Fact or Fiction: Jordan Burch will stay in-state
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
MORE: Rivals100 Rumor Mill | Farrell's NSD predictions | NSD preview show | Announcement guide
1. Five-star DE Jordan Burch will stay in state.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. OK, the odds are against me here with Clemson and South Carolina still very much in the mix as home state schools but I’m sticking with Georgia. Why? Kirby Smart is a great closer and Burch wants to stay close to home without being too close. It’s just a hunch. Sorry if I’m jinxing you, Georgia fans.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Dabo Swinney is a good closer, too, and getting the state’s top prospect is a major priority for him. There has to be a reason why Clemson isn’t pursuing five-star linebacker Justin Flowe any longer and I’m guessing it’s because the Tigers need the scholarship for Burch, who could have an instant impact on the defensive line. I get Farrell’s argument and Georgia is intriguing, but I’m picking Clemson.
2. Trenton Simpson will be better than Justin Flowe.
Farrell’s take: FACT. I’m going out on a limb on this one and think Trenton Simpson will be developed well at Clemson and will make the Tigers forget all about the long lead they had for Justin Flowe. Flowe is better now because he’s bigger and more physical, but in the long run at Clemson, Simpson will have more success.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Nothing against Simpson but let’s be real: Flowe is one of the best linebackers in the Rivals era and he still has so much potential. He has so much speed, plays with such physical dominance and wants to be great like not many other players I’ve seen, so I’m not going to side against Flowe here. I’d be even more confident in Flowe if he went to Clemson but at a Pac-12 school, he could be dominant from Day 1.
3. Bryce Young would start earlier at USC.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Why are we asking this? Because Bryce Young was rumored to be flipping back to USC for a hot second on Sunday. While that appears to be a false alarm, it got me thinking about this. If Tua Tagovailoa comes back, Young will sit but he might even sit with Mac Jones back. But USC has JT Daniels and Kedon Slovis who are both younger and have a ton of talent as well. He’ll see the field earlier at Alabama.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Tagovailoa had to wait his turn at Alabama and if Jalen Hurts didn’t struggle in the first half of the national championship, there’s no telling when Tagovailoa would have played for the Crimson Tide. Young is super talented and ready to compete, but Nick Saban isn’t throwing anybody to the wolves. That’s not to say Young won’t beat out Jones for the starting job because Young has more dual-threat abilities, but if Tagovailoa comes back it’s settled.
The USC situation is interesting because more than Daniels or Slovis, Young could run that offense under Graham Harrell like a whiz. Slovis was good this season and Daniels is coming back to compete for the starting job, but Young would be in that conversation as well because of his playmaking ability.