Fact or Fiction: Tarik Black will start immediately at Texas
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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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
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1. Tarik Black will start right away at Texas.
CHECK OUT BLACK'S IMPACT METER IN THE RIVALS TRANSFER TRACKER
Farrell’s take: FACT. With Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson gone, Black gets plugged in right away with his experience. He didn’t light up the world at Michigan due to injury and poor quarterback play so we really haven’t seen how explosive he can be in a long time but this kid has always been a great route runner and technician, and that never changes. He’s a plug-and-play guy.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Texas is looking for playmakers at receiver with some important departures and Black could be a tremendous addition – if he can stay healthy. That has been a major issue for Black and has really held him back through his college career. However, Black is a really talented kid who was a Rivals100 prospect coming out of high school. With Sam Ehlinger throwing the ball and an offense that has the ability to put up points, Black should not only start but thrive right away in the Longhorns’ offense.
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2. Dylan Brooks is the biggest commitment in recent days for the Vols.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I love Brooks as a player and he’s obviously highly ranked but to me Julian Nixon is a commitment fans can get a bit more excited about. Brooks will be a terror off the edge, but Nixon is a huge wide receiver who can play the role the Vols were hoping Arik Gilbert would play had he chose the Vols over LSU. Kamar Wilcoxson is also an important pick-up at defensive back and building the defense is key but Nixon will make things a lot easier for Harrison Bailey down the line.
Gorney’s take: FACT. The commitment of Brooks is the most important because Tennessee showed again that it could go up against quality SEC opponents and win recruiting battles. Auburn might have been the team to beat for Brooks but the Volunteers showed more love down the stretch and it paid off with his commitment. Tennessee has done an excellent job being active, being convincing with recruits and it’s paying off. Nixon and Wilcoxson are two other important ones but Brooks is the biggest by far.
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3. Iowa has landed the best sleeper commits in recent days.
Farrell’s take: FACT. By sleeper I mean guys that may not be on the national radar but will be very good football players and Iowa has landed three recently. Arland Bruce is a very good athlete out of Kansas and could play many positions although wide receiver seems to be in his future. Offensive linemen David Davidkov and Beau Stephens are perfect fits for what Iowa wants to do on offense. Throw in Max Llewelyn, who is one of those homegrown kids who will have a great work ethic and you have some nice gets for Iowa. I like what Missouri and others are doing as well but watch out for these guys for Iowa.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. There’s no doubt Iowa has been really impressive recently but Virginia is loading up with talented players too and not a lot of people are talking about the Cavaliers. Cal was going to land four-star DE Josh McCarron until an excellent Zoom meeting with the Virginia coaches sold him on that program. Since then, UVa has landed pledges from DBs Micah Gaffney and William Simpkins and quarterback Jacob Rodriguez. All four of those commits are from out-of-state and getting those players to commit during the coronavirus travel ban is impressive.
