Fact or Fiction: Chase Young should have been higher than 4th in Heisman
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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1. Chase Young should have finished fourth in the Heisman voting.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. The best player in college football shouldn’t finish fourth out of four when it comes to players in New York City for the event. Yes, Joe Burrow should have won the Heisman Trophy, but Young should have finished second. We all know a defensive player won’t win the Heisman again, but it would be nice if someone so talented as Young could be the runner-up.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I have no problem with Burrow winning the Heisman Trophy because he had an incredible season and smashed records along the way but if the award goes to the best college football player, than Young should have been at least No. 2 in voting. The Ohio State superstar had more sacks by himself than 15 FBS teams including Boston College, Toledo, Northern Illinois, BYU and others. That’s just incredible and it warranted Young to be higher.
2. Jordan Burch will be the most unpredictable five-star.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Jordan Burch is hard to read but Justin Flowe could be the most unpredictable. Will he head east to Clemson? Does Clemson have room? Will he join Noah Sewell at Oregon? Or will he stay in-state and head to USC? I don’t think anyone really knows with Flowe, while Burch is very likely to end up at Georgia or Clemson. Burch is quiet while there are many sources on Flowe and we still have no clue.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Burch has gone through the recruiting process for years and we still know very little about where he’s going to end up. He could go down the road to South Carolina. Or he can head across the state to Clemson. Or he could go to Georgia after he took his final visit there this past weekend. Or he could head to LSU after the Tigers have emerged as one of his top schools. And Alabama cannot be counted out ever. No one knows. And if they say they do, they’re lying because Burch and the people around him don’t talk. Zachary Evans, Flowe and others are unpredictable but Burch is in a league of his own.
3. Oregon is the new USC in recruiting.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Mario Cristobal has it rolling and more big names are interested in Oregon than they are in USC down the stretch and it’s been that way for two cycles now. Oregon is up against it when it comes to location, but as far as the best option for big names in the Pac-12, it’s Oregon right now.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Coming off a Pac-12 championship as it prepares for the Rose Bowl, Oregon could be in the lead now for Flowe and the Ducks still have an outside shot at five-star cornerback Kelee Ringo and five-star tight end Darnell Washington. It’s because Cristobal and his staff do such an excellent job engaging elite recruits, selling the vision and then delivering on the field.
Until there is more stability with the USC coaching staff and it’s clear whether Clay Helton is the long-term answer or not, the Ducks are going to continue to load up. A lot of their playmakers on both sides of the ball come from Southern California and that’s not going to change because it works.