Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman, Charles Fishbein of TheOsceola.com, Caleb Alexander of GamecockScoop.com and Deana King of TarHeelIllustrated.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Florida State has had the best recruiting month of any ACC team.
Friedman's take: FACT. This is a close one because Miami and Clemson have landed some big-time commitments this month from the likes of five-star Joshisa Trader, No. 85 Marquise Lightfoot and No. 93 Corian Gipson. But Florida State has had the best month of any ACC team on the recruiting trail.
Mike Norvell and his staff have reeled in three Rivals250 prospects this month in No. 137 Jonathan Daniels, No. 165 Ricky Knight III and No. 215 Elijah Moore. Four-star defensive lineman DD Holmes also committed to the Seminoles this month. No other ACC program added commitments from four four-star prospects this month. On top of that, three-star prospects Tye Hylton, Rydarrius Morgan and Micahi Danzy (a potential stock riser) announced their commitments to Florida State this month.
Fishbein's take: FACT. I looked at Miami, Florida State and Clemson – right at this moment I would say fact. FSU landed the most players with six while both Miami and Clemson got only four. I feel Miami got the most quality with Joshisa Trader, Artavius Jones, Deryc Plazz and Marquis Lightfoot. FSU landed the top quantity with Micahi Danzy, Jonathan Daniels, Elijah Moore, Rydarrius Morgan, Ricky Knight and Tye Hylton. The month is not over and if Kamarion Franklin chooses Miami this month I would push it ahead slightly. That being said Charles Lester committing may slide it back to FSU's favor.
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2. South Carolina is still the favorite to land Rivals250 WR Jonathan Paylor's commitment on Aug. 5.
Friedman's take: FACT. Jonathan Paylor hasn’t been shy about calling South Carolina his leader and it's been that way for a few months. With the finish line just around the corner, the Gamecocks are in danger of losing some momentum. Instead of visiting South Carolina this week, Paylor is heading to NC State on Friday and North Carolina on Saturday. The Gamecocks appear to still be holding onto their lead but that could be in jeopardy.
Alexander's take: FICTION. I think if all things were equal, the long-time leader for Paylor would cross the finish line unimpeded. That said, there’s been a concerning trend over the summer of the Gamecocks finishing second in out-of-state recruiting battles, with the home state program finding or funding a way to flip the script in the final weeks leading up to the last several commitments. I think there’s still some things to be settled behind the scenes here, and I haven’t flipped my FutureCast yet, but I can’t say I’m feeling overly confident that South Carolina will win out over NC State in the end.
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3. North Carolina will sign four of the top five in-state WRs this year.
Friedman's take: FICTION. North Carolina has done a great job of positioning itself to sign an impressive group of receivers. In-state standouts such as Keenan Jackson and four-star Jordan Shipp have already committed to the Tar Heels and they are the favorite to land a commitment from four-star Alex Taylor. Landing his commitment would give North Carolina three of the top five receivers in the state. Jonathan Paylor, No. 97 in the Rivals250, has South Carolina as his leader but he is skipping a possible visit to Columbia in favor of visiting NC State on Friday and North Carolina on Saturday. This is a major opportunity for both programs but, as it stands right now, it doesn't look like North Carolina will sign Paylor. That could all change after these visits but there isn't much time left before his Aug. 5 commitment date.
King's take: FICTION. The Tar Heels already have two top in-state wide receivers in Jordan Shipp and Keenan Jackson. They are finalists for Jonathan Paylor, Alex Taylor and Javarius Green. I feel like North Carolina has the best chance to land Taylor and Green to finish out with a great wide receiver group.
