Fact or Fiction: Jaden Rashada delaying decision isn't good for Florida
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove, along with Jason Higdon from 1standTenFlorida.com and Ryan Young of TrojanSports.com, tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Four-star QB Jaden Rashada has postponed his decision and this cannot be a good sign for Florida.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. He might need some more time, but I still expect Rashada to pick Florida and delaying his commitment for a few days shouldn’t change that. Miami does make things interesting, Oregon is there along with Ole Miss, and Texas A&M is hanging around as well. But it seems like the Gators have made huge leaps in his recruitment, especially after his recent trip to Gainesville. I’d be surprised if the high four-star ended up elsewhere.
Higdon’s take: FICTION. In yet another twist in the recruitment of Rashada, keep an eye on a potential midweek official visit with the Miami Hurricanes. Emory Williams planned to visit the Hurricanes this past weekend and Williams is a pro-style quarterback, 6-foot-5, 210 pounds from Milton, Fla., with 10 recent offers. If Williams makes it out of Miami without pulling the trigger, look for the Canes to press the Rashada family to make this mid-week visit. It is a bit in the air whether they make the trip, but I still expect Rashada to pick Florida.
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2. Iowa has to be considered the team to beat for five-star OL Kadyn Proctor.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Counting out Alabama is foolish, but I still think Iowa is in the best position by far to land the five-star offensive lineman. Proctor sort of messed around with his official visit schedule before – putting Arkansas State on it for example – but now that he’s focused on only Alabama and Iowa it puts his recruitment in focus again. The Crimson Tide have done such a good job developing players across the board, but Iowa has done a great job with offensive linemen. It’s the in-state school, his friend and teammate, Xavier Nwankpa, plays there and Proctor could be the next Tristan Wirfs in Iowa City. That’s probably too much to turn down.
Cosgrove’s take: FACT. I have always considered Iowa the team to beat for Proctor since I first met him at a practice last season. When Nwankpa, his former five-star teammate and friend, committed to Iowa I began to believe Proctor to Iowa was a foregone conclusion. My confidence in Iowa began to wane slightly when he released his official visit graphic with Iowa noticeably absent. After talking to people in the know when the graphic was released, I regained my confidence in the Hawkeyes being the team to beat for Proctor. I also realized that he had been to Iowa so many times that an official visit would simply be a formality. Proctor has now canceled all of his other official visits and announced that Iowa and Alabama are the final two in his recruitment. While I see Alabama having a chance here, my gut says Proctor stays home with the goal of building something special with Nwankpa.
MAKING THE CASE: Iowa or Bama for Proctor?
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3. If the pick was today, four-star LB Tackett Curtis would pick USC over Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. USC has done everything possible to land Curtis, and the Trojans are absolutely in it. When he visited, the four-star linebacker from Many, La., was blown away. There was even some surprise in how much he loved it, and the Trojans are clearly in the running for his commitment. But that Ohio State visit is going to be huge, and Curtis really loves the vision of new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. There is definitely a feeling Curtis is torn between the two programs, and while USC could land him I’m going to pick the Buckeyes for the obvious reasons.
Young’s take: FACT. The upcoming Ohio State visit could certainly change things, but Curtis already thought very highly of USC and then his official visit last weekend reinforced those feelings considerably. He told me, “They’re in the best spot they could be in.” That’s not lip service. Another person close to his recruitment told us “[The] kid loves USC.” Trojans inside linebackers coach Brian Odom has been recruiting Curtis like a priority for two and a half years, back to his time at Oklahoma with Lincoln Riley and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. That relationship has never been stronger and there is a mutual trust and respect there. Add in the Riley factor on top of that as their time together also really resonated with Curtis. There are a lot of signs pointing in USC’s direction … but still, that Ohio State official visit looms over everything.