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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FACT OR FICTION: Hugh Freeze deserves another Power Five job | Georgia's offensive recruiting could decline
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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1. Penn State is the most underachieving team in the nation.
Farrell’s take: FACT. I can’t think of a team that comes close. Penn State was a top 10 team nationally heading into the season and now the Nittany Lions are 0-3 and the season is over. How does this happen? Don’t give me opt-out excuses or mention Micah Parsons. This is a team with talent that should be better. Bottom line. The question is: Who is behind them as the most disappointing? PSU wins the prize easily.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I never bought Penn State that high in the preseason rankings, especially after Parsons opted out, but then when running backs Journey Brown and Noah Cain went out, it really became clear the Nittany Lions weren’t a playoff-ready team. But to get embarrassed at home by Maryland? That’s just pitiful. Sean Clifford leads the team in rushing, Jahan Dotson is the only major threat in the passing game and the defense has not been great. Yeah, things in State College are not going well.
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2. Rayshaun Benny’s commitment to Spartans could begin to shift the in-state balance of power.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I love this get for the Spartans, and we all know that Michigan has struggled in state with recruiting this year, but other teams are actually the biggest threat in the state. Teams like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and even LSU and Alabama can come in and get big-time players when they want. The Spartans are improving in recruiting under Mel Tucker, but this isn’t a shift yet.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Benny is a huge victory for Michigan State over Michigan, but I don’t think there’s any shift in the balance of power. Over the past five recruiting cycles when it comes to top 10 players in the state, Michigan has landed 15 of them; Michigan State is second with eight. Top players from the state of Michigan by and large stay in the state, and the Wolverines should continue to have the edge on the Spartans.
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3. Michigan and Jim Harbaugh need to part ways.
Farrell’s take: FACT. It’s over. Let’s end it. Part ways mutually and let Harbaugh move on to the NFL and let Michigan try again with someone else. It’s just not working, and once the Wolverines get clubbed by Ohio State, that will seal the deal. Quarterbacks aren’t being developed, the defense has gotten worse and the apathy is evident. It’s time to move on.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I get the frustrations with Harbaugh and I understand Farrell’s points, but it’s awfully difficult to fire someone who has three 10-win seasons in five years and then nine- and eight-win seasons as well. Harbaugh’s winning percentage is just a tick lower than Lloyd Carr, and he was coaching in a different era with far less parity in the game. Let’s not even mention Bo Schembechler, because if we’re comparing Harbaugh to him it would be impossible to live up to that comparison.
More than anything, Michigan fans need to adjust their expectations. This is a program that has one (shared) national championship since the late 1940s and that was in 1997, about 25 years ago. Let’s stop acting like the Wolverines are right on the cusp of national titles when that simply has not been the case. Always comparing your program’s success or failure based on what Ohio State does, or beating the Buckeyes, might not be the right measuring stick.
