Fact or Fiction: Dan Mullen is a top-five coach
National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
HIT OR MISS: Did Rivals rank these standouts correctly in HS?
1. Korey Foreman is closer to being the next Chase Young than Jordan Burch.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Korey Foreman is the No. 1 prospect in the 2021 Rivals100 while Jordan Burch is No. 8 in the 2020 class. Both have great ceilings, but I like Burch a bit more as the next defensive end superstar in college football. They each have questions to answer regarding their motors but they are huge, athletic defensive ends with an impressive skill set. So why Burch over Foreman? I like Burch's shoulder dip and athleticism a bit better even though Foreman has an additional year to develop. Both are great and it’s an interesting debate.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Burch is special, there’s no doubt about that. But Foreman is extra special and there could be an argument that the Corona Centennial defensive end would be in the discussion for No. 1 overall in prospect the 2020 - not 2021 - class. Last summer, a trusted source told me Foreman was the best player at The Opening regardless of class. He has unreal athleticism, great power and he’s great at tracking down players and making tackles. I want to see constant relentlessness out of him, just like Young at Ohio State, but at the college level he will step up and be dominant.
2. Dan Mullen is a top five active college coach.
Farrell’s take: FACT. This started with a conversation during a newspaper interview about the Gators' class. It got me to thinking about the best recruiting head coaches and then the best true head coaches and here we are. Let’s put Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney at the top and debate the rest. Look around, think about it, and tell me you don’t come up with Dan Mullen in your top five. If you don’t, you’re wrong.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. This is a tough call because I’ve said for years Mullen is a phenomenal coach and he will get Florida in the national title conversation but I’m not even sure he’s the best coach in his own division. Saban and Swinney are in a league of their own. But I’d put Georgia coach Kirby Smart slightly ahead of Mullen and I’d give the edge to Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley as well because he’s been recruiting well and he’s one of the most innovative coaches in football. That leaves Mullen in fifth place at best and then Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Penn State’s James Franklin, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly, UCLA’s Chip Kelly, Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst, Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher and now Baylor’s Matt Rhule belong in the conversation. I’ll take the field in this debate. Mullen is great, but top-five is a little high.
3. Ole Miss now has the in-state recruiting advantage over Mississippi State.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Lane Kiffin changes things. Joe Moorhead can recruit and he can certainly point to his success at Penn State when it comes to developing players, but there are few like Kiffin on the recruiting trail. And you can bet he’s going to make it hard for schools to pull kids out of Mississippi and make it hard for the Bulldogs to win battles. Just watch.
Gorney’s take: FACT. The last few recruiting classes have been a close back-and-forth battle between Ole Miss and Mississippi State but Kiffin definitely gives the Rebels a huge edge - especially if he can win quickly in Oxford. Fans want the program to recruit like 2016 when Ole Miss landed five-stars Shea Patterson and Greg Little and high four-stars A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf and Benito Jones. That might be shooting for the stars, but the Rebels have a lot to offer and if they can win elite players in the state, then Mississippi State might be in some trouble.