Fact or Fiction: Coach O for Coach of Year?
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: Can LSU win a recruiting title (and national title)? | Can LSU beat Bama?
1. Ed Orgeron should be the national coach of the year.
Farrell: FACT. Everyone knows how much respect I have for the job Matt Rhule is doing at Baylor, but LSU has wins over Texas and Florida and there is no way you can justify giving this mid-season nod to anyone except Orgeron. I was one of the doubters when Orgeron was given the keys to the LSU program, but he has done a great job so far and is earning the respect of everyone in the country.
The changes made on offense may not be directed by Orgeron but a great coach finds great assistants and lets them do their thing and that's what Orgeron is doing. Did I just say great coach and Ed Orgeron in the same sentence? I did. That feels odd.
Gorney: FACT. Orgeron deserves a lot of credit for unleashing the offense and being open to the idea of changing things up because it’s worked in a big way. Finally, quarterback Joe Burrow can throw the ball around to an awesome group of receivers and instead of reverting back to what LSU did in the past - slow things down and run the ball all the time - Orgeron has built on the Tigers’ early success and the offense looks better than ever.
Scoring 42 against Florida’s defense was a big surprise. But Ohio State coach Ryan Day, Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst and Penn State’s James Franklin all deserve a ton of credit as well because all three are in the top-7 with new quarterbacks.
2. The win over Georgia will help South Carolina's recruiting efforts.
Farrell: FACT. This may seem like a dumb question, but think about it. What is the most important state to the Gamecocks aside from South Carolina in recruiting? That's right, it's Georgia. And while they may not beat the Dawgs head to head for a ton of recruits even after the win, this will help them become more of a name in the state for those four-stars that are looking to get away from home and make an impact in the SEC.
Gorney: FICTION. Farrell loves to think that one big win can change the recruiting tide for a program, but I just don’t see any evidence of that. Never have I heard a kid say during his commitment that he picked a certain school because they beat another school during the season. It’s all about fit, comfort with the coaching staff and usually an ability to get on the field early.
South Carolina will win some recruiting battles because coach Will Muschamp and especially assistant Travaris Robinson can get it done, but those victories will have little to do with the game against Georgia.
3. Joe Burrow is becoming a first-round quarterback.
Farrell: FACT. I can't tell you how impressed I was watching Burrow against the Florida Gators. From his ability to go through progressions and see the field to his accuracy, he was remarkable against a very good defense. His arm strength is average, but certainly nothing that will keep NFL teams away from him and the way he reads the field and sees things open up is very impressive compared to last year. Smart quarterbacks who love to study and learn on the fly are hard to find and he's starting to make the NFL look longer.
Gorney: FACT. An argument could definitely be made that Burrow is having the best season so far of any quarterback in the country and that includes Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. That’s because Burrow has posted huge numbers against Texas and Florida and the Crimson Tide really haven’t played anybody yet - and won’t until they face LSU in November.
I can understand the argument for Tagovailoa being the first QB taken in the draft and maybe Oregon's Justin Herbert second, but Burrow or Jake Fromm? Burrow or Jacob Eason? To me, Burrow has moved right into the first-round discussion.