Fact or Fiction: Shemar Stewart is torn between Texas A&M and Miami
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney along with Gary Ferman from CaneSport.com, Julie Boudwin of TigerDetails.com and Brandon Justice of TheMaizeandBlueReview.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Shemar Stewart is now completely torn between Miami and Texas A&M heading into Wednesday.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Miami put on a phenomenal weekend for Shemar Stewart and the Hurricanes are in a great position to land him with momentum on their side since they got the last visit and it went really well. The two sticking points would be that Miami still does not have a defensive coordinator hired and Texas A&M has been recruiting him for so long and showing so much love. Turning down the Aggies after a late run by Miami’s new staff could be hard. I would say Stewart has a whole lot more to think about now after a great trip down the road this past weekend but the Aggies have reason to remain confident, too.
Ferman’s take: FACT. A month ago, Stewart probably would have been locked in with Texas A&M, but Miami has come on strong and did a great job on his official visit weekend. Stewart had his own itinerary for most of the two days as the coaching staff wanted to make sure all his questions were answered. Yes, this could still go either way Wednesday, but Miami is in a much better place than it ever has been. The only thing working against the Hurricanes right this minute has been a delay in finalizing a defensive coordinator hire.
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2. After all is said and done, five-star OL Josh Conerly will stay in the Pacific Northwest.
Gorney’s take: FACT. By no means is Michigan out of this and if Jim Harbaugh stays in Ann Arbor then the Wolverines absolutely have a great chance to land Josh Conerly. His visit to The Big House this past season and his connection with Sherrone Moore is definitely strong. But I’ve gotten the sense that Courtney Morgan was his guy there and now with him at Washington and Conerly’s high level of respect for new coach Kalen DeBoer, things are going to be really interesting. Oregon will also play a role here especially after signing day, although the Ducks trail right now. USC shouldn’t be counted out, either. If I had to pick right now, I’d say Conerly stays closer to home.
Justice’s take: FICTION. With Conerly waiting it out until March, his recruitment continues to be one of the best-kept secrets ahead of National Signing Day. Michigan offensive line coach Sherrone Moore has prioritized the five-star tackle from the jump and things got close to a commitment following an official visit for the Washington game in Week 2. Now four months removed from that visit, the cards have shuffled. His main recruiter, Courtney Morgan, left for Washington. He’s taken visits to newly involved schools like Miami and Oklahoma. And Jim Harbaugh is taking NFL interviews.
Timing is everything in recruiting, though, and Michigan will have things ironed out by the time Conerly decides whether Harbaugh is in Ann Arbor, Minneapolis or South Beach. Ultimately, if Harbaugh sticks around Michigan can regain its momentum. Ann Arbor offers him a place at a peak with a roster he can jell into quickly. Michigan’s best weapon here is time. It’s the only school that's gotten as close as it did to a pledge from Conerly. If Harbaugh elects to sign his extension then Michigan is still confident in its chances.
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3. LSU will close with a huge bang landing Jacoby Mathews, Harold Perkins and Trevonte Citizen.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I’m pretty confident after talking to people following their weekend visits that Jacoby Mathews and Harold Perkins could very well end up at LSU. They each loved their trips to Baton Rouge and while Perkins is considered an out-of-state prospect he’s originally from Louisiana and grew up a Tigers fan. I’d actually be surprised at this point if both don’t end up in Baton Rouge. TreVonte' Citizen is much more complicated. Auburn is definitely up there because of his relationship with Cadillac Williams and Florida is in there, too, because of lots of Louisiana connections on that coaching staff. But LSU is making a serious run, too, and there are a lot of familiar faces in Baton Rouge. It could happen that all three end up at LSU but Citizen is too much of a wild card right now.
Boudwin’s take: FACT. I’m cautiously going to say fact. LSU knocked it out of the park with visits this past weekend for both Perkins and Mathews and even though Auburn is still in the mix for' Citizen, the pull of home may just win out in the end.