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Making the Case: Pearce Spurlin deserves No. 1 TE ranking

Pearce Spurlin
Pearce Spurlin (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

The tight end position is once again loaded with talented prospects in the 2023 class, and a handful of them have separated themselves from the pack. Duce Robinson moved up to the No. 1 spot at the position, followed by Oklahoma commit Luke Hasz, Walker Lyons and Georgia commit Pearce Spurlin. Each of them are ranked within 40 spots of each other in the Rivals100 and there will be plenty of debate about this order as the process rolls on.

After a dominant performance at the Rivals100 Five-Star Underclassmen Challenge in Atlanta, Spurlin drew rave reviews. Today, Rivals national recruiting analysts Adam Friedman and Sam Spiegelman debate whether it's FACT or FICTION that he should have been atop the tight end rankings.

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Monday: Five-star countdown | Arch Manning is new No. 1

Tuesday: Rivals250 unveiled | Gorney's thoughts | Meet the new five-stars | Top player at each position | Could there be five five-stars from Alabama?

Wednesday: Teams with the most R250 commits | QB rankings released | RB rankings released | WR/TE rankings released | OL rankings released | Will Dante Moore remain among top 3 QBs?

Thursday: DL rankings released | LB rankings released | DB rankings released ATH rankings released | Is four-star Matayo Uigalelei underrated?

Friday: State rankings

Saturday: Rivals Roundtable

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SPIEGELMAN'S TAKE: FICTION  

Spurlin turned heads at the Five-Star Challenge this summer, and with his combination of size and ball skills he will be a really talented pass-catcher in the middle of the field and down the seams when he arrives Between the Hedges. However, Robinson dominated The Opening out in Los Angeles with elite hands and the ability to create mismatches in the middle of the field and make difficult grabs time and time again. Hasz is also squarely in that conversation. He also brings a bunch of athleticism and playmaking ability to the position in a 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame, and he should thrive under Lincoln Riley's watch. Spurlin is among the best, but it's loaded at the top of this group for 2023.

FRIEDMAN'S TAKE: FACT  

I'm a little out on limb here, but I'm a huge fan of what we saw from Spurlin this offseason. The Georgia commit has the size and natural receiving skills to be a real problem for defenses. There's been a lot of talk about how skinny Spurlin is, but he's 230 pounds and continues to add mass to his frame. He doesn't have much experience lining up with his hand in the ground and blocking, but there is time for him to round out his game. Having only seen film on Robinson, Hasz and Lyons it's obvious they should be highly rated, but Spurlin appeared to be unstoppable catching the ball against some of the best defenders in this class.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH GEORGIA FANS AT UGASPORTS.COM

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