Published May 1, 2021
Fact or Fiction: Nicholas Singleton will end up at Penn State
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Adam Gorney  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Director
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@adamgorney

Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt along with Ryan Snyder of BlueWhiteIllustrated.com and Gary Ferman of CaneSport.com tackle three topics in recruiting and determine whether they believe the statements or not.

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1. After all is said and done with visits, Nicholas Singleton will end up at Penn State.

Gorney’s take: FACT. Counting out Wisconsin, Alabama, Notre Dame and Ohio State is hard, and by no means am I doing that since all of those programs have the firepower to land Nicholas Singleton, but I still think Penn State is the team to beat. When he takes his official visit to Happy Valley in June it will only reinforce how he’s leaning right now.

Snyder’s take: FACT. If you would've asked me this a few months ago, I probably would've said fiction, but since the start of spring, and especially in recent weeks, it feels like Penn State has put themselves in the best position. Now, I'll also clarify that if you think I'm ruling out Ohio State and Notre Dame, that's not the case at all. Add in the fact that he swapped out his Northwestern visit for Alabama and things get all the more interesting. However, despite all of that, there seems to be a quiet confidence among the people I speak with close to the Nittany Lions. Singleton himself even admitted last week that it's "definitely fair to say [Penn State is] trending in the right direction." Visits will be important - that's the case for just about every 2022 prospect in the country this year - but his bond with James Franklin, plus the school's proximity to home should keep Nick Singleton in Pennsylvania when it's all said and done.

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2. After decommitting from Florida State, Nyjalik Kelly will end up at Miami.

Gorney’s take: FICTION. This is a tough one to answer because Nyjalik Kelly can definitely end up at Miami and seeing that a visit is coming up in only a few weeks is a very good indication for the Hurricanes. I 100-percent believe Miami is a front-runner here. But it’s too early for me to definitively say his recruitment is over and he’s going to commit there. His recruitment has completely taken off this spring with offers from Texas, LSU, Michigan and others. The Florida offer could be one to watch and if Alabama decides to get in then all bets are off. Miami is in a great spot but I don’t think this one is over yet.

Ferman’s take: FACT. The fact that he decommitted from Florida State, scheduled a visit to Miami for the Hurricanes' June 1 barbeque, and that he is from South Florida is too much to ignore. Kelly is a quiet kid who doesn't reveal a lot so you have to read the tea leaves. He once told us he grew up a Florida fan and the Gators have offered, so if they get serious in his recruitment Dan Mullen won't be able to be ignored. But a commitment to Miami makes a lot of sense here. Kelly fits the mold of Miami outside pass rushers.

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3. Tennessee has a better chance with Caden Curry now that teammate Tayven Jackson is committed.

Gorney’s take: FICTION. I’m pretty convinced that Ohio State is the leader for Caden Curry and it could be by a wide margin. Following the Buckeyes are Alabama and Clemson and we can haggle about which one has the edge there but those three are definitely high on the list. I just don’t see how Curry, who has the biggest offers in college football and should decide from those programs, is going to turn all that down to head to Tennessee and a first-year offensive head coach just because his teammate and friend is going there. Give me Ohio State and then the field.

Helmholdt’s take: FICTION. Landing Tayven Jackson does not hurt Tennessee's chances with Curry, but the two were never a package deal and do not talk about playing together in college. It could happen, but only because it was the right choice for each player individually. As it stands, I like the chances of Ohio State, Clemson and Alabama with Curry more than I like Tennessee's.