Fact or Fiction: Tony Grimes will end up at Georgia
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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FACT OR FICTION: Games should be played without fans, if necessary | Auburn is a sleeper to watch in recruiting
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
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1. Tony Grimes will end up at Georgia.
Farrell’s take: FACT. OK, this is a bit premature as Grimes has put out his top eight and there are many schools in the mix and a ton of visits to be taken when things get back to normal. But something tells me he’ll end up at UGA, based on his first impression and how comfortable he has become with the coaches. Ohio State, Clemson, North Carolina, Penn State and others will be in the mix and make a push, but right now the Dawgs are in good shape. Teaming with Kelee Ringo has to be tempting.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Georgia is the leader at this point, and when the Bulldogs make someone a priority they don’t usually lose out. Grimes is definitely a top "want" for the Georgia recruiting staff and so after a bunch of visits and going through the recruiting cycle, my bet is that Georgia lands him. Penn State is probably the biggest threat, and I could see North Carolina sticking around, but Georgia has captured his attention. It’s big-time SEC football and the Bulldogs have the edge at this point.
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2. Micah Morris to Georgia is a big blow to Alabama.
Farrell’s take: FACT. The talented offensive lineman committed to Georgia this week despite growing up a big Alabama fan and being a heavy lean to Alabama at one point. This is another example of the recruiting power of Kirby Smart as he begins to win more battles with Nick Saban than he loses.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. There’s no doubt things are getting more difficult on the recruiting trail for Saban with Georgia recruiting so well and Clemson getting almost any top recruit it wants, but the Crimson Tide will be fine. Let’s remember that this is Alabama, and just a few years ago the Crimson Tide landed Jedrick Wills, Jonah Williams and Alex Leatherwood. Saban can still go anywhere for anybody and five-star Amarius Mims is definitely in play for Alabama, although Georgia probably leads. Morris is a miss, but there are higher-value offensive tackles on the board and the Crimson Tide will be fine.
MORE: Morris commits to UGA
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3. The transfer portal would have exploded with spring football.
Farrell’s take: FACT. What else is missing during this COVID-19 outbreak? A crowded transfer portal. After spring football I expected an unprecedented number of players to hit the portal, and I was bracing to begin covering all of these prospects looking for a second chance. Then everything stopped, spring football went away for the most part and things are awfully quiet on the portal front. So when will things get crazy again? Who knows. But if fall practice starts as expected watch for the portal to explode throughout the football season.
Gorney’s take: FACT. There is so much confusion out there across society that has trickled down to college football and thus the transfer portal. No one knows when kids will be back on campus, let alone if there will be summer workouts, let alone if there will be a college football season or who makes the decision if there is one or not. And so the transfer portal has slowed to a crawl because people just don’t know what’s happening and visits cannot happen until at least the beginning of June. With that said, once things normalize the transfer portal will crank right back up and players will be looking for their new homes.