National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
MORE FACT OR FICTION: USC's fast start in 2021 is a surprise | Joe Burrow's small hands are cause for concern
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
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1. Oregon will feel the most impact from the 2020 class next season.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Mario Cristobal’s team will get a shot in the arm from players such as Justin Flowe, Noah Sewell and Dontae Manning. And on offense let’s not forget about Kris Hutson and others. They may not play as many true freshman as some other teams at the top, but the impact of the ones they play will be remarkable.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. The Oregon class is excellent and all those guys could have an immediate impact in the Pac-12, but I’m going with LSU. Elias Ricks has the ability to earn the starting cornerback job opposite Derek Stingley Jr., tight end Arik Gilbert has the physical ability to play from day one, receiver Kayshon Boutte can be a huge contributor early on and safety Jordan Toles could help on the back end. Oregon will have a lot of instant-impact freshmen, but LSU could have even more.
2. The Gators can win the SEC recruiting battle in 2021. Â
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I love the addition of Tim Brewster on the staff, and he will take recruiting at Florida to another level. However, can we really pick the Gators to win the national recruiting title? Because that’s what it takes to win the SEC. Even Urban Meyer only did that once at Florida and he was the best head coach recruiter to ever live. So you have to take Alabama, Georgia and LSU as teams that have a better shot at finishing on top.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Georgia is coming off three straight team recruiting titles. Alabama has won its fair share and the Crimson Tide are looking to return to the top, especially after being out of the College Football Playoff. LSU is coming off a national title, so recruiting will be great. Those are the three biggest hurdles for Florida to win the SEC, and then there are Clemson, Ohio State and others that recruit so well in other conferences. Dan Mullen is a phenomenal coach and Tim Brewster is a great recruiter, but the Gators aren’t swimming in those deep waters just yet.
3. UCLA is the forgotten team in recruiting around college football.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Think about it. Think back to a few years ago and the teams you thought about in each Power Five conference. Clemson, FSU and Miami still lead the way in the ACC, and the powers that be in the SEC have been discussed above. Texas and Oklahoma are still the top dogs in the Big 12, while Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State lead the way in the Big Ten. But the Pac-12? USC is still mentioned, even though they had a horrible class last year, and now it’s Oregon and to a lesser extent Washington that have the momentum. UCLA? Not really a big factor since Chip Kelly took over, which is amazing and not in a good way. The Bruins need a shot in the arm.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. The first two years on the field and in recruiting have not gone well at all for Kelly, but he’s a smart guy with a plan that has usually worked during his coaching career. I’m still going to lean on the side of he knows what he’s doing and it will take a while to get things jump-started. UCLA was never a huge national name in recruiting, but how about this: The Bruins were ranked ahead of Minnesota, Louisville, Arkansas, NC State, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and USC. The Bruins haven’t been great, but things could be getting slightly better.
