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.

Storyline: Najee Harris is the top-rated recruit in the 2017 class. He’s a special running back with size, speed, elusiveness and toughness. He’s the kind of recruit who could help lead a program to a national championship.

The Antioch, Calif., five-star prospect has been committed to Alabama since spring 2015, but there continue to be rumors about schools working to flip him.

Michigan is absolutely a contender and this week coach Jim Harbaugh is expected to see Harris in person. Another rumor popped up this week that USC remains a player and there has always been some chatter that Harris might prefer to stay closer to home.

Flipping someone away from Alabama is incredibly difficult. It’s a factory for the NFL and Harris could be next in line in Tuscaloosa.

But Harbaugh wouldn’t be going to see Harris unless he thought he had a shot. And those USC rumors keep popping up…

First take: “The Michigan faithful are certainly hoping Harbaugh can flip Harris, but I’m not quite sold yet. There’s legitimate interest from Harris and I’m positive the Alabama coaches aren't sitting calmly, but the fact is, it’s still Alabama, it’s still the defending national champions, and it still has an absurd track record with top running backs. Harbaugh and Michigan are climbing the college football ladder in a hurry, but U-M is still looking up a bit in terms of convincing Harris that Ann Arbor is the place to be — just a bit. A visit this weekend from at least two Michigan coaches and a post-season official could change that but for now, I think he’ll end up in Tuscaloosa or maybe somewhere closer to home.

“In terms of the Cali kids, we saw Harbaugh do very well in that state last year. Landing four-stars Dylan Crawford, David Long, and Devin Asiasi was no small feat. These weren’t just low-hanging fruit that Michigan plucked because no one else wanted them. All three could’ve gone anywhere they wanted, including to USC or UCLA, and many other top-tier programs in the Pac-12 and around the country. The Joseph Lewis ship has sailed for Michigan, but legit interest from Harris, and 2018 stud Jalen Hall is there. If Darnay Holmes ever gets around to setting up that official visit to Ann Arbor, his buddies Crawford and Long could go a long way in making him give the Wolverines a serious look too.” -– Brandon Brown, TheWolverine.com

Second take: “I wouldn’t put anything past Harbaugh and I don’t think there are any limits to the success they can have recruiting, especially the way they’re just destroying teams and all this buzz that’s surrounding the program right now. Do I see Harris going to Michigan? I don’t. He either sticks with Alabama or as many people think he flips to a West Coast team. But Harbaugh has ties in Northern California, he’s a very good recruiter and he’s a creative guy, so you can’t put anything past him.” -- Farrell

Storyline: First-year coach Justin Fuente is doing great things at Virginia Tech so far this season, so will it turn into a recruiting uptick for the Hokies?

Virginia Tech is averaging more than 39 points per game, giving up 15 and last weekend in a rainstorm the Hokies took out No. 17 North Carolina 34-3. With Fuente’s offensive mind and Bud Foster running the defense, Virginia Tech could be going places.

Recruiting has not turned yet with the Hokies as they rank No. 38 in the country and eighth in the ACC. That’s not going to cut it, but if Virginia Tech continues to perform so well, watch for marked gains in the 2018 and 2019 classes.

And watch Fuente and his staff get back into old stomping grounds like the Hampton Roads area. Some of those in-state players who went to Virginia or left the state entirely could be headed to Blacksburg.

Fuente is doing marvelous things early on at Virginia Tech and in-state prospects have to be taking notice.

First take: “VT's targets in the 2017 class have been established for quite some time, so they're not necessarily expanding the net or drawing new eyeballs because of the way they've started the season. However, some of the guys who may have been uphill battles previously are really coming around on the Hokies as a viable option. The more they win, the better the shot at in-state safety Devon Hunter or former defensive end commit TyJuan Garbutt. The chance with prospects in the Carolinas improves marginally, but again, those that are going to be targets have mostly already been targeted for 2017.

“Going forward, they'll see that they have a bit more ability to aim for higher-regarded prospects outside the region (they're working hard in Georgia and Florida, for example), and go toe-to-toe with the national recruiting powers. Shutting the borders of the state is never going to happen, but coming closer to it while expanding the recruiting footprint is the goal with a strong start. As we often see, the more impactful effects of a strong season will be felt in future classes.” – Tim Sullivan, HokieHaven.com

Second take: “The state of Virginia is down a little bit from what it’s been over the last many years with the big names like Da'Shawn Hand and Jonathan Allen and Quin Blanding and even some of the guys who haven’t panned out like Andrew Brown and Derrick Green. But Fuente is the type of coach where offensive players will want to play for. He has a very good reputation as a quarterback developer. He has a very good reputation as an offensive mind. Foster has been the guy recruiting the defense for the last 100 years. They’ll still get hard-hat guys who overachieve. I don’t think you’re going to see a huge recruiting bump but they’ll start to take back some of their old stomping grounds like Hampton Roads. The talent in that area, Virginia Beach, is much increased. Fuente is the type of guy who will do very well coaching kids up.” - Farrell

Storyline: The hottest name in coaching circles is Houston's Tom Herman, but let’s not forget that Western Michigan has a dynamite young coach who should also be considered for major jobs and he could be an absolute steal for the number of big-time jobs that could come open after the season.

P.J. Fleck was 1-11 in his first season at Western Michigan, 8-5 the last two seasons and he has this team 6-0 heading into the Akron weekend.

With Midwest ties up and down his resume, might Notre Dame make sense if the Irish or coach Brian Kelly decide to go in another direction? Would pursuing Fleck at LSU be smart?

Fleck is an outstanding coach and motivator who has a vision. He has proven results at Western Michigan. And someday soon he’ll probably get the keys to a major program to turn things around.

First take: “Successful coaches cast visions that their teams come to embody, and few have accomplished that as impressively as Fleck during his tenure at WMU. The young head coach possesses nearly unparalleled enthusiasm and energy. He has convinced top recruits to turn down Power Five offers, and now has his team beating Power Five programs on the gridiron as well.

"The question for me is not whether Fleck is ready for a top tier Power Five job, because I firmly believe he is capable of making that move right now. The question is, are top tier Power Five schools ready to hand their program over to a 35-year old who has only been a head coach for four years and never at the Power Five level? That will give many schools pause. For his part, Fleck has already shown patience to not jump at the first opportunity to climb the ladder and I do believe he will not do it following the 2016 season unless the right opportunity presents itself.” – Josh Helmholdt, Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analyst

Second take: “Herman is still the No. 1 name out there, the Texas job is the one he wants, and the Texas job is the one he gets. Fleck and LSU would be interesting, but I still think the LSU program is a little bit heady for him. He’s a Midwest guy, doesn’t really have ties down there. The interesting thing will be is if Notre Dame comes open at the end of this year if the season continues to go off the rails or next year if Fleck decides to stay another year. He’d be a really good hire for Notre Dame. He’s a really good recruiter, he’s an active guy. He’s got those Midwest ties and he’s clearly a very good coach.” - Farrell