Fact or Fiction: Miami, FSU will finish in bottom half of ACC
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. Neither Miami nor Florida State will finish in the top half of the ACC with no divisional play.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I am relying on Miami and D’Eriq King and that nasty defense to battle to at least finish third or fourth in the temporary 15-team ACC with Notre Dame now added. As for Florida State? The Seminoles are a year or more away and will likely finish in the bottom half.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I’m not buying Florida State just yet, although first-year coach Mike Norvell is a tremendous upgrade and should get the Seminoles back to ACC contention, but as I’ve said all along Miami is going to be a sleeper not only in the ACC but nationally this season. After Clemson, the conference is wide open and the Hurricanes have a dynamic playmaker at quarterback and an outstanding defense and I just don’t think they’re getting the respect they deserve in the preseason rankings. Miami has the better shot right now as Florida State still tries to find its footing.
2. Tyler Shelvin will live up to his five-star status for LSU.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Tyler Shelvin was a prospect we debated over and over as a five-star in 2017 mainly because of his weight. He was 360 pounds or so in high school and very athletic and impressive for his size, but he hasn’t lived up to that five-star ranking yet. But last season was his best in college and he’s starting to show that ability to dominate. The NFL loves big tackles, but teams prefer if they can chase the quarterback so Shelvin needs to work on that and not just be a pocket crusher. And I think we will see the next step this season.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. The debate over Shelvin being a five-star was rampant - and it should have sided on him being a high four-star instead of a five with the gift of hindsight. He’s an important part of LSU’s defense and he’s a mammoth of a man in the middle who has shown improvement, but he also had only 39 tackles (three for loss) and no sacks last season as the Tigers charged to the national championship. Is he a first-round NFL Draft pick? Probably not. Which means he should not have been a five-star prospect.
3. Tight end Gunnar Helm is an upgrade for Texas.
Farrell’s take: FACT. The Longhorns had Landen King committed but he decided to head to the SEC and is now in Auburn’s class. But the key for any power program is to replace a loss with equal or greater talent and Texas did that with Gunnar Helm. Now if I’m Tom Herman I’d rather have a local tight end than one from Colorado, but the talent difference is enough to say the Longhorns upgraded. Helm is a tad bigger and more physically ready to impact, so this is a nice sign for this Texas class. It will also help its national recruiting perception.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Helm traveled the country, went high and low, near and far, on visits to find the right spot for him. But when Texas offered late and then he decided to swing through Austin even though he couldn’t meet with the coaches, that trip sold him on the Longhorns. It could turn out to be an excellent marriage.
Helm is a matchup problem because he’s big, long and tall but also athletic where he can stretch the field, line up in the slot and he’s great in space. You’re not going to get a ton of blocking out of Helm at least early in his career as he develops physically, but he’s a great red-zone threat and should be excellent in the Big 12.