Take Two: Which way is elite 2020 RB MarShawn Lloyd leaning?

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.

MarShawn Lloyd is a five-star running back, fourth at his position that is loaded in the 2020 class, and he has more than 20 offers.

The Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha star is still working through his recruitment, but it certainly seems as if Maryland, Penn State, Georgia and Clemson have piqued his interest, even though he has not eliminated any other programs.

It was a big deal in recent days when Lloyd, who’s rated behind Zachary Evans, Kendall Milton and Demarkcus Bowman at the running back position, took a visit to Maryland – and did a backflip in full uniform during a video seen on social media.

It’s no secret that new Maryland coach Mike Locksley would love to make a huge statement by landing the third-best player in the state. Five-star defensive end Bryan Bresee and early Alabama commit Chris Braswell, from Baltimore St. Frances, are the only players ranked ahead of him and it's highly unlikely either ends up with the Terps.

There have been some whispers that Georgia could have a slight edge for Lloyd, and it wouldn’t be a surprise since the Bulldogs have recruited running backs so well in recent years. But Clemson is not going away at all, and Travis Etienne has emerged as arguably the best running back in college football. Penn State not only recruits the state of Maryland well but has not blushed in its own running back success. And the Terrapins are making every effort to keep him home.

What’s the hunch on what Lloyd will do?

“Georgia, Clemson, Maryland and Penn State – all four of those schools are in the thick of things with Lloyd. I don’t think he’s figured out too much on his end just yet. He’s taking a lot of visits, and he’s taking a few more before he starts to really focus on a final group.

“He likes Georgia because it’s Georgia, but he also likes the Bulldogs because of what they’ve done with backs similar to him. D’Andre Swift is similar to him, and you go back to Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. That's a lot of success at running back, and many of them are similar to what Lloyd can be.”

“Georgia could certainly get him. He has that running style that Georgia has had success with. Georgia is Running Back University when it comes to recruiting over the last few years, just like Clemson is Wide Receiver U. Anybody is going to be interested in that.

“It depends on the comfort level there and how hard the local programs press. Maryland is going to push really hard to keep him home. Penn State does a really good job recruiting in the state of Maryland. Other national programs are going to come in there and try to land him as well. Will he go off to Georgia and wait his turn? That’s the big question, but he doesn’t really have to, because they’ve had so many successful freshman running backs there that I think it’s a very attractive situation to him. I have Georgia as his current leader, but it’s a long way away from a decision.”