Fact or Fiction: Louisville has the best under-the-radar class
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. Louisville has the best class that few are paying attention to.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Every time I turn around, it seems another prospect is committing to Louisville and the class is now in the national top 15. While the Cardinals' class isn’t loaded with four-stars, I like the program's recruiting geography in this cycle. Thirteen of Louisville's 19 commitments hail from the Southeast and I especially like the job the Cardinals are doing in North Carolina and Georgia. These are very talented, deep states and mid-level three-stars can often become standouts if developed properly. Keep an eye on this class.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Louisville is doing a great job, but Wisconsin is doing even better and a lot of the Badgers success has been done quietly. They went to Florida for four-star DB Ricardo Hallman. They beat Iowa and others for four-star defensive end T.J. Bollers even though he lives down the street from Iowa’s campus. Wisconsin beat out Notre Dame and others for four-star DB Hunter Wohler. Again, the Badgers are loading up with elite offensive linemen who will grow into monsters once they get to Madison. Paul Chryst and his staff are quietly doing an excellent job.
2. Kamren Kinchens is just the start for Miami keeping key locals home.
Farrell’s take: FACT. The Miami Northwestern standout was expected to pick the ‘Canes, and he may keep others home as well. Kamren Kinchens wants to make a difference close to home, and the name, image, likeness opportunities were a major reason why he wanted to be a local star as opposed to an out-of-state recruit for Auburn or Texas A&M. You can bet Kinchens will be in the ear of other local standouts like DT Leonard Taylor and DB James Williams. The NIL is already becoming a huge factor in recruiting.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Miami is going to do well this recruiting cycle, but I don’t think name, image, likeness opportunities are going to play a big consideration for a lot of prospects. It’s going to be because the Hurricanes make tremendous strides on the field and could be one of the biggest surprises nationally. Manny Diaz and his staff are hard-charging on the recruiting trail. Miami has already landed a bunch of in-state prospects and now some higher-end ones could be on the way as well.
3. Brock Bowers will commit to Georgia.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Brock Bowers and family took a trip across the country this weekend to see Georgia during the extended dead period. While they couldn’t meet with coaches or take a traditional recruiting tour, they didn’t make this cross country trip for fun. This is a serious indication that Bowers will end up in the UGA class as another elite tight end from the West Coast.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Bowers is basically down to Georgia and Washington and this past weekend was telling that the Napa, Calif., four-star tight end and his family flew across the country and toured the school without meeting any coaches. Georgia is definitely out front in his recruitment. Another reason is because the Huskies already have two tight ends committed. Although Bowers is better than both, it would be really rare if three tight ends were taken in one class. Georgia is probably going to get Bowers. Now the Bulldogs just have to start throwing to their tight ends.