Fact or Fiction: Bear Alexander's transfer helps UGA the most
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman, along with Mark Passwaters from AggieYell.com and EJ Holland from TheWolverine.com, tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Bear Alexander's transfer to finish his senior season at IMG helps Georgia much more than any other school.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Alexander could definitely end up back in Georgia’s recruiting class, and now being at IMG certainly does not hurt. I’m just not sure it helps all that much. The Bulldogs and Texas A&M are battling it out for the five-star defensive lineman and he still has plenty of connections back to the state of Texas, so the Aggies clearly have some big sway in his recruitment. Many top players from IMG matriculated to Georgia after playing there, but Kellen Mond was a Texas kid who went there and then returned to his home state to play college ball. I’m not sure Alexander spending a few months in Florida is going to have a big influence on whether he ends up picking Georgia or A&M.
Spiegelman’s take: FACT. It's no coincidence that first up on Alexander's to-do list now that he's settled in at IMG Academy is to get back to Athens. Georgia has had a ton of success recruiting the elite talent in Bradenton, Fla., over the years, and Alexander, a five-star defensive tackle and one-time Bulldogs commitment, already took in the team's Week 1 victory. It doesn't hurt that the Dawgs are enjoying an impressive start to the 2021 season, not to mention his close friendship with quarterback Gunner Stockton. Texas A&M was certainly viewed as the favorite after Alexander backed off his Georgia pledge, but now that he's no longer inside the geographical boundaries of Texas, it levels the playing field in a serious way.
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2. Shemar Stewart is visiting Georgia this weekend, but Texas A&M is still very much the team to beat in his recruitment.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I’m writing this before he heads to Athens for the weekend and things can easily change because it doesn’t seem like Stewart is absolutely locked in with any school yet. But I’ve heard that the Aggies are in very good shape here and it will take a lot for that to change. Stewart loves the defensive line development in College Station and especially his growing relationship with the coaching staff there. Georgia could make a run, and I’m not counting out Ohio State, Miami and others, but A&M is in strong shape now.
Passwaters’ take: FACT. Stewart may be in Athens this weekend, but he'll be in College Station next weekend. The Aggies have invested a lot of time and effort into his recruitment, and he has a very good and still growing relationship with the coaching staff -- especially defensive ends coach Terry Price. A&M has a track record of success at the position and can offer some snaps next year with Micheal Clemons and (likely also) DeMarvin Leal leaving. All of that has the Aggies ahead of the pack right now.
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3. Dante Moore could make an argument as the best 2023 quarterback in the nation.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Arch Manning is the No. 1 player in the 2023 class for many reasons. One of those is that this summer I was told he was so good throwing at Clemson (and some other stops) that the people who saw him were convinced he’s by far the best QB in the class. Throw in the pedigree, the advanced understanding of the position and everything else, and I’m pretty comfortable with Manning as the No. 1 QB. After that, the debate is wide open. Moore could definitely be a part of that because he’s tremendously talented and an excellent leader. He, along with Malachi Nelson, Nico Iamaleava and Eli Holstein, all have special qualities.
Holland’s take: FACT. The fact that Dante Moore doesn’t get more publicity because he’s in the Midwest is a travesty. Moore has all the traits you want in a quarterback — strong arm, accurate, ability to make plays with his feet, elite mechanics, great footwork in the pocket (former soccer player), etc. On top of that, Moore is a phenomenal leader and a high character kid. The production is also there. Moore has been putting up monster numbers against quality competition, and he recently led King to a signature win over fellow Detroit powerhouse Cass Tech. Quite frankly, no argument needs to be made.