Fact or Fiction: QB Gunner Stockton will end up at Auburn
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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1. Gunner Stockton will end up at Auburn.
Farrell’s take: FACT. When offensive coordinator Mike Bobo left South Carolina for Auburn, the writing was on the wall for four-star Gunner Stockton’s decommitment from the Gamecocks. And now that it’s happened, Stockton will clearly end up playing for an attractive offense under new Auburn coach Bryan Harsin and for Bobo. And he’ll bring some key skill position players with him down the line as well. This is a big blow for the Gamecocks and great for Auburn.
Gorney’s take: FACT. As Southeast analyst Chad Simmons documented, Stockton has a few connections to Bobo and his family, so that’s going to play a major role in his thinking moving forward. Plus, Harsin has done well with quarterbacks during his coaching career and there will be a big opportunity with the Tigers, so this makes sense. Stockton will almost definitely stay in the Southeast. Georgia might have a slight chance, but this looks like it's all Auburn right now.
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2. Wan'Dale Robinson wasn’t used correctly at Nebraska.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Robinson was supposed to be the Rondale Moore of the Nebraska offense, but I don’t think he was used as creatively as he could have been. He’s the kind of player you need to get in space and work the ball to on slants and bubble screens as well as inside handoffs and let him do his thing with 20 touches a game. Under offensive coordinator Liam Coen at Kentucky, he will be used just like that.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Robinson led the team in receptions and yards by far this past season, and he was the Huskers’ favorite target. But the problem was Nebraska’s offense was downright bad for long stretches, so Robinson couldn’t do much with his opportunities. As a freshman, he was second on the team in receiving.
So coach Scott Frost tried to get him the ball, but this season the Huskers averaged just 23.1 points per game. The only Big Ten teams that scored less were Illinois and Michigan State. Robinson was a key part of Nebraska’s offense. The problem was the group just wasn’t very good.
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3. Armani Winfield is an example of how Steve Sarkisian will recruit at Texas.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Winfield is a dynamic receiver talent and a kid I like better than his ranking, so this is a great start for Steve Sarkisian at Texas. And yes, recruiting will see an uptick in state. It has to, because under Charlie Strong and Tom Herman it was pretty bad. This is a very positive sign.
Gorney’s take: FACT. In recent recruiting classes, top in-state prospects just have not wanted to go play at Texas. In 2020, none of the top 12 players signed with the Longhorns. None of the top 10 in 2019. None of the top seven and only one of the top 10 in 2018. That is a recent trend that Herman could not reverse, but it's one that Sarkisian needs to do so immediately - and a big first step is getting Winfield on board. Seven of the top 10 players in the 2022 Texas state rankings remain uncommitted, so this is a major chance for Sark to set the precedent that once again top players in the state of Texas play for the Longhorns.