Take Two: Does Alabama have an edge for Arik Gilbert?
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.
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THE STORYLINE
Arik Gilbert is one of the most interesting prospects in the 2020 class – not only because he’s a five-star recruit, the top-ranked tight end nationally and a game-changing athlete – but because his recruitment has taken so many twists and turns with no real end in sight.
Georgia was the leader and considered the team to beat. Then it was Tennessee. Now it could be Alabama. But Clemson is working its way back into his recruitment.
The Marietta, Ga., standout has those four schools predominantly in the running with a bunch of important visits coming up.
The Bulldogs were so far out in front at one point it felt like a when, not if, situation as to when Gilbert would commit. But Georgia seems to have slipped a little bit. His high school teammate, four-star quarterback Harrison Bailey, is recruiting him hard to the Vols but that team has had its own struggles.
Alabama seems to have emerged as the slight front-runner after a summer visit to Tuscaloosa but Gilbert will be taking a couple more visits to Clemson in the coming months before a decision.
Is the Crimson Tide now the team that has the edge for Gilbert or will another elite, national program come in and land him?
FIRST TAKE: CHAD SIMMONS, SOUTHEAST RECRUITING ANALYST
“I do think it’s still somewhat wide open. I do think Alabama has gained some momentum and has been that team trending since he took that official in mid-June. It has grabbed the momentum.
“The school that has jumped back in this some and the school that disappeared late winter or early spring is Clemson. It had him on campus in July, he went back this weekend and he’ll take an official during the season so that’s three visits likely in a two-month span. Georgia is still there and is going to get an official visit in October. He just wants to be the guy. He wants Georgia to feature a player and get the ball in the passing game to somebody. That has hurt the Bulldogs a little bit with their offense being more pro-style.
“Tennessee is always going to be there because of Bailey and B.J. Ojulari. I’m not counting the Vols out at all but I do think Alabama is trending and Clemson has been coming up a lot.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“Alabama can sell O.J. Howard, it can sell its wide receivers, it can sell that passing game. Georgia is still not known as a great passing team but I still think he’s going to end up at Georgia.
“I know there has been a lot of momentum with Alabama and now Clemson is pushing up there and Tennessee is there and offered him as a wide receiver. But until he picks someone else I think he’s still going to stay home and play for Georgia.”