts in many ways.

That might not be the case.

The story of the night, unfortunately, was a leaked video of former five-star Laremy Tunsil smoking out of a bong wearing a gas mask, marijuana presumably, and that saw the Ole Miss offensive tackle drop from a top-5 pick to No. 13.

Later, leaked messages showed Tunsil asking for money to pay rent. On draft night, Tunsil admitted to taking money from a coach.

Will Tunsil’s transgressions – or any subsequent investigation – curtail Ole Miss’ recruiting success? Have prospects voiced serious concerns? It might be too early to really get a grasp of it one week or so out.

First take: “It's just one guy's opinion, but from talking to prospects, I don't think Tunsil's issue on draft night will hurt Ole Miss this year and beyond. At the end of the proverbial day, Ole Miss had three early entrants go in the first round of the NFL draft, and that's what kids notice more than anything. Hugh Freeze needed to produce NFL players for his future recruiting efforts, and he did so last weekend, having five players drafted overall.

On the other hand, had the Tunsil incident not occurred, Thursday night would have been a major positive for the Ole Miss program. That was an opportunity lost forever. Serious sanctions, should they come down, would be another matter entirely. As of this point, Ole Miss officials remain optimistic any penalties won't be crippling, but there's always an uncertain atmosphere until the investigation is complete and the sanctions - whatever they are - have been handed down.” – Neal McCready, RebelGrove.com

Second take: “There might be a pause from the five-star recruits when it comes to Ole Miss because they want to see what the NCAA does. If nothing happens, nobody will care that Tunsil was smoking weed in a gas mask or asking for money or whatever. But if the NCAA does something, then you could start to see recruiting take a hit.” - National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell

Storyline: Tua Tagovailoa loved USC. He called it his dream school. It looked all but settled in his recruitment that the four-star quarterback from Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis would commit to the Trojans.

But then Tagovailoa and his parents visited the SEC and everything changed. Auburn, Ole Miss and Alabama received visits and the four-star especially fell in love with the Crimson Tide, the team he committed to earlier this week.

Two of the top prospects in the West – Tagovailoa and five-star RB Najee Harris – are now committed to the Crimson Tide. Should this be worrisome to USC, who seemingly hand-picked its recruits on the West Coast for years? Or is this a minor blip on the screen of a larger recruiting picture for the Trojans?

First take: “Any time a program like USC loses out on a big-time quarterback prospect, it’s a concern. It’s especially concerning after USC held a lead for so long, like in the case of Tagovailoa. This is definitely new territory in for the Trojans, who traditionally get their choice at quarterback every year. After USC added Max Browne in 2013, things have changed. Jalen Greene definitely wasn’t an elite quarterback in 2014. Ricky Town and Sam Darnold were clearly behind Josh Rosen in 2015. In 2016, Matt Fink was what was left after USC struck out with Shea Patterson and a few others.

“The feeling here, though, is that things will still be OK for Clay Helton and his staff. Over these past few years, USC has managed to recruit well despite difficultly finding that five-star, blue-chip quarterback. This current staff, while almost brand new, has also shown a drive to recruit. Many had written USC’s 2016 class off entirely before the Trojans surged on Signing Day and locked down a top 10 ranking. USC also has a five-star quarterback in the country committed for 2018, which eases the blow from Tagovailoa tremendously. If USC keeps Matt Corral, it might not even matter if USC signs a competent Division I quarterback in 2017.

“Right now, USC is still USC. Yes the Trojans are nearly a decade removed from their last Pac-12 crown, yes Clay Helton is unproven as a head coach and yes, USC has almost been a punch line of late with its coaching hires. But the Trojans, even with sanctions limiting their classes in many recent years, have managed to sign classes that top the Pac-12 in 12 of the past 14 seasons. That should continue to be the norm.” – Chris Swanson, TrojanSports.com

Second take: “People are blaming Clay Helton saying he’s inexperienced in recruiting and as a head coach and he can’t close and all that stuff. An Alabama visit is a different experience. They’re the best recruiting program in the country. They’re the best college football program in the country. It’s pretty easy to sell a lot of things to kids who want to win. I don’t think it’s a sign that USC is fading. There are some questions about USC this year because you see a lot of these California kids talking about leaving the state, more than I’ve ever seen since prior to Pete Carroll. This could be one of the lower-ranked classes USC has had in a while.” - Farrell

Storyline: Demetris Robertson waited, and waited, and waited and then broke the hearts of the Georgia faithful.

The five-star athlete in the 2016 class, who waited months after National Signing Day to make his final choice, picked Cal over Georgia and others.

First-year Georgia coach Kirby Smart has had his way in recruiting since arriving in Athens, landing top recruits and getting some of the nation’s best players to come there, but Robertson was a big miss.

The five-star is headed West and it does sting Georgia, which could have used his athletic ability and skills immediately on offense.

First take: “Losing Demetris Robertson was undoubtedly a blow for Georgia, as it's hard to replicate the speed he brings to any field he steps onto. While the Bulldogs were able to add the likes of speedsters Tyler Simmons and Mecole Hardman in the 2016 class, Robertson was in a class by himself when it came to being able to outrun defenders and find space. Pairing that ability with the powerful arm of Jacob Eason would have been a coup for Georgia, as well as helped Kirby Smart and company in efforts to further lock down the state. Given that Smart has won most of the recruiting battles he's engaged in since his arrival in Athens, this one stings, no doubt.

“As for why the five-star athlete chose Cal, I believe it may have to do with more with what Cal did right as opposed to what Georgia did wrong. Robertson is one of the more unique prospects in the country from a personality standpoint, as he's quiet, calm, and prides himself on artistic endeavors and academic achievements as much, if not more so, than his on-field accomplishments and accolades. From that perspective, the educational offerings and the West Coast lifestyle that the Golden Bears were able to offer were a solid fit. That Robertson chose to do his own thing is unsurprising, but that does not lessen the fact that he would have been a more than welcomed addition in Athens.” – Jake Reuse, UGASports.com

Second take: “Demetris Robertson is a big loss for Georgia. You lose a kid not only across the country, but he’s from your home state and at one time was committed to your coach. I know Smart is a defensive coach, but Robertson was essentially committed to Kirby Smart and the staff at Alabama, so there was a previous relationship there. All signs pointed to him leaning toward Georgia after a couple really good visits. He’s a thicker Terry Godwin. We’ll see how Terry Godwin does and how he’s utilized but you need more guys like that, more catch-and-run guys to bail out your quarterback. That’s something Georgia has lacked over the years, so losing another one is kind of a big blow.” - Farrell