Fact or Fiction: Will Campbell is the top OT in the 2022 class
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney along with Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt, South-Central analyst Sam Spiegelman and Mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman tackle three topics in recruiting and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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1. LSU commit Will Campbell is the top offensive tackle in the 2022 class.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Will Campbell was outstanding Sunday at the Rivals Camp Series stop in Dallas and I’m not sure he lost a single rep. The LSU commit was absolutely dominant at left tackle and I love the mean, nasty streak he plays with while also being no-nonsense, just dominating defensive ends and not giving them anything. But the defensive end group while good was not elite in Dallas so the jury is still out whether he’s the best nationally. Julian Armella is still No. 1 to me and Kelvin Banks has a serious argument for that top spot as well as he and Campbell were about even at the Rivals camp.
Spiegelman’s take: FACT. The past two years, Campbell has captured OL MVP honors during Rivals Camp Series stops in New Orleans and more recently Dallas. Armella and Banks are others that are squarely in the conversation, too, but Campbell might be best suited as a prototypical left tackle. He's long and athletic with excellent feet and massively powerful. He's becoming a tactician at the position with the ability to slow down speedy edge-rushers and more powerful ends, and was near-perfect this past weekend in Dallas. This LSU commitment has first-round potential written all over him.
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2. Tennessee will be tough to beat for four-star QB Tayven Jackson.
Gorney’s take: FACT. New coach Josh Heupel needs a quarterback commit in this class to spark the group since the Vols are the only team in the SEC without any pledges yet. Tayven Jackson is definitely the top target and the staff has made him a big priority. The four-star quarterback has booked his trip to Knoxville. All things are coming together for Jackson to make his pledge to the Volunteers even if he does take other visits. Turning down a pass-happy offense in the SEC at a program with great history and tradition to head all the way to the Pac-12? I’m not buying that right now.
Helmholdt’s take: FICTION. There is definitely a strong pull to the Pac-12 for Jackson, and Arizona State and UCLA should be considered as strong of contenders as any school on this list. Jackson likes the idea of being the guy for a new head coach like Heupel at Tennessee, but he has never visited the campus and there's still a lot he has to learn about the school. Meanwhile, Jackson has family in Arizona and California, has spent a lot of time during his youth in the West and his father played in the Pac-12 at Washington State.
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3. Pitt will beat Penn State and SEC schools for four-star DE Tyreese Fearbry.
Gorney’s take: FACT. The sense is that Tyreese Fearbry could be sticking closer to home in his recruitment. Pitt offered early and he looks up to current Pitt defensive lineman Dayon Hayes. Pat Narduzzi and his staff have done a great job keeping some local talent home recently and there’s no doubt Fearbry is a priority for the Panthers. Penn State has a shot and some others might, too, but heading to Pitt does make a lot of sense here.
Friedman’s take: FACT. Recent history is on Pitt's side when it comes to defensive linemen in the Pittsburgh area. The Nittany Lions missed out on big-time players such as Elliot Donald, Nahki Johnson and Dayon Hayes and, after talking to Fearbry over the weekend, I got the sense that the Panthers are in great shape to land him as well. There aren't many kids from inside the city of Pittsburgh that get recruited at a high level but Pat Narduzzi and his staff have done a great job identifying those kids very early in the process and that usually pays off in the long run.