National recruiting director Adam Gorney is joined by national recruiting analysts Adam Friedman and Sam Spiegelman along with Matt Moreno of CUSportsReport.com to tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
MORE FACT OR FICTION: Jackson Arnold would be highly sought after in the portal
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Top 100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
1. After meeting with Justus Terry this week, we’re convinced Justus Terry is going back to Georgia.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I still think Georgia is the leader for Justus Terry and the delay here could be an NIL situation or just that the five-star defensive end is looking at a signing day decision to pick the Bulldogs but I can tell you that the longer this goes the more it gets interesting for Alabama. An upcoming Texas visit is interesting but this feels very much like a two-team race and the Crimson Tide are not backing down from this one. Georgia could certainly close strong here (Kirby Smart on in-home visits is a major closer) but Alabama is fighting for this one - and not for a second-place finish.
Spiegelman’s take: FACT. This one is interesting. It's essentially a two-team race between Georgia and Alabama, and as of right now I give the edge to the in-state program. Terry is still scheduled to get out to Texas, Auburn, Florida State and is also eyeing trips back to Alabama and Georgia. There's plenty of room for drama here, but Georgia has continued to chip away and the familiarity and comfort level in Athens is unmatched. The Crimson Tide aren't going anywhere and they're making this tighter than most people realize from the outside looking in. Terry also likes the staffs at Florida State and Texas, who have come on strong recently. In the end, however, I view Georgia as the team to beat when Signing Day arrives.
2. There is at least one five-star tight end in the 2025 class.
Gorney’s take: FACT. There has been a tight end selected in the first round of six of the last 10 NFL Drafts so while it’s more common than not to take a tight end that early, it’s certainly no guarantee. Still, this is one of the better tight end classes in recent memory and while I don’t think there is more than one - based on all kinds of historical trends - I will make the argument that at least one should be in five-star territory. The question is which one: The sweet spot for elite tight ends (Rob Gronkowski, Jeremy Shockey, Tony Gonzalez, etc.) is in the 6-foot-5 to 6-foot-6 range. Georgia commit Elyiss Williams is an elite talent but should his 6-foot-8 frame excite or scare us? He could be Jimmy Graham 2.0 but we need to see more of him nationally. Kansas State pledge Linkon Cure and Tennessee commit DaSaahn Brame are intriguing players but so are Michigan commit Andrew Olesh and Washington commit Vander Ploog among others.
Friedman’s take: FACT. I'm coming around on the fact that there might be one or even two five-star tight ends in the 2025 class. The NFL values tight ends with elite movement skills, similar to those of receivers, who can make plays after the catch. Right now the top ranked tight end is 6-foot-8, 230-pound Elyiss Williams. The Georgia commit is a long-strider who could be a devastating downfield threat at the next level thanks to his height and long arms. Williams can cover a ton of ground in the blink of an eye once he gets off the line of scrimmage. His rate of acceleration is good enough to be a major playmaker at the college level but I wonder if he'll be able to improve his acceleration and general quick twitch abilities enough between now and his draft date to be considered a first round pick.
Linkon Cure and DaSaahn Brame, the Nos. 2 and 3 tight ends in the Rivals250, don't play the level of competition that Williams does but they're much quicker with the ball in their hands than Williams. They seemingly create separation better while running routes as well. This skill will be put to the test once they reach the next level. No doubt there will be a learning curve for Cure and Brame but they may be closer to significant playing time than Williams. The flipside of that argument is that they probably don't have as high a ceiling as Williams and that should carry weight as we project to the NFL Draft. There is still about half the high school season to play out so there is still time for things to become more clear.
3. Colorado will land a five-star QB in this class - either JuJu Lewis or Keelon Russell with new interest in him.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Julian Lewis remains committed to USC and he was back in Los Angeles over the weekend although a visit to Colorado is expected coming up here and Indiana (especially since the Hoosiers are playing so well) cannot be counted out. But it does feel like the five-star QB is reinforcing things around his pledge to the Trojans and is not as seriously looking at others. Keelon Russell has already flipped from SMU to Alabama and that offense under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer in Tuscaloosa is a quarterback’s dream. Sure, following in Shedeur Sanders’ footsteps would be hugely appealing but it also comes with risks since Travis Hunter and others are leaving after this season. Deion Sanders has pulled some of the biggest surprises in recent recruiting cycles but I don’t see this happening.
Moreno’s take: FICTION. You always have to consider that Deion Sanders has a way of pulling in a big and sometimes surprising commitment each cycle. Sanders has made a habit of landing an elite prospect for his programs going back to the time when he hauled in Travis Hunter while at Jackson State. In the last cycle it was five-star offensive lineman Jordan Seaton. Julian Lewis seemed like a likely option to be that recruit for 2025, but that feels like it is fading a bit now. Keelon Russell is the interesting one. We know that Shedeur Sanders is in his last season at Colorado leaving the potential for early playing time. The improvement of the offensive line so far this season also makes it a more desirable spot than a few months ago. Still, it feels like it could be just a little too late with Russell, and the more likely scenario is that CU has to hit the portal for next season and settle for bringing in an elite high school quarterback in 2026.
