Fact or Fiction: UGA won't skip a beat with Luke replacing Pittman
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 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
1. Matt Luke can fill Sam Pittman's shoes at Georgia.
Farrell's take: FACT. I know it won't be easy, especially on the recruiting trail because Pittman is so good at recruiting, but I like Luke as a hire and he will sell UGA well. He has head coaching experience and he's a very good offensive line coach and recruits know his name. Georgia has been one of the best in the country when it comes to recruiting offensive line talent over the last few years, and I don't see that changing with Luke on board.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Pittman was one of the best assistant coach recruiters in the country and that’s going to be impossible to replace. Luke has some things going for him, though, as far as a loaded offensive line room, a whole lot to sell with the Georgia program and he has name recognition from coaching at Ole Miss. That will help him on the recruiting trail, but Pittman was one-of-a-kind and in many ways irreplaceable.
2. Eliah Drinkwitz needs to focus on home first.
Farrell's take: FACT. While recruiting the Southeast as an SEC school is vitally important for Missouri and will be a priority, the new Mizzou coach needs to take care of the Midwest first. The state of Missouri isn't loaded with talent, but there are very good players at the top each year and too many of them get away. This year wide receiver Jordan Johnson and athlete Mookie Cooper are headed to Notre Dame and Ohio State and we've seen players like Ronnie Perkins, Isaiah Simmons and others go off to out-of-state programs and become stars. If Missouri can do a better job keeping kids locally, then it can branch out and recruit. That might mean taking a chance or two on a local they aren't certain on, but sometimes those guys are the hungriest. Drinkwitz needs to put together a staff that can protect the home state and borders.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I have mixed feelings on this. Part of me says there aren’t enough elite players year-in and year-out in Missouri, and even if the Tigers landed all of them every recruiting cycle that wouldn’t be enough talent to compete with Florida and Georgia, among others, in the SEC East. But local recruiting is so important, from missing on Ezekiel Elliott and so many others to this class, where Johnson and Cooper could have been instant stars in Columbia.
Drinkwitz has low name recognition with Midwest stars right now, but he’s an excellent coach. Getting into the Southeast is vital for Missouri and winning some Midwest battles is key but locking up home-state kids has to be a top priority.
3. Michigan is lucky to get Alabama in a bowl game.
Farrell's take: FACT. Alabama usually doesn't play that well in bowl games that don't matter (small sample size), and some of the players will likely sit out to protect their draft status, so this is a great game for Michigan to pull an upset. And the national attention it will get as Jim Harbaugh meets Nick Saban in a coaching duel will help recruiting big time if the Wolverines win. It would be a win they could easily sell on the road.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Or Michigan gets its doors blown off by a better Alabama team that Saban has motivated to get back to No. 1 and the Wolverines enter yet another offseason with no momentum. Michigan has lost at least two straight games to end three straight seasons and got embarrassed by Ohio State and Florida last year. The Buckeyes just beat them again 56-27 and now the Wolverines have to figure out how to beat Alabama. Good luck. This will be a game of motivation. If Alabama cares, the Crimson Tide should win pretty handily.