The Rivals Roundtable returns this week as Rivals.com analysts weigh in on a trio of topics, including which of 2018's running back commitments they think has the best chance to win a Heisman Trophy.
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1. Which school has impressed you the most - for commitments, its camps or simply hustle on the recruiting front - so far this summer?
ROB CASSIDY (Southeast): Anyone who says anything other than Miami is just trying to be different here. Miami didn’t exactly set the world afire a season ago, but it has the No. 1 class in America and seems to be gaining momentum by the week. What the Hurricanes are doing is nothing short of remarkable. If this is the manner in which the program continues to recruit under Mark Richt, it won’t be long until Miami is back in the national conversation.
MIKE FARRELL (National): Miami is the obvious choice with the No 1 class and an amazing start but I'll go with Nebraska. Nebraska's Friday Night Lights event had as much talent as I've ever seen head to Lincoln for one event. The Huskers pulled a huge surprise landing Joshua Moore out of Texas and their efforts in California get stronger each month. Attracting visitors to Nebraska and recruiting nationally there is not nearly as easy as other places simply because of geography but Mike Riley and company are killing it.
ADAM FRIEDMAN (Mid-Atlantic): Ohio State has been so successful under Urban Meyer that it's hard for the Buckeyes to surprise me but their efforts in June have been outstanding. The Buckeyes added commitments from four-stars Teradja Mitchell, Andrew Chatfield and Matthew Jones as well as coveted running back Master Teague. The most impressive pickup is Mitchell. Florida State had so much going for itself in Mitchell's recruitment but Ohio State pulled him away.
ADAM GORNEY (West Coast/National): Oregon is doing phenomenally well and coach Willie Taggart has not even coached a game yet. I thought the Ducks closed strong last recruiting cycle and the momentum has carried over especially recently as Taggart and his staff landed four-star WR Warren Thompson out of Florida and a couple talented three-stars out of the Pacific Northwest in Tre'Shaun Harrison and M.J. Cunningham. Oregon currently has the top class in the Pac-12 and the Ducks have landed commitments from a lot of skilled players who go hard.
JOSH HELMHOLDT (Midwest): Purdue entered the month of June with zero commits and was the last Big Ten team left commitment-less in the 2018 class. The Boilermakers will leave June among the conference leaders in commitments, a dramatic turnaround from where they were just four weeks earlier. It is not a star-studded group - their highest-rated prospect holds a 5.6 Rivals Rating - but in his first year Jeff Brohm needs to populate that Purdue roster with more players that fit his scheme. He can worry about bulking up the talent part of the equation later.
NICK KRUEGER (Texas): The obvious answer is Texas. Texas A&M has done a nice job keeping pace in the wake of the speculation that has been surrounding Kevin Sumlin should things not go well for the Aggies this season, but Texas has re-established itself as the premier in-state brand. Even more refreshing for Longhorns fans is that after Tom Herman just missed on a couple of prospects shortly after taking over at the end of last fall, he's now got most of the top prospects in the state to side with him and has been building not just the best class in the state, but one of the best in the country.
CHAD SIMMONS (Southeast): What a class the reigning national champions are putting together. The Clemson Tigers will only sign around 14 or 15 in this class and they have 11 commits, most of their work is done and it is impressive. The coaching staff is always talked about throughout the South regarding their work ethic, how consistent they are and just the connections they create with their top targets. They do an excellent job of doing their homework, not offering as many prospects as other schools and going hard after their targets. Out of their 11 commits, two of them are from the No. 1 and No. 3 prospects in the country. They are hitting their needs, they are beating national powers for commits and they have two five-stars and four four-stars so far in this class.
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2. Now that Zamir White is committed, who do you see as the next major announcement and what's your prediction?
ROB CASSIDY (Southeast): I imagine five-star quarterback Justin Fields is next. He’s outside of my region so my prediction on him is probably irrelevant. Still, I'll take a guess because I like guessing. I like Florida or Georgia here, but tend to lean toward the Gators just because the depth chart in Gainesville is less crowded. That said, I probably just sealed his commitment to the Bulldogs. Sorry, UF bros.
MIKE FARRELL (National): When talking about five-stars, both Justin Fields and Matt Corral will commit by the middle to end of July and it's so hard to figure where either will end up. I'll take a shot in the dark on Florida for Fields and UGA for Corral but I honestly don't know where either will land for many different reasons. If Fields picks UGA, and he could, it will be interesting to see if Corral ends up at Florida as the Gators desperately need a big-time quarterback.
ADAM FRIEDMAN (Mid-Atlantic): Five-star quarterback Matt Corral, currently the No. 7 player in the Rivals100, recently parted ways with USC and word is he's not going to be on the market long. Georgia seems like it could be the choice but there is a lot that depends on fellow five-star quarterback Justin Fields.
ADAM GORNEY (West Coast/National): I don't know when Anthony Cook is coming off the board but I'd be surprised if the five-star defensive back doesn't end up at Texas. The way he was talking to me at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas, he just seemed to have a whole lot of passion for the Longhorns and especially how first-year coach Tom Herman is running the program. I expect a lot of in-state kids to keep a close eye on Texas early this season and with any improvement, a lot of talented kids are going to end up in Austin.
JOSH HELMHOLDT (Midwest): We're used to quarterbacks being early commits, but after a couple de-commitments we now have two five-star signal callers heading into July with open recruitments. Justin Fields seems to be the closest to a decision, with recent visits to several schools many see as the top contenders. Now that he has de-committed from Penn State, I like the allure of the home-state team in the end to pull this out, so I'll go with Georgia.
NICK KRUEGER (Texas): In a few weeks Brennan Eagles will announce his commitment, and even though he made the recent decision to not do interviews surrounding his recruitment anymore, it seems as though the signs are pointing to Texas. Eagles is just outside the top 35 players nationally, so adding him to the previously mentioned impressive class the Longhorns already have is another major win for Herman.
CHAD SIMMONS (Southeast): All eyes are on Justin Fields. Since he de-committed from Penn State early in June, he has been the hottest recruit in the country. And he does not like it. He has already visited Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Georgia since re-opening his recruitment, so he is moving at a fast pace. There has been chatter that his mind is already made up and that a decision will come soon. It is hard to know when the time will come, but Fields is likely to commit in July. He wants to get it done prior to his senior year which starts in early August, so he could be the next five-star to pop.
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3. Speaking of White, his announcement means the top nine RBs in 2018 are committed. Whom among them is most likely to win a Heisman Trophy?
ROB CASSIDY (Southeast): I mean, I guess I’m going to pick White simply because he’s our top-ranked running back and is going to school with a proud history of running backs. He’s the safe pick and probably the right one. I wouldn’t count out Miami commit Lorenzo Lingard, though, as Mark Richt seems to be building a nice class around him. Lingard certainly has the versatility to put up gaudy college numbers.
MIKE FARRELL (National): I'll go with White because he's heading to a pro-style offense and he has a chance to be fed if he doesn't split time. Nick Chubb was a serious Heisman candidate before his injury and White can be a dominant force at UGA. The bigger issue is whether UGA can compete for a national title, which is as important as stats obviously.
ADAM FRIEDMAN (Mid-Atlantic): This is between White and five-star Miami commit Lorenzo Lingard. White has an improving offensive line to lean on at Georgia and a couple five-star quarterbacks to take the pressure off him so there could be room for him to put up big-time stats, even in the SEC. Lingard is special too but he will be the focal point of the Miami offense and defenses will be keying on him.
ADAM GORNEY (West Coast/National): I'm sure a lot of people are going to say White or Miami commit Lorenzo Lingard but I'm picking Ohio State pledge Brian Snead. He can run inside or outside, he can catch the ball out of the backfield and do a lot of special things. Urban Meyer is one of the smartest - if not the smartest - coach in college football and he's going to find ways to get the ball in Snead's hands so he can do those special things.
JOSH HELMHOLDT (Midwest): A Heisman Trophy campaign is about talent plus opportunity plus scheme and some of these guys are going to either crowded depth charts or schemes that won't set them up well for a Heisman Trophy campaign. I like what T.J. Pledger is stepping into at Oklahoma, though. Eventually he will be a 200-plus-pound guy and every-down back, and the running back position in Norman recently cleared out. Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon were certainly showcased with the Sooners, and with former offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley now as head coach that should not change.
NICK KRUEGER (Texas): I'm going to be a wimp and bet that White is the most likely candidate to win a Heisman. Most of the other top running backs are Florida products that can't be trusted to live up to the hype and although T.J. Pledger could flourish with Oklahoma, I like White's size better. Hypothetically, it would be interesting if the theory that James Cook is interested in Georgia as well and committed, but I don't think that would work against White in the same way that many thought Nick Chubb was deserving of a Heisman look at one time with former five-star Sony Michel (from Florida) also taking handoffs. Both Chubb and Michel came back this season for a reason; because both can still be incredibly productive runners in the same backfield.
CHAD SIMMONS (Southeast): T.J. Pledger will put up big numbers in the Oklahoma offense. He will be the primary ball-carrier, so he will get 20-plus carries a game, he will receive the ball out of the backfield and he will have a chance to put up big numbers. When talking pro prospects, other running backs are better and some will be in offenses that rotates backs, so when looking at the top backs, Pledger stands out as the one who is in the best spot to put up the numbers to put him in the Heisman conversation.
