Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney is joined by national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman along with Jeremy Birmingham of DottingTheEyes.com and Jefferson Powell of DeathValleyInsider.com to tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
MORE FACT OR FICTION: Ohio State will hold onto the No. 1 class
*****
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
*****
1. Ohio State has five five-stars committed for 2025. The Buckeyes will keep all five in this recruiting class.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Ohio State is one of the best programs in the country and if the Buckeyes aren’t playing for a national championship this season then that is a disappointment - that is the level they’re playing at now - but just by the nature of recruiting I have to think at least one five-star heads elsewhere.
I don’t think it will be Tavien St. Clair unless something ridiculous happens with coach Ryan Day. I don’t think it will be Devin Sanchez, he seems locked in. And I don’t think it will be Carter Lowe (although there is a chance he could end up a four-star) or Riley Pettijohn, although a great season at Texas A&M or USC could make things interesting. If I had to guess it would be Birmingham (Ala.) Parker’s Na’eem Offord to stay in the SEC and flip to either Alabama or Auburn. The good news for Ohio State here is that all five could stick and the Buckeyes could actually add more including someone like Jarquez Carter or Zahir Mathis, who are already in the class.
Birmingham’s take: FACT. Ohio State is well aware that other programs are coming hard after its recruits, especially five-star cornerback Na’eem Offord who is being chased quite aggressively by Auburn, Alabama and Oregon, among others, but the Buckeyes enter the 2024 season feeling pretty good about where things stand with Tavien St. Clair, Devin Sanchez, Riley Pettijohn, Offord and Carter Lowe. In fact, that group has really been the most vocal about their Ohio State commitments and that certainly provides some comfort for Ryan Day and his coaching staff.
In the NIL era, anything can happen on the recruiting trail and the attempts to lure these future stars away from Columbus will only intensify but the connection and bonds between these players and their coaches, and between the players themselves, should carry the day for the Buckeyes.
*****
2. Bryce Underwood should be the No. 1 player in the 2025 Rivals250.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I could certainly buy an argument that Bryce Underwood is the No. 1 player in the 2025 Rivals250. He has all the physical tools to be the top prospect, he has extraordinary playmaking ability and his highlight reel is off the charts. But Tavien St. Clair proved it on the field this summer at the Elite 11, at the Rivals Five-Star and on the 7-on-7 circuit.
We have to be extra careful not to just rank higher the players we see more often because we want to get this right so Underwood is still very much under serious consideration for the top spot. I also think it’s a compelling case that once Ohio State landed St. Clair the coaching staff didn’t really mess with Underwood even though the rumor was he also wanted to visit Columbus so it was pretty clear coach Ryan Day, who knows something about quarterbacks, preferred St. Clair at the top.
Powell’s take: FACT. Bryce Underwood has the most upside of any quarterback in the 2025 class. I know he wasn’t very active in the camp and all-star circuit and I think at times we as evaluators tend to overvalue a lot of the guys that stand out in these camp situations and don’t get me wrong you want to see top talent looking like top talent in those situations, but I can’t help but feel like Underwood not putting himself out there in those situations as much as some of the others seems to be hurting him more than it’s helped.
I’ve talked to a couple of NFL scouts about Underwood and the other quarterbacks in the 2025 class and it’s been pretty unanimous among my NFL contacts that they think he’s not only the best quarterback in this class but he’s got the most upside as well. He’s got the best blend of size and athleticism, but where he really shines is his arm talent and his ability to extend plays with “off-platform” throws. I know the battle for No. 1 isn’t over just yet, but to me Underwood is not only the best quarterback in this class, he’s the best player overall.
*****
3. Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis will flip to Indiana.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. One of the things that makes Julian Lewis so special is that he’s calculating on the field, knows exactly the throw to make in a split second, knows exactly how to pick apart a defense, knows exactly how to operate the offense to score points and win games. He was phenomenal as a sophomore, skipped his junior season and has one year left before heading off to college.
His dad talks regularly with other elite quarterback parents. They’ve taken a serious and deep approach to the recruiting process and last summer they committed to USC. Lincoln Riley is basically college football’s version of a quarterback whisperer who’s had Heisman Trophy winners and No. 1 picks. Lewis sees himself in that vein. And now he’s going to throw that away to go play at Indiana or Colorado?
No offense to those programs but that is a much bigger risk than going to play for the Trojans, in a massive city for NIL and marketing, surrounding himself with elite playmakers and now a defense that seems to be taking itself seriously.
Maybe there is something at Indiana or Colorado that is just calling the five-star quarterback. Following your gut or your intuition can be fruitful, too. But I just haven’t seen any serious evidence yet that it’s going to happen.
Spiegelman’s take: FICTION. Multiple programs have and continue to try and knock five-star quarterback Julian Lewis off his longtime USC commitment. As his senior season at Carrollton (Ga.) High begins, Colorado and Indiana are the two teams working to change Lewis' mind. Lewis hasn't completely shut his recruitment down, but after a summer full of visits there is a strong sense that the Trojans are in the best position to hold onto Lewis. I don't expect Deion Sanders and Colorado to slow down and there's certainty a strong connection to the staff at Indiana. However, it's been my sense that USC checks too many boxes for Lewis and his circle and remains the team to beat moving forward.
