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Take Two: Texas A&M's chance, Notre Dame's issues, Jalen Hurts

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.

MORE: Which receiver could overtake Trevon Grimes in the rankings?

1. Texas A&M's big opportunity

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Christian Kirk
Christian Kirk (Getty Images)

Storyline: Two undefeated SEC West teams. A Saturday afternoon showdown. And Alabama is an 18.5-point favorite over Texas A&M even though the Aggies are averaging more than 40 points per game.

Maybe Alabama is just this good or maybe this is Texas A&M’s opportunity to not only compete – but beat – the Crimson Tide, which could have huge recruiting implications for the Aggies.

A bunch of top recruits, including five-star linebacker Baron Browning, are expected in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. With weakness at Texas and LSU, uncertainty at both programs, this could be a perfect opportunity for Texas A&M not only to get a huge victory but to make something big happen for its recruiting efforts as well.

First take: “A win over Alabama would be massive for the Aggies on multiple levels. Top recruits in recent years have been impressed by A&M's facilities and fan base, but have wanted to play for a big winner. Nothing says you're ready to win big more than beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa. An A&M win would certainly help way some big names in the 2017 class, like Marvin Wilson, Anthony Hines, Walker Little and Jhamon Ausbon. Wilson and Little have shown increased interest of late and a victory could provide a massive boost to A&M's prospects. It could help even more with the 2018 class, as recruits try to get in on that year's GigEmGang early on.” – Mark Passwaters, AggieYell.com

Second take: “If Alabama loses, Alabama recruiting keeps chugging along. Alabama probably still gets a top-two class in the country. A win or loss doesn’t really change Alabama because it’s such a machine. But a win for Texas A&M would actually allow them to take advantage of all the uncertainty that’s in the Big 12 right now. It would allow them to potentially poach some LSU commitments, win some head-to-head battles with Texas and Oklahoma and possibly take their recruiting to the next level with Wilson and some others. There is a lot of stake for A&M here, not just the game itself. We saw what happened when (Johnny) Manziel beat Alabama. Recruiting shot up. This could be even bigger than that.” - Farrell

2. Reason for concern at Notre Dame?

Donovan Jeter
Donovan Jeter

Storyline: Notre Dame is 2-5 so far this season, an incredibly disappointing start for the Irish and it might have recruiting consequences especially if they cannot get back on track.

So far, that has not happened and if anything current commits have reinforced their pledges to the Irish. But what happens if Notre Dame keeps losing? Or if coach Brian Kelly is not around next season?

Four-star defensive tackle Donovan Jeter decommitted this week but four-star Elijah Hicks committed to Notre Dame. There’s no doubt kids pick the Irish for many more reasons than their current record, but if losses continue to pile up or Kelly is out after the season, what happens then?

First take: “Any time a program runs into problems on the field, it can have a snowball effect off the field in recruiting. Luckily for the Notre Dame coaching staff and fan base, this has not happened so far. The Irish have only lost one commitment since the season began, which came Tuesday when Jeter opened his recruitment while keeping Notre Dame as his top school.

“Outside of Jeter, the rest of the next two classes (2017 and 2018) remain solid. Several recruits such as 2017 commits Cheshire (Conn.) Academy four-star athlete CJ Holmes, Cedar Hill (Texas) High three-star quarterback Avery Davis and Naperville (Ill.) Neuqua Valley athlete Isaiah Robertson have taken to Twitter to reaffirm their loyalty to Notre Dame. Indianapolis Cathedral four-star linebacker Pete Werner has been quoted on multiple occasions saying he committed to the university and not a particular staff or coach. The rest of the Irish commits have expressed the same sentiments whether it’s on social media or during interviews and are backing their pledges to Notre Dame. Notre Dame’s current commits seem to relish the idea of being a part of getting the program back on track. Loyalty has been a key word used by a number of Notre Dame recruits over the last week.

“For now, it appears the struggles on the field for the Irish staff has not negatively impacted the current commits. Just two days after its loss to Stanford, Notre Dame added four-star Hicks. If the losses continue to pile up the final five games, it could negatively impact the staff’s ability to add to the class and maintain its current top 10 class ranking.” – Corey Bodden, BlueandGold.com

Second take: “They lose a defensive lineman from Pennsylvania and then they get a defensive back from California, both four-star guys. Notre Dame recruits a specific type of prospect. They have their academic restrictions. Kids tend to choose Notre Dame for the 40-year decision over the four-year decision. But if the Irish finish horribly -- and I’m talking 4-8 -- recruiting will really take a dip because Kelly will be on such a hot seat, if not fired, that it won’t only influence the 2017 class but how the 2018 kids look at them.” - Farrell

3. Hurts for Heisman ... or not

Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts (Getty Images)

Storyline: To think Jalen Hurts did not even start the season opener against USC (that went to redshirt freshman Blake Barnett, who has since left the program).

Hurts has been a tremendous surprise for top-ranked Alabama and to his credit offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin has done a phenomenal job not asking too much of Hurts – and the freshman seems completely comfortable with the massive responsibility of running the Crimson Tide offense.

He’s completing more than 63 percent of his passes for 1,385 yards with nine touchdowns and three picks. The freshman might be even better running the ball with 428 rushing yards and a team-high eight rushing scores.

That’s seven more rushing touchdowns than Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, although Watson has 20 passing TDs so far this season. It’s two more rushing TDs than Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett, who has 16 passing TDs.

Of course, Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson is the far-and-away favorite for the Heisman at this point.

Still, there is talk of Hurts for Heisman and if there is one shocking candidate on the list, it’s him. If Alabama keeps winning, some of the frontrunners possibly lose and Hurts keeps putting up big numbers, should he be considered for college football’s biggest individual award?

First take: “Jalen Hurts was asked to do something pretty tough when he first arrived on Alabama's campus. He was asked to emulate Watson as the Crimson Tide prepared for the national championship against Clemson. Hurts is going up against NFL draft picks A'Shawn Robinson, Jarran Reed, Reggie Ragland and Cyrus Jones. Not to mention the stars on Alabama's defense now. Hurts did a great job preparing the Alabama defense to go on and win the national championship.

“Now he's in a position to potentially lead the Crimson Tide back to the college football playoffs and national championship. Hurts took the bull by the horns when he was given the opportunity. He won the job over Barnett and Cooper Bateman. Hurts has shined on the big stage each week. His stats are better than Ohio State's Barrett, who many consider No. 2 in the Heisman race behind Jackson. Hurts is responsible for 17 touchdowns. He rushed for three last weekend against Tennessee.

“Hurts likely isn't going to win the Heisman this year. Will he make it interesting if he continues to put up impressive numbers? He certainly has the ability to do that, and Alabama has some big games remaining on the schedule with Texas A&M, at LSU and Auburn along with the SEC Championship if the Tide continue to roll. Recruits have taken notice through the Nick Saban years of the best players playing regardless of age. It's not a secret anymore that Alabama will play a freshman at quarterback. Alabama has two elite quarterbacks committed in the 2017 class in Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones.” – Andrew Bone, TideSports.com

Second take: “I saw Hurts on some Heisman lists and getting some Heisman buzz, but I don’t see it happening this season. I don’t think he’s better than Watson, Jackson, Dalvin Cook or Jabrill Peppers. These are guys who have put in a body of work, who are more valuable to their football teams by far. Hurts has done an admirable job as a freshman quarterback, he’s been a big difference-maker on offense, but the Heisman Trophy should go to the guy who is most valuable to his team. Last year you could make that argument for Alabama running back Derrick Henry. The defense wasn’t as strong as it is this year and they rode him to the title. Hurts is a cog in the wheel, but he’s certainly not the most important player on that football team.” - Farrell

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