Making the case: Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Now that the Class of 2018 is officially on the clock, several of the nation’s top players have begun to cut their lists in advance of a commitment announcement. Today, experts from the Rivals.com network examine where Rivals100 quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson might end up playing his college football. The candidates are UCLA, Michigan, Oregon and Alabama.

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The Situation: After waiting behind Tate Martell at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, of the most successful quarterbacks in high school history, Thompson-Robinson has now stepped into the spotlight. Despite never starting a high school game, he has some the nation’s top programs vying to land his commitment. Recently he announced he was cutting his list in advance of a summer commitment. But he also hinted that he may be offering a silent commitment to a program very soon. So where will he end up? We asked our team experts to state the case for their respective programs and let National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell issue a verdict.

“Thompson-Robinson has admitted multiple times, on the record, that UCLA is his early leader. And he made most of those statements before two coaches (Jedd Fisch and Jimmie Dougherty) came over from his other favorite school (Michigan). With his good friend and teammate Brevin Jordan leaning toward UCLA as well and the two constantly talking about being a package deal, at this point, it'd be extremely difficult to place DTR at a school not named UCLA.” – Edward Lewis, BruinSportsReport.com

“Most people have UCLA pegged as Thompson-Robinson’s leader and that could well be the case for now. However, Jim Harbaugh has a way of connecting with and winning over quarterbacks and Jim Mora Jr.’s future at UCLA is nowhere near secure. Those two factors could weigh in heavily as Thompson-Robinson’s decision nears. Throw in the fact that his mother is a University of Michigan graduate and things get even more interesting.” – Brandon Brown, TheWolverine.com

“Thompson-Robinson has the perfect blend of size, arm strength, accuracy, speed and athleticism to be a great quarterback in Willie Taggart's Oregon offense. We know Thompson-Robinson considered the Ducks one of his early favorites before Colson Yankoff committed (then decommitted), so this would be a tremendous opportunity for the talented signal caller. The Oregon offense will be tailor made for him to come in and compete for the starting position as a true freshman.” – Scott Reed, DucksSportsAuthority.com

“Alabama wasn't known to operate with a dual-threat quarterback until Blake Sims took the reigns in 2014. Jalen Hurts took the country by storm in 2016, and was awarded the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Alabama will recruit the best quarterbacks in the country regardless of their playing style. They added Tua Tagovailoa (dual-threat) and Mac Jones (pro-style) in the 2017 class. Thompson-Robinson is on Alabama's list of top quarterback targets. It's hard to say if Alabama can land his signature. The first job is getting him on campus. It may not be very hard to get him on campus at least once, and then see what can happen.” – Andrew Bone, BamaInsider.com

“He chooses UCLA when he decides to commit and it will be interesting to see if it sticks. He has a great connection to the Bruins staff and two coaches have come over from his mom’s alma mater Michigan recently, so that helps the Bruins as well. For an early commitment, it will be UCLA.” – Farrell