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Fact or Fiction: Joenel Aguero should be top five safety in 2023

Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman and national recruiting director Adam Gorney, along with Tyler James of InsideNDSports.com and Jacey Zembal of TheWolfpackCentral.com, tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.

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1. Joenel Aguero should be a top five safety in this class.

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Friedman's take: FACT. Aguero is ranked as an athlete right now but that will change in the next rankings update when he is moved to safety. There will be some debate over where to slot him in this group but the picture is getting clearer after getting some verified measurables at the Philadelphia Rivals Camp. Aguero has slimmed down in the last couple months and looks more like the physical safety that we expected. He can be an imposing figure in the middle of the field but he has shown the range and anticipation skills to be excellent in coverage. If the rankings meetings were tomorrow, I'd push for Aguero to be ranked no lower than No. 4 at safety.

Gorney's take: FACT. Aguero didn't work out at the Rivals Camp in Philadelphia because he was nursing an injury but there are few players in this class as physically impressive and who look the part. The Danvers (Mass.) St. John's Prep prospect does not have elite length but he's a physical hitter who can come down and separate the ball from the receiver, he can turn and run, and he's a fierce competitor who reminds me of some of those LSU safeties of years past. If the rankings were completely up to me, I'd slide Aguero right behind Tennessee commit Sylvester Smith, which would put him as the fourth-best safety nationally and somewhere around No. 70 in the Rivals250.

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2. Notre Dame DL commit Boubacar Traore should be a top 200 prospect.  

Boubacar Traore
Boubacar Traore (Rivals)

Friedman's take: FACT. During a series of school visits in New England last week I saw Traore work out and he does not look like a weakside defensive end anymore. He'll be moved to strongside defensive end in the next rankings update. At No. 222 in the Rivals250, Traore would be the No. 22 strongside defensive end if everything were to stay the same. That's far too low for the combination or size, strength, quickness and technique that I saw last week. While nothing is certain yet, it wouldn't be surprising to see Traore much closer to No. 150 in the next Rivals250 update.

James's take: FACT. Traore isn't a top 200 prospect if he's projected as a weakside defensive end, because he's not an explosive pass rusher on the edge. But that's unlikely to be the position Traore ends up playing at Notre Dame. He's more of a strongside defensive end or even a defensive tackle prospect in the long run. Traore uses his length well and plays with good leverage. Those strengths should be maximized as he continues to grow as a college player. His versatility should be valued as a top 200 prospect.

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3. NC State will land four-star DB Zack Myers.

Zack Myers
Zack Myers (Rivals.com)

Friedman's take: FICTION. Myers is an outstanding prospect, but he hasn't gotten the attention from college coaches that many other four-star prospects in the 2023 class have. It could be because he reclassified from 2024 to 2023 earlier this year, but it won't matter after he finishes his camp and visit schedule next month. NC State and Tennessee have been leading for Myers, but Clemson, Alabama, Oregon, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and a few others will get a good look at him when he visits in the next month or two. If he were to commit today, NC State would probably get Myers, but Tennessee could make a big push for him or things could really click with another school during the busy month ahead of him.

Zembal's take: FACT. NC State currently leads Tennessee for Myers, based on repeated unofficial visits and the fact that he has one official visit lined up thus far, to the Wolfpack on June 16-18. Myers was in the class of 2024 and then went back to his original class of 2023, so he hasn't gotten hammered with recruiting attention like some of his peers. He also is four hours away from Raleigh and two hours from Charlotte, where the media hubs are. Myers is a versatile defensive back, who would like to also compete in track and field in college. He won the high jump (6 feet, 6 inches) and was fifth in the 300 hurdles Saturday at the NCISAA Division I state meet in Raleigh. He made it clear after the meet that he appreciates NCSU safeties coach Joe DeForest.

The big question that remains: Will other colleges join Tennessee and NC State for his services? He wants to see Clemson on June 1 and Alabama on June 4-5, where he'll camp to earn a scholarship offer. Oregon, Notre Dame and Oklahoma are also in line for unofficial visits. Then he'll clearly find out where he stands in the pecking order of these various schools.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH NC STATE FANS AT THEWOLFPACKCENTRAL.COM

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