Fact or Fiction: Amarius Mims is top OL prospect in a decade
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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1. Amarius Mims is the top OL prospect in a decade.
Farrell’s take: FACT. This is a tough one because there have been so many good offensive linemen out of high school over the last decade, but Mims gets the nod. Laremy Tunsil was very special, Broderick Jones and Evan Neal were very impressive over the last few years and DJ Humphries was one of our highest rated prospects at OT ever, but Mims is better than all of them heading into his senior season. His combination of size, athleticism and footwork makes him a can’t miss even compared to first-rounders like Tunsil, Humphries and others.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Mims is a phenomenal prospect and he could end up as the No. 1 prospect in the 2021 class, but I cannot make the leap to him being the best offensive line prospect in a decade. That’s a step too far at least at this juncture mainly because there have been so many fantastic - and proven - offensive linemen through the years.
Farrell mentioned some above but let’s not forget Penei Sewell, who probably would have been the first OL taken in this past NFL Draft if he could have come out early. Quenton Nelson was pretty special, Tunsil was too and let’s not forget La’el Collins, either. Mims is great, but I can’t say he’s been the best in a decade yet.
2. Sam Jackson will play QB at Purdue.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Jackson isn’t big, not for a quarterback anyhow, but he can sling the rock and is good at finding passing lanes. He can also run and keep defenses off balance. Some schools were recruiting him as an athlete especially on defense, but under Jeff Brohm he will develop as a quarterback and the offense will be fun to watch.
Gorney’s take: FACT. After two commitments to Minnesota, Jackson flipped to Purdue in recent days and it was mainly because Brohm has detailed how Jackson would be used as a dual-threat quarterback in that offense and how the Boilermakers need a player just like him at the position. That was music to Jackson’s ears and he could provide a tremendous spark.
Brohm is an excellent coach of quarterbacks, Purdue needs that dynamic addition to the offense and Jackson sees an opportunity. It will be interesting to see if Notre Dame or another bigger program comes with the same message, since Jackson has shown a propensity to bounce around in his recruitment, but Purdue got a talented kid at a position of need.
3. Oklahoma State could have the best offense in the Big 12.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I love the weapons with Spencer Sanders at quarterback, Chuba Hubbard at running back and Tylan Wallace at wide receiver amongst others, but I’m not going to bet against the Oklahoma offense. Even with quarterback Spencer Rattler taking over with little experience and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb gone, OU is loaded with young talent and the offensive line should be great. This will be quite a battle though as both offenses should be dynamic.
Gorney’s take: FACT. In doing some research for this answer, I was surprised to see Oklahoma actually had three more rushing attempts than Oklahoma State last season. The Sooners also scored about 10 points more per game. But that was with Jalen Hurts and Lamb and others that are now gone.
Oklahoma State returns all of its big-time weapons and my bet is that coach Mike Gundy is going to open up the offense even more this season. Oklahoma has a ton of young talent from Rattler to Theo Wease to Trejan Bridges to Jadon Haselwood and beyond, but the Cowboys have a chance here and that offense could be really special. If not now, when?