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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1. Jim Harbaugh should keep quiet about Ohio State.
Farrell’s take: FACT. The focus for Michigan should be on Michigan right now and not what Ohio State is doing. That’s not saying the Buckeyes should be allowed to break the rules if that’s what they are doing, but Harbaugh doesn’t come from a point of power here. He hasn’t beaten Ohio State yet and has been drubbed the last two games, so it looks like he’s whining a bit. And I don’t think he wants to tick off a rival that now wants to run it up even more if it can.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. If Harbaugh has the goods on Ohio State assistant coach Al Washington working with the linebackers earlier than allowed by the NCAA - which he stated on a weekly Big Ten coaches teleconference - then the Michigan coach has every right to voice his displeasure about it and file a grievance with the conference.
But Harbaugh better have proof that it happened and not just be throwing out rumors. We all know Ohio State has dominated this series for as long as many players on both teams have been born. That’s not the point. If Harbaugh can prove Ohio State did something wrong, report it. If he doesn’t and is just floating speculation, then Harbaugh should worry about his own team, like Ohio State coach Ryan Day said on the call.
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2. Penn State can still win the Big Ten without Micah Parsons.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Penn State will still be good on defense and should be very solid on offense, especially in the run game, but losing Parsons hurts. He’s the quarterback of the defense and the guy the team rallies around, for the most part. Losing a player who can rush the passer, run down plays and disrupt passing lanes like Parsons is tough, especially when Penn State was already battling uphill against a loaded Ohio State team.
Gorney’s take: FACT. The last few meetings between Ohio State and Penn State in Happy Valley have been dogfights and one-score games, so the Nittany Lions definitely don’t need Parsons to beat the Buckeyes at home. But not having any fans in the stadium will make it harder for PSU. Still, Penn State has veterans across the offensive line, a talented quarterback and one of the best rush attacks in college football.
Of course, Parsons is going to be missed, but the secondary should be better on big plays, and Penn State has some legit guys up front. Without Parsons, it gets tougher for Penn State, but it’s not impossible.
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3. The NCAA should extend the recruiting dead period through September.
Farrell’s take: FACT. I don’t know when we are going to see visits if at all in the 2021 recruiting cycle, but the smart thing to do is push it back another month and see what happens. Unfortunately, all the good feelings I had about college football resuming when the ACC announced its schedule this week have disappeared. I think we are in for a massive disappointment this fall, which includes recruiting visits.
Gorney’s take: FACT. There’s just no way to do this logistically that makes any sense and so unfortunately, I have to think that official visits - and probably unofficial visits - won’t be allowed through at least September, if not the entire fall. This causes so many further questions about signing day timelines and the like, but teams are just trying to figure out ways to keep their players healthy, let alone asking recruits to fly all around the country, stay in hotels, visit with athletic and academic staff and all that goes with an official visit. The fall is going to be an interesting time for recruiting.
