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. Trevor Lawrence is overrated.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Everyone knows I’m a Trevor Lawrence apologist, and obviously he didn’t have a good game against LSU for all the marbles. However, he is anything but overrated, as many are claiming. Keep in mind that this is the first collegiate game that Lawrence has lost and he’s already a national title winner. He struggled with overthrows and trying to fit the ball into tough windows, but in the end this will be good for him. He’ll use the criticism as fuel and come back next season stronger than ever.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Lawrence was not good on Monday night. Part of that was the fact that Derek Stingley Jr. cut off one side of the field and Lawrence only looked to throw Kristian Fulton’s way, but I wasn’t crazy about the play-calling either after some good early plays. Lawrence didn’t have a ton of time and then he had to place it perfectly too often. ESPN's Todd McShay said Lawrence would go No. 1 in this NFL Draft if he could come out. Lawrence is not overrated. No way.
2. LSU is the next dynasty in college football
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Alabama was a dynasty - at least in this day and age - and if Clemson won Monday night it would have become one as well with three titles in four years. Can LSU win a few more national titles over the next few seasons and become the next dynasty? I don’t think the Tigers can, because there are questions about whether this was just a one-off with Joe Burrow. The offensive minds are there, but can they find another quarterback who can carry them to the heights Burrow did? That’s doubtful.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. This is a tough call, because LSU is loaded at almost every position across the board, but quarterback will be a question mark next season and Burrow was hugely important to the offense’s success this season. To be a dynasty means LSU has to win a few more national titles in the coming years and the SEC West is so cutthroat. Alabama is not going away - neither is Auburn - and so it’s going to be tough for LSU to become a dynasty.
3. Derek Stingley is a generational talent at cornerback
Farrell’s take: FACT. There have been some great cornerbacks in the last decade or so, players like Patrick Peterson, Jalen Ramsey and others, but no one I have seen has impacted college football as quickly as Stingley. The fact that he was able to shut down one side of the field as a true freshman in the national title game is amazing, and this is the first cornerback I could see going No. 1 overall in the draft in many years. He’s a rarity and we had him ranked as such.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Stingley shut down his side of the field in the national title game so much that Lawrence was not even looking that way for long stretches of the game. When the ball did come his way, the former No. 1 player in the Rivals rankings didn’t give up anything. What’s even more impressive is that Elias Ricks is coming in this recruiting class and he’s also super special. He might not be as dominant as Stingley, but he's not far off, either.
