Take Two: Where will 4-star center Ryan Linthicum land?
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.
MORE: Farrell's Three-Point Stance
THE STORYLINE
Ryan Linthicum is the top center in the 2021 class and he’s already seen a lot of activity in his recruitment.
One reason is because he is a teammate of five-star defensive end Bryan Bresee in the 2020 class, and so schools from across the country have stopped by Damascus, Md., over the last couple years.
And Linthicum is not taking his recruitment all that slowly.
The four-star prospect, who’s also ranked as the third-best prospect in the state of Maryland’s 2021 class, has narrowed his list to Clemson, Michigan and Virginia Tech.
The whispers are that the Tigers and the Wolverines are the leaders in Linthicum’s recruitment and it could be a two-team battle until he’s ready to make his decision.
Will Linthicum follow his teammate Bresee to Clemson and give the Tigers another outstanding offensive lineman or will the 2021 prospect do his own thing and head to Michigan?
FIRST TAKE: ADAM FRIEDMAN, MID-ATLANTIC ANALYST
“I’m not surprised his recruitment has progressed early because it started early. For a public school player in Maryland getting the type of attention he’s gotten is a bit unusual. The fact that he plays with Bresee has certainly helped things move along quicker.
“As far as these two schools that are really out front – Clemson and Michigan – Clemson might have a little bit of an edge because of his relationship with Bresee and the way he sees Clemson develop offensive linemen. He sees how well they’re doing and he’s very intrigued by that, plus going and playing with Bresee would be a big deal for him.
“What Michigan really has going for it is his relationship with coach (Ed) Warinner and the way he’s built that offensive line and developed those guys. They really have that going for them right now.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“Clemson can recruit anyplace – it doesn’t matter what state. The way they’re playing, the way they’re recruiting, they can go anywhere. They’re just like Alabama, they’re how Florida was under Urban Meyer, USC under Pete Carroll.
“Having a connection with Bresee helps Clemson. The state of Maryland is loaded with talented prospects every year and I’m not sure the Terrapins are ready to keep a lot of those guys in-state until they can prove they can have consistent, winning seasons. I wouldn’t put it by Michigan for sure, because it offers a lot as well.
"But having Bresee – he’s a very influential kid and you know he’s recruiting the kid to go to Clemson, so they have the edge there.”