Fact or Fiction: Deion Colzie is going to commit to ND again
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. Deion Colzie will recommit to Notre Dame.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Colzie makes his decision on Monday and all signs point to a recommitment to Notre Dame. His final three consists of Notre Dame, Florida and Tennessee, but by all accounts the Irish have been the most consistent and persistent in their pursuit. He has a previous comfort level with the staff and he could make an early impact. I’d be very surprised if it was anyone but Notre Dame for the four-star.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Colzie has called Notre Dame his dream school. He said academics will play a major role in his final decision. And he loves the brand of Notre Dame football. All those signs point to the fact that Colzie could re-commit to the Irish after feeling like he made his first decision too quickly and wanted to review all the schools recruiting him. After doing all that work and research, my bet is that Colzie returns to what he knew initially: That Notre Dame is the right fit for him.
2. Auburn will lose its opener to Kentucky.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. This will be a good game and should be a tight one, but those expecting an upset by Kentucky over Auburn might be disappointed. Kentucky has a dangerous offense and a great offensive line, so if they get a lead they could wear Auburn down, but I see Auburn coming out and jumping ahead and allowing a very underrated defense to hold on.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Lose? No. But this game could be close and low scoring. Kentucky is going to be a tough out in the SEC East this year, but I’m not going to bet against Auburn quarterback Bo Nix and all those returning skill players plus a defense that is going to be hungry to prove themselves this year. A favorite of a little more than a touchdown might be a touch too high for Auburn, but I still think it wins the game.
3. The #LiftTheDeadPeriod movement will work.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I wish it would. Kids should be allowed to visit and coaches should be on the road, but as hard as it was to even get football going in some areas and given we still don’t know when we are going to have Pac-12 football, I can’t see traveling either way being allowed. School administrators won’t want visitors on campus coming from all around the country and potentially infecting students and players for the purpose of recruiting. It stinks but I don’t see the NCAA relenting on this.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Like many things in the coronavirus shutdown, the first reaction is to just shut things down and figure it out later, but that has proven to be the wrong answer in almost everything and has caused devastating damage across the board. The same happened in college football until the SEC, ACC and Big 12 showed courage to figure out a way to safely play.
The NCAA could revisit this situation, especially for players who plan to sign early. It is irresponsible to expect players to sign in December without seeing schools, without meeting with professors and without doing an honest and fair assessment of all the schools recruiting them. Things can be figured out.
If the NCAA takes the appropriate steps to make it happen, it can be accomplished. If the #LiftTheDeadPeriod social media campaign can continue in earnest, it could convince the NCAA to revisit this important topic.