National recruiting director Adam Gorney and South-Central analyst Sam Spiegelman along with Michael Langston from Warchant.com and Josh McCuistion of SoonerScoop.com tackle three topics in recruiting and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
*****
RELATED: Roundtable on 2023 class
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals100
RIVALS TRANSFER TRACKER: Stories/coverage | Message board
RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info/coverage on 2021 camp series
*****
1. History is on the side of LSU to land No. 1 in-state prospects. That means Arch Manning will end up with the Tigers, too.
Gorney’s take: FACT. For an entire decade dating back to the 2012 class, every single No. 1 prospect in the state of Louisiana signed with LSU. Many of them hemmed and hawed and took visits and played the recruiting game but, in the end, they all ended up with the Tigers. Arch Manning definitely provides different challenges, he’s not locked into one program like so many from the state of Louisiana and Alabama, Clemson and others are going to recruit him hard. Going to Ole Miss and Tennessee, despite the family connections, I just don’t see happening at this point. If there are no off-the-field concerns for LSU, then the Tigers are going to be tough to beat. I could see Alabama, I could see Clemson, maybe even Texas, but I still feel like LSU holds an edge.
Spiegelman’s take: FICTION. Ed Orgeron has done a fantastic job of keeping the best prospects in Louisiana, but Manning will be his toughest test yet. Like other five-stars from The Boot, LSU is very much in the thick of the conversation for Manning, but there is hefty competition from several other SEC programs - namely Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Georgia - as well as Clemson, Texas and Virginia, among others. Manning has maintained a wide-open approach in his recruitment thus far and has really only visited the campuses at LSU, Ole Miss and Virginia. That will change in June as he gets out to different campuses across the country, including LSU. From there, we should have a better gauge of where LSU stands in Manning’s pecking order, but I expect the Tigers to have a metaphorical cap on the table all the way until the end for Manning. If they can hold off Ole Miss, Clemson and Alabama, however, remains to be determined at this stage.
*****
2. Gavin Sawchuk and Raleek Brown will both end up at Oklahoma.
Gorney’s take: FACT. This one is tough because Raleek Brown is happily committed but he is planning to take all five official visits and a lot of top prospects from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei end up at USC. But he’s originally from Northern California and does his own thing and so I think he sticks with the Sooners. Gavin Sawchuk has said numerous times he doesn’t mind another running back in the class and it’s not going to influence his decision plus he loves the Oklahoma staff and feels like a priority. Lots of other programs are involved including USC, Stanford, Notre Dame, Michigan and others but I think his heart is at Oklahoma and Sawchuk sees joining Brown as a dynamic duo in that backfield.
McCuistion’s take: FACT. I won't pretend it's a fact that I have a lot of conviction about but it is something that I think has been trending since last summer. And what a lot of people might point to the idea that both being so highly ranked and being speed backs could hurt Oklahoma's chances. I think the bigger thing to focus on is the reality that Oklahoma has plans to use them in very different ways and feels that they can get enough touches for both players to work with and what they're doing as they see Brown as more of a do-it-all type of player that is going to line up some at receiver, some at running back and will be used in a lot of different ways in a lot of different formations.
With Brown there is always the lingering concern about him wanting to stay closer to home but I think he has been very gung-ho about Oklahoma's plans for him since very early in his high school career and I think that's something Oklahoma can continue to sell him on and gives them hope of closing the deal come Signing Day.
*****
3. Florida State has surged to the top for four-star RB Jaylon Glover.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I’d be very surprised if Jaylon Glover doesn’t end up at Florida State and I could even see a commitment coming out of the weekend when he visits for the spring game. The visitor list for that event is incredible as coach Mike Norvell and his staff really start to build some recruiting momentum in Tallahassee. It’s really a who’s-who list of top prospects in the region and beyond, his teammate Sam McCall is already committed and he has other friends on the team. This one just makes too much sense.
Langston’s take: FACT. Hard to ignore the tea leaves in this one when you consider the connections to Florida State with his close friend Brendan Gant there, along with DB Sam McCall committed. Not to mention he has already visited Florida State a few times and he's set to return again for the huge event that is the Seminoles' spring game. Georgia Tech is also high on his list but the ‘Noles look like the clear favorite at this stage. Glover raves about what Norvell is doing with the program and it's also apparent Glover is a major priority to this Florida State staff.
