Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney is joined by Jeremy Birmingham of DottingTheEyes.com, Jed May of UGASports.com and Ryan Young of TrojanSports.com to tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Na'eem Offord is taking two visits to Alabama this week. Ohio State should be very concerned.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Na'eem Offord was in Tuscaloosa earlier this week and he’s expected back at Alabama this weekend for an official visit. I talked to a good source earlier this week who said the Crimson Tide are definitely the team to watch here but that Auburn, Georgia, Oregon and now LSU are jumping in the picture as well. Sometimes, when this happens, a prospect will back off his commitment to review everything and then make a later decision. Ohio State is still in very good shape here and playing alongside fellow five-star Devin Sanchez is a major draw but there is not a lot of reasons to be concerned.
Birmingham’s take: FACT. Ohio State should be concerned about the status of Na’eem Offord’s recruitment but not specifically because of these trips to Alabama or his recent visits to Auburn or Oregon. It’s 2024 and nearly every five-star recruitment will be a nailbiter but that’s especially true when it involves a player from the heart of SEC who is committed anywhere.
On the surface, Offord continues to say all the right things and there’s been no sign of real worry from the Buckeyes but every trip to another school is a dent in the Buckeyes' armor. Thankfully for Ohio State, they’ll host Offord and his family for his official visit in the next few weeks and they’ll get a chance to firm it back up. Still, this is something that will be a concern between now and signing day.
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2. Georgia is definitely the frontrunner for four-star WR Talyn Taylor after his recent visit.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Since last summer, Talyn Taylor has been really enamored with Georgia after his first visit there and this might have shored things up even more. The four-star receiver from Geneva, Ill., and his mother loved it in Athens last weekend and the bar has been set really high for any other team to land him now. From the coaches, to the big-time atmosphere, to the development, Taylor likes a ton about the Bulldogs so it would be a surprise – but not a total shock – if he ends up anywhere else as some Midwest teams are still in the running.
May’s take: FICTION. I only say fiction because of the word definitely here. I believe Georgia is the front-runner, but schools such as Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan are going to make it tough. Still, the Bulldogs have been doing a tremendous job of recruiting Taylor for nearly a year now. Multiple unofficial visits from Illinois to Georgia shows how interested Taylor is, as does the fact that Georgia got the first official visit last weekend. I see Georgia as the team to beat, but by no means is it a lock for the Bulldogs.
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3. The rumors and innuendo around five-star QB Julian Lewis' recruitment gets tamped down after he visits USC again this weekend.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Until Julian Lewis signs with a program – and I still believe USC is in a strong position to keep him – the rumors about his recruitment are not going to end. The rumors about Lincoln Riley wanting to go to the NFL are not going to end. Nothing is going to end until Lewis shows up in Los Angeles to play some football. Months ago, it was that Georgia would definitely flip him. Then it was to watch out for Alabama. Now Auburn and Colorado (and Indiana?!?) are programs to watch because he can start from Day 1 there. Well, he can most likely start from Day 1 at USC as well. This is a monster visit in Los Angeles this weekend, no doubt about it. But it won’t stop all the rumors about his recruitment.
Young’s take: FACT. Every visit Julian Lewis has taken elsewhere has provided fodder to speculate on what it means for his USC commitment. He and his family have been clear all along that they were going to take these visits and be thorough through the recruiting process so that they had relationships and options intact in case the situation at USC changed suddenly. This weekend, the buzz will be about who Lewis is recruiting to join him with the Trojans, as he is making his return to campus during USC’s biggest visitor weekend of the month – no coincidence. Especially if a commitment or several follow.
