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. Mario Williams can be the next Hollywood Brown at Oklahoma.
Farrell’s take: FACT. That’s hard to live up to, but Mario Williams has the ability to follow in the footsteps of Marquise Brown, who was amazing at Oklahoma especially in his final season. Brown is faster but Williams will add speed and might be better after the catch. It’s a lot to live up to as Brown was a first-rounder, but Williams can do it if he keeps developing.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Williams is a special playmaker and he’s going to be surrounded by other five-star receivers at Oklahoma, so he should be able to put up monster stats in coach Lincoln Riley’s offense. He made a really smart decision by picking the Sooners even though he has not visited Norman yet. The best thing is that Williams should be at Oklahoma for at least three seasons, where Brown was only there for two because he was a junior college transfer. Oklahoma is the perfect spot for Williams and he could live up to that billing.
2. Auburn can beat Alabama in recruiting this year.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Can this happen? It can, but I still have to say its unlikely. Alabama will finish strong as well all know and likely in the top five, but I like what Auburn is doing with key pickups like Dematrius Davis and Caleb Johnson among others. I expect Auburn to finish in the top 10 in recruiting this year and Alabama to be anywhere from 3-7, so it will be close.
Gorney’s take: FACT. This is going to be a lot closer than some people expect and if the Tigers can pull five-star offensive lineman Amarius Mims or have a few surprises up their sleeve then definitely Auburn could finish ahead of Alabama. History is not necessarily on Auburn’s side since it hasn’t finished higher than Alabama in the team rankings in more than a decade, but with some surprises and a strong finish, the Tigers could get it done.
3. New A.D. Martin Jarmond will make a difference at UCLA.
Farrell’s take: FACT. The former Boston College athletic director cut his teeth at Ohio State and brings a ton of energy to the table and is very interactive with alumni and students as well as student-athletes. This is a great hire and will allow UCLA to take the next step to compete in the Pac-12 as long as he and Chip Kelly see eye to eye.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Kelly should be the football coach at UCLA for as long as he wants the job and Mick Cronin just finished his first season as basketball coach, so Jarmond won’t have any monumental decisions to make when it comes to coaching hires anytime soon. From a football standpoint, the Bruins have endured their worst two years since at least the 1960s so things aren’t going great, but confidence remains in Kelly that he can build a competitive program. Jarmond is a nice hire but when is an athletic director any kind of game-changer unless he’s making a huge hiring decision?
