National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
MORE FACT OR FICTION: Zachary Evans will end up at Texas A&M | Baylor, Miss. State signees should be allowed to transfer
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
1. Chase Brice would be solution at QB for GeorgiaÂ
Farrell’s take: FICTION. The rumors about former four star QB Chase Brice transferring to Georgia with Jake Fromm departing are starting and the former in-state signal caller would be a nice fit. However, I don’t think Brice is a guy who can win you games based on the limited playing time I’ve seen at Clemson. He’s a game manager and he’ll have success at Georgia if he goes there, but there will be a big drop-off from Fromm.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I don’t know if there is any truth to rumors that Brice could wind up at Georgia, but I don’t think he would be the top target as Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman, Stanford’s K.J. Costello, Houston’s D’Eriq King and others are looking for a new home as well. Georgia’s offense needs a spark and Brice would be more of the same that it had with Fromm, but not as talented. Newman would be really interesting and should be the focus of Georgia’s efforts now.
2. Ohio State is a massive threat in the state of Texas.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Donovan Jackson is the latest commitment for the Buckeyes from Texas and he joins players such as Jeffery Okudah, JK Dobbins, JT Barrett and others as key pickups from the Lone Star State. Urban Meyer started this with his national recruiting approach and Ryan Day is continuing it. This hurts the Longhorns and others trying to keep players home. The Buckeyes continue to prove they can go anywhere, and especially Texas, with their recruiting efforts. This is what separates them from Michigan and others.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Ohio State and Alabama have done as good a job recruiting the state of Texas in recent recruiting cycles as any other team - including the ones in-state. You want to know why the Longhorns have been average for so many years and have one 10-win season in a decade? It’s because Texas A&M has dominated in-state recruiting the last two cycles and could further push forward with the signing of five-star RB Zachary Evans.
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have come in and stolen elite talent, including Okudah, Dobbins, Garrett Wilson and others. The Crimson Tide have come for Jaylen Waddle, and Oklahoma has gotten CeeDee Lamb, Theo Wease, Trejan Bridges and others from the state. Texas has a hard time getting elite, local talent to play in Austin and that’s hard to believe.
3. Gators' recruiting is picking up
Farrell’s take: FACT. Brashard Smith is the latest four-star from the class of 2021 to jump on board for Dan Mullen, and players like Tyreak Sapp have recently shown they are deserving of a bump in the rankings. With Miami a mess and Florida State in transition, the Gators are certainly the talk of Florida right now for recruits.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Mullen is doing an excellent job in Gainesville because he’s a phenomenal coach and recruiting has ticked up slightly, but there is still a major issue in the state of Florida: Too many top players are headed elsewhere. Elias Ricks is going to LSU. Three of the top-five players are going to Clemson. Georgia gets in there far too often for elite talent. Yes, the Gators are probably going to get four-star safety Avantae Williams, and yes, Florida State and Miami are a mess, but to enter that elite status to play for SEC championships and get to the College Football Playoff, Florida has more work to do in closing the borders.
