Fact or Fiction: Aaron Chiles pulls off biggest surprise of 2024 class
Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman, national recruiting director Adam Gorney, Richie Schnyderite of HappyValleyInsider.com, Jon McNamara of BadgerBlitz.com tackle three topics and determine where they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Aaron Chiles committing to Florida was the biggest surprise of the 2024 class so far.
Friedman's take: FACT. Things are happening quickly in the recruiting world right now but thus far, Aaron Chiles and his commitment to Florida are definitely the biggest surprise of the 2024 class. Michigan was the heavy favorite for the Olney (Md.) Good Counsel star and he was expected to take his official visit to Ann Arbor next weekend but the Gators locked him in over the weekend along with a slew of other big-time prospects. Chiles-to-Florida may not remain the biggest surprise of this class when all is said and done but it sure is right now.
Gorney's take: FACT. There were some big five-star commitments that were surprises and it was definitely a big deal when Dylan Raiola backed away from his Ohio State commitment to end up at Georgia. But Chiles picking Florida over Michigan is the biggest surprise so far. There could be some big news coming on a five-star soon but as of now getting Chiles, rated No. 59 overall, to the Gators was something not many people saw happening. Florida is recruiting very well right now after having lots of top players on campus and Chiles was a huge – and unexpected – get.
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2. It's only a matter of time before Tyseer Denmark commits to Penn State.
RELATED: Rivals250 WR Tyseer Denmark decommits from Oregon
Friedman's take: FACT. Tyseer Denmark's original commitment to Oregon seemed like a bit of an odd match but he is super talented and, at the time, seemed destined for great things at the college level if he continued to progress. After a great junior season, Denmark has been keeping to himself this offseason, choosing not to participate in any events or do any visits so it's unclear what kind of player he'll look like when he hits the field again this fall. Denmark did turn up at Penn State this weekend for an official visit. The Nittany Lions always seemed like a team he liked but he never tipped his hand about wavering on his commitment to Oregon.
Schnyderite's take: FACT. Denmark visiting Penn State this past weekend all but confirmed that he will end up a Nittany Lion in my opinion. Prior to his commitment to Oregon, it sounded like Penn State was in a great spot with him but at the last minute he made the decision to verbally commit to the Ducks. However the PSU staff never stopped pushing for him to flip and since the decision, the Nittany Lions also made a change at wide receivers coach adding Marques Hagans to the staff. Despite no commits under his belt just yet, flipping Denmark and potentially adding others such as Peter Gonzalez, Josiah Brown and others could make his first season with the team a success.
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3. Wisconsin is smart to put a huge emphasis on recruiting the East region this year.
Friedman's take: FICTION. I'm going to cheat here and say the answer is mostly fiction but with a little fact mixed in. Luke Fickell and his staff are hitting the ground running and, in their first recruiting cycle at Wisconsin, they need to get players where they can. The East region, and especially the Northeast, are areas where college coaches have always been able to find key building blocks for the future but counting on this strategy long term is a mistake for a program like Wisconsin.
The East is a talent-rich region where powerhouse programs regularly come to cherry pick high-end talent without much resistance from the local teams so, while it is impressive to see the success Wisconsin has had thus far, it's not something it should count on down the road. Prioritizing the Midwest should remain the main focus on the recruiting trail.
McNamara's take: FACT. Forget the 300-mile radius Luke Fickell talked about when he was hired in November. Sure, the Badgers have put a large recruiting emphasis on Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana, but UW currently has 16 commitments from 11 different states in the 2024 class. Looking specifically at the East Coast, safeties coach Colin Hitscher has given the Badgers an immediate presence in Pennsylvania, specifically the Philadelphia area. And along the coast, offensive line coach Jack Bickell Jr. was born in New Jersey and has strong ties in Boston and New England. Those two have helped Wisconsin land Philly natives Kevin Heywood, Kahmir Prescott, as well as Colin Cubberly (New York) and Raphael Dunn (New Jersey). Gideon Ituka, a three-star back from Maryland, is also part of UW’s 2024 class, and the Badgers are heavily involved with Liam Andrews (Massachusetts), Kaj Sanders (New Jersey), Dominic Nichols (Maryland), Benedict Umeh (Connecticut), Dilin Jones (Maryland), Omillio Agard (Philadelphia) and Lloyd Irvin (Maryland) in the same cycle. Wisconsin has always recruited well in New Jersey, but expanding that territory to include the entire East region makes a ton of sense moving forward.
RELATED: Wisconsin's 2024 commitments