National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
FACT OR FICTION: Oregon should be a preseason top 10 team
1. The Gators are clearly the hot team in Florida.
Farrell’s take: FACT. We just had our two camps in Florida and prospects from all over the state mention the Gators more than they do Florida State or Miami and it makes sense. The Gators are winning, they have stability at the head coaching position and the SEC is always a lure. Florida State has something to prove under a new coach and Miami was a disaster last year when much was expected. Florida is hot.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Florida is the hot team right now in the state, but Miami and Florida State both have opportunities. A lot of 2021 prospects live only miles from the Miami campus and Florida State has a new coach in Mike Norvell who make spark the program's on-field performance.
The Gators already have a pledge from five-star defensive end Tyreak Sapp but Corey Collier, Jacorey Brooks, Mario Williams, James Williams, Terrence Lewis and Jason Marshall all live down the road from Miami’s campus. That’s a massive opportunity and if coach Manny Diaz can’t close on some of those guys then it’s a major problem.
Florida is hot now, but the others will have a huge chance come the season.
2. Clemson is now the 'it' offer.
Farrell’s take: FACT. What is the 'it' offer? To me it’s the offer that recruits covet the most and over the years it has changed. When I first started covering recruiting 20-plus years ago, it was Miami. Then it became USC under Pete Carroll and then switched to Alabama when Nick Saban had things rolling. Now, to me, it’s Clemson because they are being very careful with committable offers and top rated recruits seem to get most excited by an offer from Dabo Swinney.
Gorney’s take: FACT. It’s definitely Clemson. Prospects get that offer, they visit and they commit. Then there is no drama, no other visits, no messing around. There is something almost magical about visiting Clemson for a lot of prospects and they really shut their recruitments down and don’t even think about other schools after it. That’s definitely the 'it' offer. However, Alabama remains very special and LSU is almost getting into that realm as well of kids taking a trip there, committing and then not really playing games over the remainder of their recruitment.
3. Caleb Williams is a better QB prospect than Bryce Young or DJ Uiagalelei.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I’ve been comparing the top players from 2019 to the 2020 class, so it go me thinking about the 2021 class and the top quarterback Caleb Williams. I like Williams a ton and by the end of this cycle, he could be the No. 1 prospect in the country and surpass Bryce Young and D.J. Uiagalelei, but right now I like the 2020 pair a little better. Young lacks great size but he has amazing pocket presence and accuracy, while Uiagalelei has impressive size, arm strength and surprising mobility. Williams is on his way, but give him more time.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I like Williams a lot and he has special dual-threat abilities, but Young was so unbelievably good in his senior season and Uiagalelei has such incredible physical attributes I’m still going to side with them.
A lot of Williams’ game is creating when the pocket breaks down and that’s fine, but can he sit back there and make tough throws all over the field and not look to run so quickly sometimes? That’s something Young improved on from his junior to senior seasons and made him extra special. Williams is really, really good but he hasn’t answered the bell like Young and Uiagalelei did during their high school careers yet, so I still give those two the edge.
