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 an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.
MORE TAKE TWO: Will Desmond Evans stay in state and ink with Heels?
THE STORYLINE
Oregon coach Mario Cristobal and his staff have done a tremendous job – the best in the Pac-12 for sure – in recruiting top players. That was clear last recruiting cycle when the Ducks finished with the seventh-best class in the country and obliterated every other team in the conference rankings.
The 2020 class is off to another outstanding start as Oregon has the No. 1 class in the Pac-12 with 10 four-star commitments. That’s more than the entire conference has combined if you strip out Washington and Stanford.
The majority of Oregon’s commitment predictably come from the West region but the Ducks have two from Florida in four-star OL Jonathan Denis and elite safety Avantae Williams, who picked Oregon in December after being previously committed to Miami.
Williams has steadfastly stayed committed to Oregon citing his excellent relationship with that coaching staff. But Miami has stayed in the mix and Florida looks to be making a serious push to land the DeLand, Fla., standout as well.
For months, there have been unsubstantiated rumors that Williams would stay closer to home and end up picking one of the in-state powers. But he still is sticking with Oregon. Will the Ducks be able to hang onto one of the top prospects from the state of Florida to continue building an outstanding roster?
FIRST TAKE: GARY FERMAN, CANESPORT.COM
“I am not sure if he will stay with the Ducks as a choice closer to home makes more sense for him but you have to give nothing but massive credit to Oregon for still holding a commitment this late in the game. I am not so sure the final destination will be Miami, though. We just have never gotten the impression that Miami is under that serious of consideration, not necessarily by words from Williams but more from his actions. He obviously is the kind of player Miami wants and needs, but right now I do not expect him to be part of this recruiting class.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“He’s a central Florida kid so you can see him being interested in the Florida program. They do a really good job of developing defensive backs. He’s rangy, not the longest player in the world but very physical. He would fit in as an undersized free safety with that Florida team or he could grow into a strong safety in time.
“The longer it goes, the better it looks for Oregon. Mario Cristobal has proven to be a great recruiter and Williams has some good connections on that staff. A lot of people think he’s going to stay closer to home for family reasons but this has gone on long enough and I think he actually sticks with his Oregon commitment.”
