Fact or Fiction: UNC can beat Clemson for Travis Shaw
National recruiting director Adam Gorney along with analysts Chad Simmons and Adam Friedman along with GatorsTerritory.com’s Corey Bender tackle three topics in recruiting and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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1. Gabe Dindy should get five-star consideration.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Gabe Dindy’s versatility makes him very intriguing and his ability to stay outside or slide inside makes him more valuable, not less. Rated No. 74 nationally right now, Dindy could be a dominant defensive tackle who shoots gaps, lives in the backfield and uses his outstanding frame to overpower interior offensive linemen. Or he could stay outside and bull rush and cause all kinds of problems for offensive tackles. Dindy has a lot of characteristics of that next-generation interior defensive lineman who has little bad weight, great burst off the snap and relentless pursuit.
Simmons’ take: FICTION. Dindy had a strong camp showing, but he was most impressive when working inside at defensive tackle. He was beating the interior offensive linemen with his quickness and power, not the tackles on the outside. He is ranked as a strongside end, but has the body and frame of someone who could slide down to the tackle position, and be very good on the next level. I am not ready to put him in the five-star discussion yet based on this one camp setting, but getting a look at him on the inside, and projecting him there definitely raises an interesting conversation because it would be a new evaluation at a new position. He is a versatile defensive lineman who could fit multiple profiles.
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2. Florida is the team to beat for five-star Jacoby Mathews.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I believe Jacoby Mathews has Florida very high on his list and there is an urge to explore a little bit for college but I’m going to lean on history here and say the five-star safety ends up at LSU after many others take a real shot at getting him. Every No. 1 prospect in the state of Louisiana dating back to Landon Collins in 2012 has picked LSU so there is a decades-worth of history for Mathews to overcome if he picks another program. There are some issues at LSU off-the-field that could make this recruitment even more interesting and Florida among many others are coming hard after Mathews but I’m going to still pick the Tigers here.
Bender’s take: FICTION. While I do believe the Gators are in that top-two range for Mathews, I don't think they are the program to beat just yet, at least not this early, but mutual interest is very high. They are telling Mathews they want to build the whole class around him and that definitely has his attention, while the likes of Wesley McGriff and Keiwan Ratliff are communicating with him several times a day. Also, Mathews previously told me growing up he loved Florida just as much as he loved LSU and that there are distractions close to home, so that could bode well for the Gators as well. I have to say Fiction for now because his recruitment is pretty fluid, but there is no doubt UF is right there at the top.
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3. North Carolina can beat Clemson for Travis Shaw.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Last recruiting cycle, Clemson landed the top-two players in North Carolina in Will Shipley and Payton Page. The previous year it was five-star linebacker Trenton Simpson. Under coach Mack Brown, the Tar Heels have done much better and are way more competitive on the field but they still haven’t landed the state’s top prospect since 2015. Clemson looks to be on the path to getting the top-two prospects in the state again in Travis Shaw and four-star linebacker Jalon Walker. With Clemson and North Carolina as two frontrunners, it’s possible Shaw surprises and picks the Tar Heels, but I’d say it’s unlikely.
Friedman’s take: FACT. Can North Carolina beat Clemson for Travis Shaw? Sure they can. Will they? It's still fairly early in the recruiting process for Shaw but the Tar Heels probably won't beat Clemson for his commitment. The Tigers have an outstanding track record with defensive linemen and with players from North Carolina. Shaw has a ton of connections to both schools and he'll surely do all the research and visits he needs to before deciding on a school but, at least for now, Clemson gets the nod as the favorite.