Fact or Fiction: Texas A&M is the front-runner for Walter Nolen
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney, along with national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman, Mark Passwaters of AggieYell.com and Justin Rowland of CatsIllustrated.com, tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. After another good trip to Texas A&M, the Aggies should be considered the front-runner for five-star Walter Nolen.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Texas A&M should be considered the front-runner, but when it comes to Nolen a surprise could be in store and there are still things to watch. The five-star is visiting Alabama this weekend, and when Nick Saban wants somebody he makes it very hard to say no. Florida is probably a stretch, but can't be counted out yet. I’m not sold that Georgia is out, and Tennessee is still very much in the picture. But the Aggies are doing a great job with him and with his family, and they could be on the way to a phenomenal defensive line recruiting class.
Passwaters’ take: FACT. This race may not even be close. Nolen has been to College Station twice in three weeks and has seen impressive performances both times. A&M held South Carolina to 15 yards of total offense before pulling its starters at the end of the third quarter when it was up 44–0, which he surely noticed. Fellow finalist Tennessee is going backward and Georgia may be out after getting Bear Alexander back in the fold. Nolen is rumored to be getting close to a decision, and if that’s true A&M should be considered the favorite.
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2. Five-star QB Walker Howard finally took his visit to Notre Dame, and the Irish have a real shot of flipping him from LSU.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I’ll believe this when I see it. Howard is an LSU legacy, he’s been committed for so long and once a new coach is hired - unless it’s a complete disaster of a hire - I would imagine that the five-star stays committed to the Tigers. It is a little curious that he took a Notre Dame visit and it’s something to watch, but I still think he wants to play at LSU, and after the coaching stuff subsides Howard will remain in the LSU recruiting class.
Spiegelman’s take: FICTION. Howard's father has a longstanding bond with Notre Dame OC Tommy Rees, and it's no coincidence about the timing of this official visit, but Howard is an LSU legacy and in wait-and-see mode with whoever is tabbed as the Tigers' next head coach and offensive coordinator. The Howards remain well-informed of what LSU is doing behind the scenes, and in the meantime they are just making sure they have other options. At this point in the calendar, Howard remains committed to LSU with plans to enroll at the midyear mark.
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3. Kiyaunta Goodwin took a visit to Alabama over the weekend and will take other trips, too. It will be nearly impossible for Kentucky to keep him in the class.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Nearly impossible is way too strong of a term, but Kentucky has some real competition in Goodwin’s recruitment now. I would not be surprised at all if he stays with the Wildcats because of all those relationships that have been built over time, but he spent time with coach Nick Saban and many others at Alabama over the weekend, including taking pics with QB Bryce Young and OL Evan Neal, as the hard sell is put on by the Crimson Tide. That’s the biggest competition right now, and the word I’m getting is that Goodwin was very impressed by his trip to Tuscaloosa. Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State and others are also involved. While I think Kentucky can definitely keep him, I don’t think it’s a lock.
Rowland’s take: FICTION. Not only do I think it is possible, but I am pretty confident that Kentucky will keep Kiyaunta Goodwin on board. He has been to UK so many times since he was in junior high, and both he and trainer Chris Vaughn have a great relationship with associate head coach Vince Marrow. For months we have known these trips are going to happen, so unless he flips while he is on one of these trips I don't think Kentucky loses him. He had all of these offers before he verbally committed to UK, and he had already visited many of these places. If UK were having a bad year that would be a different story.