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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FACT OR FICTION: Miami, FSU will finish in bottom half of ACC | A transfer QB will win Heisman for fourth-straight year | Miami will get all the big names from Palmetto HS
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. FSU now has the hardest schedule of any true ACC team.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Keeping Clemson, Louisville and Miami and adding Notre Dame and North Carolina is not fun for first-year coach Mike Norvell. The Seminoles now have a tougher schedule in conference than they had before and it could lead to a sub-.500 season. That’s not good.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Florida State does not have an easy schedule and that has to be concerning for Seminoles fans hoping for an immediate turnaround under Norvell, but one team has an even more challenging road ahead: Virginia. Look at that schedule and it’s just brutal with road games at Clemson, Florida State and Miami and that’s not to even mention going to Virginia Tech, always one of the most-challenging places to play. The Cavaliers will have to do all this with a new quarterback and question marks at receiver.
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2. Caleb Farley will start a trend of potential high draft picks skipping the season.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I’m in the minority here, but I don’t think there will be a rash of players who abandon their teammates as Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley is doing to prepare for the NFL Draft. Yes I know these are uncertain times and the season could be a mess, but the NFL will question guys who want to shut it down for a whole season. Skipping bowl games is one thing, but this is an entirely new level. “Family advisors” or agents as we call them are pushing for their clients to do this but most will stand up and say they want to be true to their team.
Gorney’s take: FACT. There is no telling how this is all going to play out but one agent recently told Chase Goodbread of NFL.com that once one top-end player makes the decision to skip the year, the floodgates might open and others will follow suit. Now with Farley making the decision not to play college football this season, I get the feeling that some surefire early first-round selections might decide to just train, stay healthy and not take some perceived risks. I doubt NFL teams will care all that much since those decision-makers know all about these elite guys anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if Farley’s decision leads to others doing the same thing.
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3. Logan Diggs will be better than Will Shipley.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. But this isn’t as far-fetched as you think. Notre Dame recruited Shipley hard as a guy who could run the ball and work out of the slot and be a Theo Riddick-type and lost out to Clemson. Enter Diggs from Louisiana, who missed some time due to injury as a sophomore and is just starting to emerge as a playmaker. He’s not Shipley, but he’s a solid replacement.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Logan Diggs is underrated in this class, has great film, is a dynamic back who has make-you-miss ability and will be a nice weapon in Notre Dame’s offense, but there’s only one Will Shipley in this class. The Clemson commit is unreal with the ball in his hands, gets to the edge and keeps going. He is a home-run threat on every play. Shipley has the edge here, but Diggs should be in the argument for a bump in the rankings once he sees the field again.
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