Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analysts Sam Spiegelman and Adam Friedman along with Michael Langston from Warchant.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Five-star Georgia commit Tyre West will flip to Florida State.
Gorney’s take: FACT. This could happen at any time and I’d be shocked if it didn’t at this point. Tyre West took another visit to Florida State on Wednesday and the Seminoles are definitely on track to flip him from Georgia, where he’s been committed to since last December. His relationship with Mike Norvell and Odell Haggins, the opportunity to contribute right away and the location being only two hours from home all factor into this happening at some point.
Langston’s take: FACT. Right now, I definitely do see it happening. They’ve been on West for a long time. They want to add one more defensive tackle at least in this class. It’s not far from home, he really likes what Odell Haggins has done with the defensive line and they’ve had a really good year. Last week, with the win over Miami, it solidified what he’s seen from FSU so I definitely think it’s going to happen.
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2. Luther Burden and Evan Stewart are clearly the top two receivers in the 2022 class.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Luther Burden is an excellent route runner, huge competitor, catches everything and has great speed. Evan Stewart is as smooth as they come and super fast so he keeps maximum pressure on defensive backs. But Tetairoa McMillan is an elite athlete with length, Andre Greene is a lethal outside threat, Aaron Anderson could have Jaylen Waddle qualities and Kevin Coleman cannot be left out of the conversation either. Maybe Burden and Stewart should be 1-2 in the country but it’s not as clear to me that they are the top two.
Spiegelman’s take: FICTION. There is a compelling case for McMillan as well and I have no qualms with those three as five-stars in this 2022 class. Anderson, Greene, Shazz Preston and more are also in that elite category and have a chance to state their cases in January at the All-American games. Burden looks college-ready; T-Mac is an athletic superfreak and Stewart boards elite speed and ball skills. They have certainly made strong cases to be five-stars at the top.
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3. Virginia Tech is at major risk of losing its top four-star commit in Gunner Givens.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Gunner Givens could look around a little bit but two of the biggest reasons why Givens picked Virginia Tech in the first place is because he always dreamed about playing for the Hokies and its location to his house. The four-star offensive lineman lives less than an hour from Blacksburg so family and friends could see every game. A coaching change does throw a wrench in things but Virginia Tech should bring in someone capable and an offensive line coach who could develop a relationship with Givens over time. There’s a chance he flips but I don’t think so.
Friedman’s take: FACT. The Hokies have a top-25 recruiting class but only two of their commits are four-stars. Givens is the highest-ranked of the bunch and he wasn't short of suitors before he committed to Virginia Tech. There will surely be teams turning to him to fill out their recruiting class but it may not be an easy flip. Givens really liked being able to stay close to home for college and has touted his relationship with Virginia Tech offensive line coach Vance Vice as a major reason for his commitment to the Hokies. If Vice is retained by the next head coach, Givens will probably stick with the local team. That could be a big "if" but it doesn't sound like Givens is going to make a move in the near future.
