Rivals national recruiting analyst Cole Patterson is joined by national recruiting director Adam Gorney, Jack Byers of BulldogBlitz.com and Jason Suchomel of Orangebloods.com to tackle three recruiting topics in the Mid-South region.
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1. The hire of offensive-minded Jeff Lebby is enough for Mississippi State to land Braylon Burnside over Ole Miss.
Patterson: FACT. Braylon Burnside was committed to Mississippi State for months before backing off that decision and re-opening his recruitment after the miserable season that the Bulldogs had on offense. Now with a fresh face in the program, MSU has some new life. Jeff Lebby is no stranger to producing elite offenses and he’s already making Burnside, a Starkville native, a priority on the trail. Ole Miss remains a threat with Lane Kiffin looking to strike but I favor the Bulldogs here.
Byers: FACT. Burnside’s recruitment will certainly be a battle until signing day, but Mississippi State helped itself with the hiring of Lebby. Burnside decommitted from the Bulldogs due to their lack of offensive success this season. With Lebby’s track record of production from the wide receiver position, Mississippi State is in a much better spot for the hometown product.
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2. Colin Simmons should remain as the No. 1 prospect in Texas in the next Rivals rankings update.
Patterson: FICTION. But it’s close. Colin Simmons is one of the elite defensive prospects in the nation as he’s starting for Texas powerhouse Duncanville. Simmons is great off the edge in generating quarterback pressures and sacks while playing a very valuable position. With that said, Micah Hudson has also had a stellar senior campaign at receiver. He’s getting open with ease and looking every bit of a game-changing wideout on the next level. DJ Lagway is also worth mentioning in the conversation after the final campaign that he enjoyed on the prep level. Simmons has a strong case to remain No. 1 but others have arguments, too.
Gorney: FACT. Simmons should stay as the No. 1 player in the Texas state rankings but it's getting much closer. The Texas commit is an elite athlete off the edge and so disruptive in the backfield - the perfect prospect for what defenses are looking for in 2023 - but Texas Tech receiver commit Micah Hudson is a phenomenal prospect and Florida QB commit DJ Lagway was so special this season that he cannot be ignored, either. The final evaluation will be during the all-star events and that will be super important but Simmons should still hold the edge now because he's been elite for so long and he's been unstoppable off the edge.
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3. Texas will flip four-star safety Xavier Filsaime from Florida.
Patterson: FICTION. Another close call. Xavier Filsaime has been a core member of Florida’s recruiting class since he committed to the Gators back in the spring. He has family ties to the state, has visited multiple times for games and knows he’s a priority for Billy Napier and staff. But, Steve Sarkisian and Texas are making a serious push ahead of the upcoming early signing period, even getting him on campus in late November. I do think a flip could be in store but I don’t think it’s a done deal just yet, which is why I very slightly lean fiction for the time being. That could change if Filsaime does end up taking an official visit later this month. Sources close to the recruitment have told Rivals that Filsaime is still weighing his options and wants to see who Napier brings in to coach the secondary before making any kind of decision. Regardless, this recruitment will more than likely go all the way down to the wire.
Suchomel: FACT. I'll admit that I don't have a great read on what Xavier Filsaime will do in the end. It seems like there's a lot of back and forth in that one where at one moment, it felt like Texas was surging, only to have Florida solidify its position with a visit last weekend, then Texas again gain some momentum with the shake-up in the Gators' coaching staff. For Texas to flip Filsaime, the Longhorns will need to get him on campus for an official visit. As of right now, that's still undecided, but I do expect a visit to happen because it makes too much sense. Filsaime can visit UT to cover his bases while waiting to see who Florida hires as its secondary coach, and then make an informed decision. Ultimately, I think the trajectory of the two programs makes a difference and Texas does get the flip.
