Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analyst Cole Patterson along with Caleb Jones of AuburnSports.com and Mark Passwaters of AggieYell.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Texas A&M should move on from Jimbo Fisher.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Look, it’s just not working out. We can run down the litany of comparisons to Kevin Sumlin, who got fired in his sixth season – no losing ones – because there are some striking comparisons. Sumlin won 66 percent of his games; Jimbo Fisher has won 64 percent. Sumlin was 25-23 in the SEC; Fisher is 25-20. The Aggies have better players under Fisher than they did under Sumlin or maybe at any time in a few decades. But the results are not being shown on the field.
Texas A&M has one double-digit winning season since 1998 and it was Sumlin’s first year. That’s hard to believe but it’s true. This was a team that was supposed to be competing for national titles by now. It can’t beat Miami or Tennessee. Would it be a shock if Texas A&M lost every remaining conference game? No. It wouldn’t be a shock if they won every one, either.
Former Florida athletics director Jeremy Foley used to say, “If you have to do something one day, do it today,” meaning if something is inevitable, move on now and don’t delay the inevitable. This feels like an inevitable situation.
Passwaters’ take: FACT. But it's not an average offense that's holding the Aggies back, but an absolutely terrible offensive line. It was the same problem last year and no changes were made. Bobby Petrino has improved the offense, but he and Fisher still haven't grasped the reality that the line is bad and their play calls have to change accordingly. That stubbornness is wasting a defense that has allowed fewer than 12 points a game since week 2. Jimbo says that they've got to find ways to get the extra inches, but they haven't gotten them for most of the last six years. The results simply aren't commensurate with the salary.
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2. Duncanville teammate Colin Simmons will be able to flip 2025 five-star WR teammate Dakorien Moore from LSU to Texas.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I don’t have a ton of confidence in this pick – and no one else should either because this recruitment is completely up in the air. Dakorien Moore remains committed to LSU and he’s been there multiple times recently but he keeps going back to Texas as well and that could be really compelling down the stretch, especially if the Longhorns continue to have such a great season. There is a very real chance Moore stays committed to the Tigers because that offense has routinely produced elite receivers but there is also a good shot for Texas to flip him and with Colin Simmons in his ear, that could be compelling.
Patterson’s take: FICTION. Texas won out in a contested recruitment for five-star defensive end Colin Simmons, the top-ranked player in the state. LSU finished as a close runner-up and then proceeded to land five-star teammate Dakorien Moore in another battle between the Longhorns and Tigers. Since Moore committed to LSU, he has made multiple visits to Austin as the Longhorns continue to recruit him and treat him as a priority. However, Moore has also been back to Baton Rouge and has been vocal about his pledge.
While I do expect Texas to continue being a real factor to potentially flip Moore, I don’t see it being anywhere close to a foregone conclusion. Simmons will undoubtedly be in Moore’s ear but so will fellow Duncanville teammate, Rivals100 running back Caden Durham, who is set to play for Brian Kelly on the next level. One way or another, Moore’s recruitment could very well go down all the way to 2025 signing day.
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3. Auburn should be concerned about keeping four-star OL DeAndre Carter from flipping to Texas.
Gorney’s take: FACT. The story I’ve heard is that DeAndre Carter still wants to play at Auburn and that he loved his trips there and felt completely comfortable. But Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei offensive line mate Brandon Baker is committed to Texas. Carter took a great visit to Austin recently and some close to him are likely putting the Longhorns' bug in his ear. Add to those factors that coach Steve Sarkisian and OL coach Kyle Flood attended his game last Friday, and there seems to be some movement toward Texas. From what I’ve been told, Carter still wants to go to Auburn. But definitely, there should at least be concern.
Jones’ take: FACT. Carter seems solid in his pledge to Auburn at the moment, but there's still a lot of time before signing day and Texas is bringing the heat. In order to hold onto a guy like Carter, Auburn will have to continue to recruit him at a relentless level — it's the only way to succeed in the SEC. Texas will do the same thing up until signing day, so now the task becomes holding onto Carter and fending off the Longhorns. The good news for Auburn is that it sounds like the Tigers still have a decent upper hand, but with Carter being the lone commit in a position of need, this is someone they can't risk losing.
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