Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and South-Central analyst Sam Spiegelman along with UGASports.com’s Jake Reuse and a special guest appearance from Rivals social media lead Woody Wommack tackle three topics in recruiting and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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1. Travis Shaw has the edge over Keithian Alexander as the nation's top defensive tackle.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. This is going to be highly debated over the next many months leading to signing day but it’s clear both players are special talents especially after I saw video of Travis Shaw this past weekend completely destroying the opponent’s offensive line and living in the backfield. But just because Shaw is great does not mean Keithian Alexander isn’t as well and right now we have him a few spots ahead in the rankings. Alexander is big, powerful, aggressive and determined as well to dominate on the defensive line so I still give him a slight edge but Shaw is making this debate very interesting especially after the tape I saw from this past weekend.
Wommack’s take: FACT. This one is actually really tough for me but I'm one of the few people has had the chance to see both in person over the past month. Alexander is obviously an impressive talent and the work he's done to change his body over the past year-plus also shows that he's not content resting on his laurels. But I came into Shaw's game on Friday night without knowing what to expect and I left blown away. It's rare to see a player of Shaw's size with his type of athleticism combined with a non-stop motor. I think choosing between these two guys is a good problem to have and shows the depth at the position, but I think Shaw is really stating his case this spring with an impressive junior season.
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2. Khamauri Rogers will end up in-state following his newly released top six.
Gorney’s take: FACT. This is still a very close race between I think Ole Miss and Miami but Khamauri Rogers has developed an excellent relationship with position coach Terrell Buckley and that could be the deciding factor. This is not a bond that only goes back a few months between Buckley and the former four-star LSU commit from Lexington (Miss.) Holmes County. The two have known each other for years, the draw to stay closer to home could be significant and I think the Rebels have the edge here although Miami and others are not giving up.
Spiegelman’s take: FICTION. Ole Miss may have an edge among the in-state teams, but I would not discount the consistency of Miami, the recent surge from Texas A&M and Tennessee and the long mutual interest between Rogers and Notre Dame. Rogers will take visits to these programs - some official and some unofficial - and sort through his decision, but right now it feels like Miami, Notre Dame and Tennessee are out-of-state programs to monitor.
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3. After naming his top 12, Georgia is the frontrunner for Kamari Wilson.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Georgia is definitely a major contender and the Bulldogs have done such a phenomenal job recruiting the state of Florida but I still think Miami has a lot of input in Kamari Wilson’s final decision, Florida is definitely in this one and so are some other SEC programs. My gut instinct is that Wilson ends up staying close and that the Hurricanes definitely hold a lot of intrigue because the IMG four-star safety is originally from Fort Pierce, Fla. I would definitely not count out Georgia because of its track record in recruiting but I wouldn’t say the Bulldogs are the absolute frontrunner for him.
Reuse’s take: FACT. I'm really torn on this because it's hard to parse out a leader from a top 12, but I do think Georgia sits in a strong enough position that the Bulldogs could be the standout of the group. The feeling around Athens has been that Wilson has been very much in play for some time, and while this probably does little to clear up any questions about the standing, I think there's still some validity to that. Whether or not they'll be able to hold on for the rest of the ride certainly remains to be seen, but as of today, I'm willing to give them the nod.
