Fact or Fiction: Zachary Evans will decide this week
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
MORE NSD 2020: Lasting memory of the 2020 cycle | Which assistant is crushing it on the recruiting trail? | Which final weekend visit stands out? | What surprise is in store? | Which prospect is the most likely to flip? | Which program could have the best finish? | Farrell's thoughts on 2020 rankings | Biggest SEC questions | Which hire has been the most important?
1. Broderick Jones will stick with Georgia.
Farrell’s take: FACT. This appears to be a done deal. Broderick Jones flirted with some other programs, but most felt Auburn had the best shot at flipping him and he decided not to visit this weekend. Georgia will keep the top offensive tackle in the 2020 class at home.
Gorney’s take: FACT. The fact that Jones did not visit Auburn this weekend was huge for Georgia and it seems like a clear indication now that he’s going to stick with the Bulldogs. That is huge as the SEC power looks to hold onto its third-straight team recruiting championship and major also because he has the skill to come in early and contribute. I never bought that he would go to Arkansas or Illinois, even though he visited both of those programs. I did believe Auburn had a real chance but with no last-minute visit, he’s all Georgia.
2. Lane Kiffin vs. Tennessee will be an entertaining recruiting battle to watch.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Lane Kiffin was the Tennessee head coach for a season before bolting for USC and leaving Vols fans filled with hatred. He’s back in the SEC and Ole Miss always recruits Tennessee hard, especially the Memphis area. However, it seems that the Vols and Rebels will clash in other states as well with Florida wide receiver Malachi Wideman an example in 2020.
If Kiffin wants to be successful at Ole Miss he’s going to have to steal some recruits away from the Vols and that won’t go over well with the fans. Jeremy Pruitt will need to keep Kiffin out.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. There are going to be some interesting recruiting battles to watch between these two schools - especially in the Memphis area - but Kiffin spent one season at Tennessee. It’s not like he has deep roots in Knoxville.
Oh, the hatred for him there still runs deep, but there are more exciting regional battles for Kiffin that are far more entertaining. Going up against new Mississippi State coach Mike Leach for in-state kids is going to be great and seeing if he can swipe a few players away from Alabama, where he was the offensive coordinator for a few seasons, will be way more exciting.
3. Zachary Evans will decide this week.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. It’s not gonna happen. Based on the way things have gone with the five-star running back, his recruitment reminds of that of Bryce Brown back in the day and that one went on until mid-March. The question is — will Zachary Evans end up at Tennessee as Brown did when Kiffin was the coach or will he end up at Ole Miss where Kiffin is now? Or perhaps someplace else.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Anybody who says they know anything about what Evans will do is lying because it changes every five minutes. But I’ll give it a shot and say the five-star running back will not decide this week.
I’m hearing Texas A&M rumors again which actually wouldn’t surprise me but it wouldn’t stun me if he ended up at Ole Miss, Tennessee or someplace else. The only thing that will truly surprise me is when Evans is actually done playing this game and ends up at a school. I say it goes until after signing day this week.