Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gormey and national recruiting analyst Nick Harris along with Jason Higdon of 1standTenFlorida.com and Mark Passwaters of AggieYell.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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MORE FACT OR FICTION: Oklahoma will sign the best defensive line class in 2023
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
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1. Florida's run of high-end commits has been the biggest recruiting surprise this summer.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I’m not surprised first-year coach Billy Napier and his staff are recruiting well at Florida but after a slow start - and some nervous Gators fans - I have been taken aback at the velocity of how quickly this class has come together. In a matter of hours last week, the Gators landed three of the best defensive linemen in the country in Kelby Collins, Will Norman and Kamran James with Collins picking Florida over Alabama and others. Days before, Florida flipped four-star linebacker Jaden Robinson from South Carolina. Five-star cornerback Cormani McClain and others remain on the board as Florida's class now ranks eighth in the country. I’m not shocked Napier is doing so well but it has been a huge summer, maybe better than anyone could have expected so early.
Higdon’s take: FICTION. Coach Billy Napier has worked for some of the top recruiting head coaches in America, like Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney, so the recruiting success Florida has comes as no surprise. In addition to working for those two, he brought in some big-time recruiting coaches with Corey Raymond and Sean Spencer. Five of the last eight players to announce for the Gators are either defensive line or defensive back players. The Gators are not done and should have the No 1 defensive back and defensive line class on National Signing Day.
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2. Texas A&M is virtually guaranteed to land at least three current uncommitted five-star prospects in the 2023 class.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Texas A&M is currently No. 39 in the team recruiting rankings with only nine commits but I’m pretty sure things are going to pick up drastically and numerous five-star commits will be coming the Aggies’ way. It would be a major shock if TJ Shanahan went elsewhere, David Hicks Jr. has Texas A&M in his top two, the Aggies could be the front-runner for Hykeem Williams and Javien Toviano, while not being forthcoming about his favorites, definitely has A&M high. That’s not even considering five-star USC quarterback commit Malachi Nelson and there is a camp out there who believe the Los Alamitos, Calif., standout is very seriously considering a flip.
Passwaters’ take: FACT. The Aggies already have one five-star committed in LB Anthony Hill and are in very good shape with both offensive lineman TJ Shanahan and receiver Hykeem Williams. They're definitely in a position where they could land defensive end David Hicks and cornerback Javien Toviano as well. And then there's Malachi Nelson -- we have seen stranger things happen. A&M could end up with seven five-stars, which is very unlikely -- but three? That seems like a very good possibility.
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3. Arch Manning still deserves to be No. 1 in the 2023 class.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Rankings are based off college projection and NFL Draft potential. None of us who cover recruiting for a living are thrilled that Arch Manning has been off the grid this summer and probably won’t play in an all-star event, either, but the fact is that he’s still a fantastic talent with tremendous upside. When he threw at Clemson and Texas last summer, he was by all accounts, outstanding. Surround him with elite playmakers at Texas and Manning has all the tools - physical and mental - to be a superstar. This is not only about his name - which cannot be ignored and holds substantial weight. It’s about a prospect who has incredible talent and high-level intelligence at the position and that cannot be ignored even if he doesn’t show his face at national events. With all that being said, it’s no guarantee he ends up No. 1 in this class as there are many other players to consider as well.
Harris’ take: FICTION. The summer is used as a proving opportunity for top prospects across the country, especially quarterbacks, and not seeing Manning this summer at any national event doesn't make me feel like he "deserves" to hold onto the title. However, the physical and mental traits that Manning possesses are invaluable and it's hard to discount those when thinking about who could unseat him at the top. I think the gap between him and the No. 2 spot, which is now Dante Moore, is a lot smaller than it was the last time we did rankings, but nevertheless Manning will hold onto the top spot heading into his senior year.
