Take Two: Can Alabama flip Nolan Smith from Georgia?

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

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Nolan Smith has been committed to Georgia since late January 2017. He’s watched the Bulldogs nearly beat Alabama in the national championship game, and he’s had nothing but positive things to say about Georgia, its coaching staff and his commitment.

But the five-star defensive end from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy has also made it no secret that the Crimson Tide have played a constant role throughout his recruitment and college football’s best team can never be counted out for a player it really wants.

Especially Smith, who is planning to visit Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl in a couple weeks.

He was back at Georgia this past weekend and by all indications he had another fantastic time in Athens. He will see all Alabama has to offer during his trip soon. For a player who has been committed for nearly two years, there sure is a lot of chatter around his status.

Will Smith’s long-standing pledge to Georgia stand or he flip to Alabama come signing day?

"The level of concern on Smith varies from day-to-day, as he's decided to make the last month or so of his recruitment a guessing game with cryptic tweets and visits planned. Still, his presence in Athens on Saturday loomed large, and he looked to be plenty pleased post-game with the results. He's a cornerstone in the class, and Georgia has focused recruiting efforts toward him in a major way even with him being committed.

"In the end, I think the longevity of the commitment, the long-established relationships with coaches, and the closeness with the current roster bodes well for Georgia securing his signature when the time comes. He'll likely make the Bulldogs sweat it out plenty before then, however.”

“I think he flips to Alabama. That’s everything I’ve heard. A lot of people think it’s already a done deal that he’s going to do that. I don’t think it’s advantageous. Both programs are great. Both programs would probably use him the same way and he’s going to be successful no matter what.

“Alabama is going to close really strong. It is the best team in the country and always in the top two or three when it comes to recruiting. Last year was a bit of an anomaly, so I think it’ll finish first this year and get a bunch of five-stars to close things out.”