Rivals national recruiting analyst Marshall Levenson and national recruiting director Adam Gorney, along with OUInsider.com's Parker Thune and RedRaiderSports.com's Ben Golan tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Billy Napier's best hope off the hot seat is to start DJ Lagway the rest of the way.
Gorney: FACT. Not only does starting DJ Lagway buy Billy Napier more time because it could show that he’s developing a freshman quarterback, but Lagway is the better quarterback and gives the offense the spark that Graham Mertz just does not give. The closing part of schedule is going to be very difficult anyway, so maybe no quarterback could save Napier at this point because one or two more losses and the Florida fan base will turn, but Lagway does give him the best opportunity to point to the future and say that he needs more time to build around Lagway moving forward.
Levenson: FACT. There is arguably not a coach in college football that is more on the hot seat than Napier. And as happens in sports, when on the hot seat, coaches will look for any avenue to at least attempt and save their situation. For Napier, the only attempt that has even an ounce of potential of saving him at this point is to lean into the future of Lagway. Like Gorney says, it may do no good either way, but he likely solidifies his fate if he passes up the opportunity to try and develop the five-star freshman.
Fresh off breaking the Florida freshman passing record and preparing to face a flawed Texas A&M team coming to the Swamp, Lagway could provide a spark. It is Napier's best chance of saving face as the season progresses.
2. Joey McGuire has a legitimate reason for not featuring Micah Hudson to this point.
Golan: FICTION. Micah Hudson’s playing time has been a topic of great debate for Texas Tech fans through two games. Red Raider fans had expectations of Hudson playing significant snaps – after all, that was the messaging coming out of Lubbock all off-season. Joey McGuire has said the main reason for Hudson only seeing spot snaps so far is due to the other receivers around him, namely Josh Kelly, Caleb Douglas, Coy Eakin, Drae McCray and the tight ends, as well as Hudson missing all of spring ball.
Texas Tech’s wideouts are certainly talented, but there should also be a way to feature the only five-star in school history. At the end of the day this is a story because Texas Tech escaped Abilene Christian and then lost at Washington State. If Tech handled ACU by 30 and won in Pullman, this wouldn’t be a topic of conversation.
Hudson is still extremely talented, still all the way bought in, and has a bright future in Lubbock. It just may not be right away like everyone expected.
Levenson: FICTION. If there is any position in college football this season that has the most star true freshman, it is wide receiver. We see Ryan Williams at Alabama, Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State, Ryan Wingo at Texas, Nick Marsh at Michigan State, and a trio of freshman at Auburn all making big-time contributions for their teams. For McGuire to insinuate that a healthy Hudson can't carve out any time seems highly unlikely.
If he is fit to play, and every indication is that he is, then he needs to be out there. If Alabama, Ohio State and Texas are finding opportunities for their freshmen wideouts, then Texas Tech should be able to do the same. This is especially looking at the fact that the Red Raiders have struggled early in the season, including only scoring 16 points last weekend. To only play 10 offensive snaps in the first two weeks for the highest-rated prospect in program history seems like there should be an adjustment.
3. The talent pool in Oklahoma is the strongest it's ever been.
Thune: FACT. Generally, the state will produce a handful of blue-chip prospects per year, and the 2025 class is no exception with such talents as Ohio State commit Nate Roberts and Oklahoma commit Elijah Thomas. But what makes the 2025 class so different is the sheer depth of Power Four pledges. Even beyond the state’s top 10, such prospects as Boston College QB commit Shaker Reisig, Oklahoma State WR commit Matrail Lopez and Kansas DL commit Josiah Hammond highlight a large second tier of future P4 players. This 2025 class is arguably the best in state history, and we’re fully expecting the 2027 class to be similarly loaded.
Levenson: FACT. Since being around the state of Oklahoma starting in 2019, I have watched the talent pool double if not triple. Much of it has had to with facilities greatly improving in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City and the surrounding areas. The 2025 class is very strong as Thune points out but looking forward to 2026 and 2027, the talent threshold is very appealing. Junior prospects Tajh Overton, Kaydin Jones, Colton Yarbrough and sophomore standouts such as Semaj Stanford and Bryson Brown point to a very impressive stretch to come in the state. It is not just the regional powers looking to land the talent but also Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Alabama and others.
