Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman along with Eric Lammers of ScarletandGrayReport.com and Andrew Bone of BamaInsider.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Alabama will hold off Florida and Georgia for four-star ATH Isaiah Bond.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Alabama is now the team to beat. We will see if the SEC Championship Game outcome has any significance in the way Isaiah Bond is thinking and once Billy Napier is in place and established at Florida, the Gators could make another run at him but I see the Crimson Tide ahead here. The four-star has shown a lot of interest in Alabama even through his commitment to Florida and now with things changing in Gainesville, I’d say the Crimson Tide are strong.
Bone’s take: FACT. Alabama heavily recruited Bond prior to his commitment to Florida in April. He took an official visit to Alabama in June and also attended the Tide’s season opener against Miami in Atlanta. Bond appeared solid with his commitment to the Gators until rumors started to swirl on Dan Mullen’s future in Gainesville. He attended Alabama’s final home game against Arkansas. Coach Mullen lost his job the following day. Alabama has pursued Bond for a long time and it put itself in prime position to land his commitment.
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2. Ohio State should feel pretty comfortable in getting five-star Xavier Nwankpa.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. There are a lot of rumors and a lot of unfinished business when it comes to Xavier Nwankpa but the feeling right now is that Iowa still holds a slight edge over Ohio State, which holds an edge over Notre Dame right now. The Marcus Freeman hire could change that and the Irish just had an in-home but I’m not sure that sold Nwankpa enough to move them higher. Iowa is expected to make a final pitch after the Big Ten title game calling in the big guns with coach Kirk Ferentz. There are rumors that Nwankpa is leaning toward leaving the state while others aren’t so sure. The Buckeyes are definitely in striking distance but I don’t think any of these three teams feel all that comfortable.
Lammers’ take: FICTION. Comfortable would be a bit strong though they can feel comfortable with how they have worked Nwankpa’s recruitment to this point. There is a lot of buzz going Iowa's way and as the in-state school it's not hard to understand why. However, I don't think it's a lock like some others do. By all accounts this hasn’t been an easy decision for Nwankpa to arrive at with positive factors pulling him towards each finalist. There is a certain level of pressure he feels to choose the in-state school and he has a great relationship with that staff. However, he also has great relationships with staff members and commits from his other two finalists as well. Word has it he may actually prefer to go out of state for college but there are many layers to making that type of decision.
Ohio State went in-home with coach Ryan Day this week, while Iowa kept their coaching staff off the road as they prepare for the Big Ten championship game this weekend and will shoot their final shot with coach Kirk Ferentz early next week. Notre Dame, after hiring Marcus Freeman, has a real shot that many aren’t considering, and you know Freeman will get in the home to make his pitch soon.
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3. Now with a top three of Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, the Aggies have the edge for five-star OL Kam Dewberry.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Texas A&M now has the edge in Kam Dewberry’s recruitment and his commitment could further solidify this Aggies’ class as one of the best in the country. I just don’t see Oklahoma happening with all the uncertainty there. Texas is absolutely a major player here but over the last few weeks but the Aggies have a lot of the momentum and the class Texas A&M is putting together could be one for the books.
Spiegelman’s take: FACT. With time winding down and pieces moving from Oklahoma to USC, this is shaping up to be an in-state fight featuring the Aggies and Longhorns. Texas has been the team garnering momentum down the stretch, including an OV in November, but my eyes are on Texas A&M, long-standing connections to Josh Henson and Jimbo Fisher and the momentum the Aggies have in and around Texas.
