Fact or Fiction: Ricky Parks, Marcel Brooks, RB tandems
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
FACT OR FICTION: Will LSU continue to invade the Midwest?
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
1. Ricky Parks to Utah is a huge surprise.
Farrell’s take: FACT. I know Zach Moss hails from Florida, so it’s not a stunner that Ricky Parks, an elite running back from the Sunshine State, would follow but all signs pointed to Iowa here until the hours leading up to his announcement. Parks is a talented prospect and a huge get for Utah, but he hasn’t visited, yet so time will tell if this sticks. But this is a gut punch to the Hawkeyes.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Iowa was believed to be the leader for Parks almost up until decision time, so it is a little surprising that he picked Utah, but the Utes’ coaching staff stayed hopeful throughout his recruitment and felt they had a chance leading up to the commitment. The four-star running back was down to Iowa and Utah so it’s not an absolute shocker he picked the Utes, especially with its history of developing running backs. But he did only do a virtual visit with the staff, so it will be interesting to see if Utah can keep him in this class.
2. LB Marcel Brooks will end up at Baylor.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Dave Aranda was the defensive coordinator at LSU when Brooks was recruited and now he’s the head coach at one of the Power Five programs in Brooks’ home state of Texas. It’s not a lock, but you can read the tea leaves here with Brooks' surprising decision to transfer from LSU.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Out of high school, Brooks committed to LSU over Alabama and so I wouldn’t count out the Crimson Tide in this race as it heats up in the coming weeks as Brooks wasn’t all that set on staying home for college in the first place. But the Aranda connection makes sense. According to reports, Brooks and LSU’s staff met Friday and it was decided shortly thereafter that he would transfer. No doubt Aranda will go after Brooks because the former five-star is so talented, but nothing I’ve heard guarantees that Brooks will end up at Baylor.
3. Clemson has the best 1-2 punch at running back in the country.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Travis Etienne is elite and Lyn-J Dixon is a very solid backup, providing 600-plus yards last season, but give me the Penn State combination of Journey Brown and Noah Cain. These two are lightning and thunder and complement each other very well. It wouldn’t shock me to see both go over 1,000 yards next season with Cain as the touchdown maker of the duo.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I have nothing against Brown and Cain and they should be a stellar one-two punch at Penn State this season, but let’s get real people: Etienne might be the best running back in college football and Dixon is a talented kid who could also be one of the best backs in the ACC. Let’s remember that Etienne rushed for 19 touchdowns last year (one less than Brown and Cain combined) and that was a step down from what he did in the previous season. Penn State’s two guys are great, but Clemson’s are better.