Published Mar 7, 2022
Fact or Fiction: Jayden Daniels will start for LSU
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Mike Farrell  •  Rivals.com
Rivals National Columnist

In today’s Fact or Fiction, national columnist Mike Farrell looks at three big recent topics in college football and decides whether each statement is indeed FACT or if it’s FICTION.

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1. Jayden Daniels will start at LSU.

Farrell's Take: FACT. Myles Brennan is back and has potential, and there are some young and talented quarterbacks such as Garrett Nussmeier on the roster, but let’s face it: LSU didn't pursue Jayden Daniels as hard as it did for him not to be the team's starter.

Daniels has regressed a bit from a great freshman season at Arizona State in which he threw 17 touchdowns against only two interceptions, but he has ability and some mobility, and his experience will be key under new coach Brian Kelly. Brennan has had trouble staying healthy and with Daniels ready to participate in the spring I would expect him to win the job.

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2.  This NFL Combine will allow Georgia to surpass Alabama in recruiting. 

Farrell's Take: FACT. Maybe Georgia already has surpassed Alabama in recruiting as Kirby Smart has had three No. 1 recruiting classes in the last four cycles and after the amazing performance of his former players at the NFL Combine, more No. 1 finishes are in store.

But wait, Alabama has produced so many more first-rounders and has dominated the combine before as well so isn’t this an overreaction? Nope. There is more talent in Georgia than there is in Alabama and Smart has recruited as well nationally as Nick Saban, so this could be the first sign of someone separating from Alabama.

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3. Kyle Hamilton will drop out of the top 10.

Farrell's Take: FICTION. Kyle Hamilton didn’t run as well as expected but let’s not let a 4.59 40-yard-dash freak everyone out. Hamilton is 220 pounds with amazing length and freakishly long arms so his 40 time is closer to a 4.4 because of his physical build and how long he is. I still have him in the top five and can’t see him getting past both New York teams as they each have two picks in the top 10.