Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman, Josh Henschke of TheMaizeandBlueReview.com, Matt Moreno of DuckSportsAuthority.com and Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
MORE FACT OR FICTION: Oklahoma leads for DE Williams Nwaneri | Wisconsin will sign at least five 2024 Illinois prospects
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1. Linebacker Aaron Chiles will end up at Michigan.
Friedman's take: FACT. Michigan has strong ties to the Olney (Md.) Good Counsel program, having signed players such as Kris Jenkins in the past, and it looks like Chiles will be the next Falcon to head to Ann Arbor. He just announced the top three of Michigan, Maryland and Florida, but it looks like the Wolverines have the momentum right now. Their lead could grow even larger after he takes his official visit next month and even put them over the top for his commitment.
Henschke’s take: FACT. It seems like Michigan has held a lead it won’t relinquish since Chiles took a multiday unofficial visit to Ann Arbor in March. The Michigan staff knocked it out of the park and confidence that they will land the Rivals100 linebacker was sky high. Since that visit, it always seemed like a situation where the program was counting down the days until he commits. While Florida and Maryland will give it their best shot, we are of the belief that this recruitment will get wrapped up pretty quickly after his official visit to Ann Arbor in June.
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2. Landing a commitment from Ify Obidegwu means it's only a matter of time before Oregon lands a commitment from Michael Van Buren.
Friedman's take: FACT. Oregon got a really impressive prospect in Rivals250 defensive back Ify Obidegwu when he announced his commitment earlier this week. The Ducks have high expectations for him on the field but he should help on the recruiting trail as well. Obidegwu isn’t exactly a big talker, so when he speaks everybody listens. Now he’s helping recruit his teammate and big-time quarterback Michael Van Buren. Oregon seems to have taken the lead for the Baltimore St. Frances signal caller, with Penn State losing the momentum it had just a couple months ago. Van Buren has indicated he wants to commit in July, but we’ll see if he waits that long.
Moreno’s take: FACT. Even before Obidegwu made his decision it felt like Oregon would be difficult to beat for Van Buren. He’s been a priority for the Ducks for months and has been on multiple visits to Eugene. Still, with the recent addition of his St. Frances Academy teammate it now feels like a foregone conclusion that Van Buren will make the call for Oregon. It has certainly been an interesting few weeks with Arizona-based quarterback Luke Moga looking like he could potentially delay his decision only to pull the trigger on a commitment to the Ducks in late April. While that could have put an end to any thought that Van Buren would also join the class, it simply has not worked out that way and Oregon is pushing to have both quarterbacks in the mix for 2024.
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3. The ACC will sign more than five of the top 20 offensive linemen in the East region.
Friedman's take: FACT. It’s pretty grim for ACC fans when looking at where the top 20 offensive linemen in the East are going, but signing just five of the top 20 is such a low bar that I have to think they’ll end up beating that number. Penn State and South Carolina are dominating this position group, and there will likely be more that head to the Big Ten, SEC or Big 12, but the ACC has a good chance with current top 20 offensive linemen Robby Martin and Mason Wade. It will be interesting to track Cam’Ron Warren’s recruitment throughout the summer and fall, too. North Carolina commit Jani Norwood has been impressive this offseason and we’re keeping an eye on Miami commit Juan Minaya, ACC lean Kyle Altuner and a few others. Look for other players to rise up the rankings and help the ACC get beyond five offensive line commitments in the East region's top 20.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Seven of the top offensive linemen are already committed, as Penn State and South Carolina have cleaned up with the early commits. And while there will inevitably be some ACC offensive line commits among the top 20 I don't think it gets beyond five. Ethan Calloway and Martin are two that could very likely end up in that conference, and Wade also looks good there but many new offers are coming in that should be watched. Warren could definitely be an ACC player and Colin Cubberly is high on a lot of ACC schools if he doesn't end up at Rutgers. There could be some flips and some surprises, but getting past five is too tight so at this point I'll say fiction for this question.
