Fact or Fiction: Kyle Trask is SEC's top returning QB
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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1. Kyle Trask is the best returning QB in the SEC.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Notice how I said “returning QB”, which doesn’t include Jamie Newman who is coming over from the ACC to take over at Georgia. Kyle Trask is clearly the best signal caller returning to the SEC, but Newman could end up having a better year depending on how the OL plays. Mac Jones, Bo Nix, Kellen Mond and others fall short of Trask as returning quarterbacks. KJ Costello could be great at Mississippi State as well, but again he’s transferring in from the Pac-12, so he doesn’t count when debating this topic.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Trask is the best returning quarterback in the SEC but not the best quarterback in the conference as that will be Newman. And I don’t think Trask will be the breakout quarterback of the year either as Nix should take a huge leap in his sophomore season. He was thrown to the wolves as a freshman last season and will come out the other side much better because of it.
I’ve never been the biggest Mond fan and he regressed this past season. Costello should have a huge season at Mississippi State so that is one to watch as well. But Trask had a great season a year ago, he’s now even more comfortable in coach Dan Mullen’s offense and Mullen has a great track record with quarterbacks.
MORE SOUTHEAST: Flip candidates for 2021
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2. Jim Harbaugh is the most hated college coach by fans.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I asked this question on my Twitter fully expecting the Michigan coach to be up there, but I was curious who else would pop up and I wasn’t surprised. Nick Saban, far and away, is the most hated coach based on this small sample size followed by Dabo Swinney, mainly for recent accusations of racial insensitivity. Harbaugh was around third.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Saban is high on the list, but only because fans are frustrated by his decade-plus dominance of the sport. My sense is that outside of Michigan fans, people relish in seeing Harbaugh not turn the corner in making Michigan a national contender yet. Harbaugh is definitely a polarizing figure outside of Ann Arbor and while I’m not going to use the word hated, he’s definitely not liked by many college football fans across the Big Ten and beyond.
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3. JC Latham will end up at Alabama.
Farrell’s take: FACT. The one-time Ohio State lean is ready to commit based on his request for an edit on social media and after some digging, it appears Alabama has the clear edge here now. Latham, who hails from Wisconsin, was thought to be a strong lean to the Buckeyes based on geographical proximity and the success of the program. And that didn’t change much even when he went off to Florida to play at IMG — until recently.
Now it’s an Alabama-LSU battle according to most sources, and he could be the next great OL at Alabama when he picks the Tide. I love his ceiling. This was a big-time recruiting move by Saban and company if they close this deal.
Gorney’s take: FACT. For a long time, it looked like Ohio State was the frontrunner for Lathan but as his decision draws closer, I’m picking Alabama to land his commitment. That is a major development – and another massive recruiting win for the Crimson Tide – because Latham is originally from the Midwest. But Alabama has done a good job recruiting IMG Academy and should win out for Latham. Plus, the Crimson Tide will need depth along the offensive line after the 2020 season and Latham can easily step in and provide it.