Advertisement
football Edit

Take two: LSU, Alabama, Wilson's future

RELATED: SEC Breakdown | Top Oklahoma OL commits

Take Two is back this week tackling a handful of issues 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.

Advertisement

LSU PERSEVERES THROUGH TOUGH TIMES

Les Miles (Getty Images)

Storyline: The recent tragedies of the Alton Sterling killing and the ambush murder of three policemen in Baton Rouge thrust a city known primarily for its college football program into the national spotlight for tragic reasons.

LSU coach Les Miles has shown a deft touch in the community, visiting with police officers and staying in town, showing compassion, with football seemingly the furthest thing from his mind.

Questions have been raised whether the events could have a negative impact on the school. Four-star offensive lineman Austin Deculus’ mom, Cheryl Deculus, was recently asked if the violence in Baton Rouge would negatively influence Austin's recruitment. She said it would not and that her son would absolutely stick to his pledge.

First take: “What I know about the resilience of Louisiana people in the wake of such things is that we come together. It would be very unfortunate and disgraceful if a coach representing another school attempted to use the senseless tragedy to their benefit. I am unaware of any fallout from recruits who are turned off to LSU because of what took place.” – Mike Scarborough, TigerBait.com

Second take: “I don’t think it’s going to be a lasting issue. Big cities are having issues right now, too. Baton Rouge has been through a whole lot of stuff over the years and it’s always bounced back. It’s a pretty tough city and I don’t think the appeal of LSU will be hindered at all. I don’t think kids will be negatively affected by it. We had situations in Baltimore, the tragedy at Virginia Tech, what happened in Dallas, numerous incidents. You can point to a lot of different places.” - Farrell

NO CONCERN FOR ALABAMA

Nick Saban (Getty Images)

Storyline: There have been some negative stories coming out of Alabama this offseason, whether it was the arrests of Cam Robinson and Hootie Jones (charges were later dropped because of insufficient evidence) or the dismissal of JUCO OL Charles Baldwin and most recently the indefinite suspension of OL Alphonse Taylor after his arrest on DUI charges.

Coach Nick Saban runs a tight ship and hates distractions of this nature. Is this a question of a few bad decisions by players or a wider issue of lack of focus or leadership on the team? That cannot be answered until everything plays out.

From a recruiting perspective, these off-field problems have not slowed the Crimson Tide at all. If anything, it could provide some players an opportunity they might not otherwise have had and top prospects are still doing everything possible to get noticed by Alabama’s coaching staff.

In short, these recent issues will be addressed, have been addressed and Alabama should be just fine. For everyone else, that cannot be good news.

First take: “The recent arrests at Alabama have certainly created some national attention in a negative light for the Crimson Tide. Arrests tend to happen throughout the country, not just Alabama, but it's something that has to be addressed. It's something that has to be corrected. Coach Saban decides what is best to correct these mistakes and help these players to not make them in the future.

“It doesn't seem to have much of an effect on the recruiting side of things. Alabama is rolling right now, and appears destined to have the No. 1 class in the country yet again. The issues are certainly discussed with prospects along with their parents, but they are still getting the majority of top targets they want.” – Andrew Bone, TideSports.com

Second take: “I don’t think there is a lack of focus. The incidents are being handled properly. You had a coach that went rogue and he got fired. You had the two guys in Louisiana who probably got off light. Saban was sort of attacked at SEC Media Days about that and he took care of Taylor. With Cam Robinson, I think they were a little light but Saban sent the message that they’re not playing around. You win four championships in seven years and kids are going to get that starry-eyed invincibility. It happened at USC a little bit with those kids and the Hollywood glitz and at Florida it happened with its run. When you win multiple national titles, kids think they’re bullet-proof because they’re kids. I don’t think it’s a situation where they have to re-evaluate the type of kids they bring in there.” - Farrell

WILSON GIVING AWAY HINTS?

Storyline: Five-star and top-rated prospect Marvin Wilson recently told ESPN that Oklahoma and USC “have been making a push lately,” but should Trojans and Sooners fans be all that thrilled about it right now?

The Houston (Texas) Episcopal defensive tackle, who has a top 10 of USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, UCLA, Texas A&M, Florida State, Texas, Alabama and LSU, probably won’t narrow his list until the end of summer and a decision probably won’t come until at least an all-star game, or even National Signing Day.

Alabama and LSU have been pegged for Wilson but so have others, and those top groups could change with the developments of college football this season.

Oklahoma and USC seem to be making a big impression. But it’s only late July, so don’t hold your breath.

First take: “Wilson's most recent activity has been visits to Florida State and Oklahoma. I think that USC is going to have to keep pushing to leapfrog Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU. All of those schools have had recent players similar to Wilson that they can say he compares favorably to. I think Texas would like to have Wilson, but the Longhorns took a lot of interior defensive linemen in last year’s class and might not be as urgently after him as some other programs. That said, he is a special player in this class, and I'm sure he is a top priority at a critical position in Charlie Strong's backyard.” – Nick Krueger, Rivals.com Texas Recruiting Analyst

Second take: “I don’t think (Oklahoma and USC) are the teams to beat. Oklahoma is a severe threat based on the way they’re recruiting - if they have another great year, it’s close to home. Texas is in there. LSU was his favorite and it depends on what they do. If LSU wins the SEC West, I think that’s where he goes. Alabama, Florida State are right there. He’s going to be a signing day decision and any predictions right now are complete speculation. I picked Alabama last month and it was just a guess.” - Farrell

Advertisement