Rivals National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney and recruiting analysts Josh Helmholdt, Sam Spiegelman and Adam Friedman tackle three topics in recruiting and determine whether they believe each statement or not.
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1. The Ohio State offer for DE Dani Dennis-Sutton is a game-changer in his recruitment.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Before I get into my answer, there are some stipulations: If Dennis-Sutton really does only visit Penn State, Georgia and Alabama and does keep his commitment timetable for July, then all bets are off and Ohio State has very little chance. But an offer from the Buckeyes can be really compelling for a lot of players, so if over the next few weeks the high four-star defensive end starts working on a visit to Columbus or pushes his decision back until he can get to Ohio State, then the Buckeyes have a real chance. Ohio State rarely misses out on top prospects it really wants and Dennis-Sutton could be entering that stage now.
Friedman’s take: FICTION. Dennis-Sutton was really excited to get the Ohio State offer on Monday, a day after winning the defensive line MVP award at the New Jersey Rivals Camp on Sunday. He knows what the Buckeyes are able to do with defensive ends and the Maryland native has been watching the Buckeyes for years - but this offer may have come a little too late. Dennis-Sutton has visits scheduled with Penn State, Alabama, and Georgia in June, and he wants to make his decision in early July. He scheduled those visits because of his strong relationships at each school. Dennis-Sutton's relationship with Ohio State is still very new and it could be hard for them to build a strong enough relationship with him and get him on campus before he wants to commit.
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2. Oklahoma should be concerned about Luther Burden's commitment since he will take visits.
Gorney’s take: FACT. There are no compelling indications yet that Burden is wavering on his commitment, and Oklahoma fans can be soothed by the idea that the five-star receiver is not taking official visits on his own to these places and is instead going with a 7-on-7 team. But when I see Alabama, especially, on the visit list then that should concern some people. Georgia has a chance and Ole Miss seems like a long shot, but Alabama has done so well developing receivers that if a seed is planted in Burden’s head that was not there before then that’s something to watch. It’s likely - probably very likely - that Burden sticks with his Oklahoma pledge. But Alabama could become an issue.
Helmholdt’s take: FICTION. The recruiting process is about to enter a period unlike any we have seen before with the nearly 15-month dead period ending. Many of the prospects in the 2022 class have never made a real recruiting visit. Kids committed for months are going to be checking out other schools at a rate much higher than we see in normal recruiting years. Burden is traveling with his high school 7-on-7 team to several SEC campuses in June. I expect they will do many of the normal recruiting activities like facility tours and meeting with coaches while on those campuses, but he is not taking official visits. Burden may end up somewhere other than Oklahoma when this is all said and done, but in and of themselves these trips should not dramatically raise the anxiety level of Oklahoma fans.
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3. Quency Wiggins has an SEC battle going on in his recruitment but he's from Baton Rouge, so he's a lock to LSU.
Gorney’s take: FACT. LSU rarely loses out on prospects from Louisiana it wants, and Wiggins is quickly becoming one of those guys. I don’t see Auburn as a significant threat, not that coach Bryan Harsin and his staff can’t compete for regional talent, but this kid is from Baton Rouge, so that leads me to believe he’s headed to LSU. An offer from Alabama would make this very interesting, but I’d say he’s as close to a lock as possible for LSU.
Spiegelman’s take: FACT. The more LSU sees of Wiggins, the higher he's climbing on the Tigers' priority list, and they're being open about it. Still, the Rivals250 defensive end and recent Five-Star Challenge invitee will officially visit Auburn and will work out at Alabama in hopes of landing an offer in June. He visited Florida State for the spring game as well, so the Tigers are going to have to impress in a big way in these upcoming visits.