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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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
MORE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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1. TE Thomas Fidone is still a Nebraska lean.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Thomas Fidone has been relatively quiet when it comes to naming leaders throughout the process and without visits, not a ton has changed in his recruitment — except his relationship with coaches is growing. LSU has made a strong move here while Michigan and others continue to make a push. What once looked like a Nebraska-Iowa battle is now more interesting. Iowa is still very much in the mix, but the family love for Nebraska is strong and the Huskers still have the edge.
Gorney’s take: FACT. LSU and Michigan are making this interesting, but it still looks like Nebraska is the team to beat. And that’s huge because Fidone should be considered among the top tight ends in this class and he should provide a huge weapon in the Huskers’ offense. He grew up watching Nebraska football, he lives just an hour from campus and there are too many factors leading me in that direction to think he’s going anywhere else. Iowa has great tight end history and then some national powers are getting more involved but Nebraska has a big edge in Fidone’s recruitment right now.
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2. DE Korey Foreman could still sign with Clemson.
Farrell’s take: FACT. The word “could” is in here and it’s impossible to eliminate Clemson from contention for any player it covets and especially a player it once had committed. But, this is FACT but not likely. Foreman has ties to DT Maason Smith and Clemson isn’t in that mix and word was that Foreman wanted to stay closer to home when he decommitted from Clemson. USC and Oregon have the best chance here.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I was under the impression recently that after the No. 1 player in the 2021 class de-committed from Clemson that he was going to look elsewhere with USC, LSU, Georgia and Oregon as the new frontrunners. I’m not so sure anymore after talking with Foreman in recent days.
The five-star defensive end loves the prestige of Clemson’s program, the development he could receive there and the idea of playing for a national title contender. This one is going to be really interesting – especially because Foreman is also serious about playing with Smith in college. I absolutely would not count out Clemson landing his pledge again.
MORE: Foreman breaks down top teams
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3. Arkansas landed the most versatile player in Florida in Raheim Sanders.
Farrell’s take: FACT. It’s hard to say who is the most versatile player in the state of Florida each year as there are so many great athletes but Raheim Sanders, the recent Arkansas commitment, is my guy. There’s a reason we have him in the athlete category as the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder could play running back, wide receiver, H-back, linebacker, safety or even grow into a hybrid edge rusher. He does it all in high school and has that powerful frame where it’s hard to project what he will do at the next level. This is a very good pickup for Sam Pittman.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Arkansas landed a major commitment in Sanders and he should be able to help the Razorbacks in a lot of ways, but I’m going in another direction here. My pick is Chase Smith. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound four-star athlete from Palm Bay (Fla.) Bayside is long and lean and stars at receiver and safety right now. He could easily grow into a linebacker, though, and it wouldn’t shock me if he added some edge rushing to his game as well. In a college program, Smith has the frame to add a lot of weight and be a star on the defensive side. He also has the athleticism and length to be a great receiver, too. Miami looks to be the frontrunner, so the Hurricanes could be getting a two-way star soon.
