Fact or Fiction: Ohio State is best 'national' recruiting program
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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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
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1. The Buckeyes are recruiting better than anyone nationally.
Farrell’s take: FACT. The 2022 class starts with Louisiana DB Jyaire Brown, and 2021 features big names from Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Missouri, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Colorado and others states as Ryan Day has it rolling in Columbus. Other programs like Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and LSU do a great job recruiting nationally as well, but no one is doing it better than Ohio State right now.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Ohio State is doing phenomenally well in recruiting and the Buckeyes could be headed toward its first-ever team recruiting championship in the Rivals era dating back to 2002. That’s hard to believe because Urban Meyer had Ohio State rolling through his tenure, but Day has given them an even bigger boost.
Clemson and Georgia could pass Ohio State at some point, just considering sheer numbers and average star ranking, but Day is doing great and that should continue as he finishes out the 2021 class.
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2. LSU won’t lose most of the 2021 in-state prospects they covet.
Farrell’s take: FACT. The state of Louisiana isn’t loaded in 2021, and LSU lost elite DB Jyaire Brown in the 2022 class, but there’s no reason to worry. Brown was an Ohio transplant who is playing in Louisiana, so it’s not a shocker to see him choose the Buckeyes. And LSU is in great shape for guys like DT Maason Smith, WR Chris Hilton, DBs Sage Ryan and Kaine Williams and others. LSU is recruiting more nationally than ever before, but the Tigers won’t forget their home-state warriors.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Last recruiting cycle, LSU landed four of the top five in-state prospects and I don’t see that changing in the 2021 class, especially with the Tigers coming off the national title and the coronavirus travel ban in full effect. It’s expected more players will stay closer to home in this class, at least that’s my theory, since they won’t be able to travel the country for a while and uncertainty in the future leads me to think top recruits will end up closer to home. That bodes well for LSU and the in-state prospects as it usually dominates recruiting anyway with local recruits and should again this year.
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3. Florida State needs a 'War Daddy' in state to get things rolling.
Farrell’s take: FACT. FSU has five commitments in the 2021 class, led by in-state linebacker Branden Jennings, but the Seminoles need a huge name in the state to choose Mike Norvell over the rest to jump start recruiting. They need someone like Corey Collier or Jacorey Brooks or even a 2022 prospect like Julian Armella to hop on board and start the momentum rolling. My best guess? Armella might be the guy.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. It’s hard to believe, but over the past four recruiting cycles Florida State has only landed two top-five players in the state. So that’s 20 players and the Seminoles only got two. From the prospects I talk to, Norvell and his staff have been aggressively recruiting not only the state but top targets around the country and it’s going to pay off.
First, though, Norvell has to prove his system works in Tallahassee. I’ve said this for a while, but the best thing for Norvell is that Willie Taggart did such a bad job at FSU. Any sign of upward momentum and recruits are going to get really interested - especially if the Seminoles can score points and skill players get excited. I don’t think FSU needs a “War Daddy” recruit to jump start things; the Seminoles just need to show a pulse this season.