Take two: Muschamp loading up, Michigan's concerns, Tennessee time

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.

RELATED: After three decommits, what's next for Michigan?

Storyline: Expectations this season at South Carolina are not all that high as the Gamecocks have serious questions on offense and defense in coach Will Muschamp’s opening campaign.

But that has not stopped the SEC East school from piecing together an excellent recruiting class, as South Carolina stands at No. 11 nationally and has recently loaded up with four-star commits. More could be coming.

The Gamecocks have done a great job on the recruiting trail and Muschamp has landed six four-stars already in this class (three in a row dating back to late July), but can South Carolina’s staff hold the group together especially if there are struggles on the field?

First take: “Many factors go into the successful acquisition of top-level prospects, but relationships and flat-out hard work are two that would be at the top of the list. That is why what Muschamp is doing so far at South Carolina, while impressive, is not all that surprising. Muschamp has years of experience recruiting as an assistant and a head coach in the SEC, and he has hired a staff full of guys with similar experience levels. Muschamp and his assistants have landed a bevy of four- and five-star talents at stops spanning several programs, so it follows that they know how to get it done. This staff has put in the hours and the mileage, putting together a nice finish to the 2016 in just two months and beating some blue-blood programs for other talent thus far in the 2017 class. South Carolina is coming off a poor season, but there has been a recent precedent for multi-year success in Columbia.

“The facilities are good and getting better with the forthcoming addition of a $50 million football operations building, which will land adjacent to the brand new indoor practice facility. Muschamp’s reputation for developing defensive players has helped in recruiting, and so has an offense that’s friendly to many different positions. An added bonus for the Gamecock staff is that because of the current state of the roster, there is ample playing time to sell. No doubt, there will be guys in the class (and others that are being recruited for the future) that USC will have to worry about if it struggles on the field again this season. The thought is that most will just want to see steady improvement in that regard. In terms of the foundation: playing time, facilities, the coaching staff's reputation, and conference affiliation should all be strong enough to carry the Gamecocks in rebuilding the roster. The competition is certainly stiff, however.” – Chris Clark, GamecockCentral.com

Second take: “They have done a very impressive recruiting job and they’ll probably add Jamyest Williams this weekend, which will be four of their most recent commitments as four-star guys. You have to figure they’re the leader for OrTre Smith, another four-star guy in the state, so what Muschamp is doing is impressive. He was known to be a good recruiter when he was at Texas and recruiting wasn’t the issue at Florida. The big thing here is the offensive recruiting. They have two four-star quarterbacks. Williams is a guy who can play both ways. Smith is an offensive guy, and they landed a good offensive lineman from Charlotte (TJ Moore), which is an important recruiting area for them. We know he can coach defense and some of the offensive recruiting he’s doing and getting in some key recruiting areas for South Carolina has been impressive.” - Farrell

Storyline: The news out of Michigan since coach Jim Harbaugh’s hiring has been almost nothing but good on the field and in recruiting as the Wolverines have compiled a top 10 recruiting class for 2017.

There were some hiccups this week, though, as four-star Aubrey Solomon de-committed from Michigan after receiving a “thank you” letter for a barbecue he didn’t attend, and two 2018 commits – Leonard Taylor and Jalil Irvin – backed off their pledges as well.

Is the sky falling? Not at all. And this might not even be anything to worry about one bit as Harbaugh – hyper-focused as ever – looks to keep rebuilding Michigan into a national power once again.

First take: “Ever since Harbaugh was hired at Michigan it’s been pretty much all positive, especially in terms of recruiting, but earlier this week there were a few de-commitments and suddenly people are freaking out a bit. Fan bases have a tendency to overreact and that’s exactly what Michigan fans are doing.

“Losing a player like Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon is definitely a bummer, but it’s not the end of the world. Michigan’s 2017 class looks like it’ll be top five and could even end up in the top three depending on how several five-star prospects decide. Losing two 2018 commitments is also unfortunate, but isn’t all that uncommon. Those kids have a long time before a Letter of Intent is ever signed.

“At the end of the day it just seems like unfortunate timing and the kind of coincidence that won’t occur very often under Harbaugh. The Wolverines are poised for a big season in 2016 and recruiting will not be an issue.” – Brandon Brown, TheWolverine.com

Second take: “I don’t know if he’s processing guys, but I’m not worried about this at all. Two of them are 2018 kids. Solomon is a Southeast kid. If he’s using the fact that he got a "thank you" card for something he didn’t attend as an excuse to de-commit then he wouldn't have stayed committed anyway. Who knows what’s going on with Ahmir Mitchell? I have no idea why he’s gone. I’m not worried about this whatsoever. Harbaugh has the celebrity and recruiting knack to pull out a good class. It is weird to have such a rash of de-commits in such a short space of time when you’re a preseason top-10 team, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about as far as Michigan recruiting.” - Farrell

Storyline: Coach Butch Jones has put everything into place for Tennessee to return to national prominence. The structure is now there for the Vols, whether it’s been through recruiting or on-the-field talent.

Now the real pressure starts.

Tennessee is considered a top-10 preseason team by many, and the Vols have a top-10 recruiting class for the 2017 cycle and finished admirably in 2016 as well.

Everything is shaping up for a great season and the schedule is really manageable, barring disaster from late-September through mid-October.

Is this the year Jones turns Tennessee back into a national power and a possible playoff contender? If not, does the dial on the hot seat get a little turned up?

First take: “It's a big year for Jones given the Vols have been projected as the winner of the SEC East. Jones and his staff have done a great job making Tennessee competitive once again after some very down years after Phillip Fulmer was asked to step down. The Vols finished 9-4 last season, with the four losses coming by a combined 17 points. They return a majority of their roster, and given the shape of other teams in the SEC East it's fair to think this is the year the Vols make the jump back into the nation's top programs. Everyone pointed to 2016 as the year Tennessee would have its chance to show it could be back, and that's exactly what has happened.” – Paul Fortenberry, Volquest.com

Second take: “No hot seat at all for him, but this is a big year because expectations are so high. They are in everybody’s top 10, they’re a favorite to win the SEC East. They built this team with his recruits and the classes have been very highly-ranked, so it’s time for them to take that next step. You think about Florida winning it last year and Georgia being a contender, Tennessee should be set to beat those teams and win the division this year with the talent there. If they don’t, Jones isn’t on the hot seat, but it certainly will influence recruiting.” - Farrell