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 FACT OR FICTION: Auburn's place in SEC; Texas A&M's slow start
Jacob Eason is a first-round talent.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Let's not forget how talented Jacob Eason is despite all the attention being paid to guys such as Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jake Fromm and others. Eason has the size and arm strength that the NFL covets and he's playing at a high level this year. Would you rather have Eason or take a flier on Jalen Hurts? To me I'd take Eason despite his lack of great mobility. This kid was successful at Georgia before injury lost him the job to Fromm and now he's doing well at Washington. He's the real deal.
Gorney’s take: FACT. The first-round quarterback board is pretty crowded already with Tagovailoa, Herbert and Fromm along with possibly Oklahoma’s Hurts entering the fray but Eason might have the most arm talent of them all. The former five-star was awesome in Washington’s win over USC this past weekend, he has such a strong arm, the ball comes out so easily and he has terrific accuracy. Without a loaded group of receivers this year, Eason has 1,243 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and two picks this season. Eason is great and I definitely think he’s a first-rounder.
Florida is the most overrated team in the top 10.
Farrell’s take: FACT. This is a tough one because many would say Notre Dame or even Clemson or perhaps Auburn. We'll find out this weekend as the Gators take on Auburn but right now I think the Gators have the most weaknesses of any top 10 team. The defense is solid but the offense, especially up front and at quarterback, is suspect. Florida has the home field advantage on Saturday and that could help the Gators win in a close game but I believe in Auburn a bit more and everyone knows I think Notre Dame is for real.
Gorney’s take: FICTION: I’m not overly enthused by Florida’s offense but I do trust coach Dan Mullen and how he’s running that unit and the Gators’ defense has been outstanding so far this season. I get that this is going to be by far Florida’s biggest test of the season when it hosts Auburn this weekend but at least the defense is up to the task. After watching Notre Dame pull away from Virginia this weekend, I’m still not completely sold on the Irish. I think even though Wisconsin pounded Michigan that the Badgers still have questions on offense when anyone other than Jonathan Taylor has the ball. Florida could easily be the team here but I think others have questions as well.
Justin Fuente is on the hot seat.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Virginia Tech is an absolute mess and there is no energy around the program. Recruiting is not going well, the state is being raided by everyone else and it seems like the team has quit on its head coach. This is surprising too because I thought Fuente was a good hire at Virginia Tech and had the Hokies moving in the right direction. But a reboot is needed in Blacksburg if things continue this way.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Fuente is absolutely on the hot seat and rightfully so. This is a team that hardly beat Furman and then comes out and gets obliterated by Duke at home. Fuente does not seem to have control of his players as they look to be giving half-effort on the field and when things go bad, they go bad really quickly. There are definitely problems or special assistant Jerry Kill would not have been brought in to help figure things out.
