Take Two: Who has the edge in the battle for 5-star Darnell Wright?
Take Two returns with a daily offering 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.
THE STORYLINE
Darnell Wright is the top uncommitted prospect in the 2019 class and No. 4 nationally. Wright’s recruitment has taken some interesting twists and turns in recent months.
The five-star offensive tackle from Huntington, W. Va., had Ohio State really high on his list earlier in his recruitment, but as the months have gone on it seems Tennessee and Alabama have emerged as the two favorites.
Still, Wright is going to take many other visits – he will be at the Penn State-Ohio State game on Saturday – and then make his way to other top programs before making a decision. In July, Wright released a top 10, but many believe only a few schools remain under serious consideration.
If it’s down to the SEC schools, can the Vols hold off a push from Alabama or can the Crimson Tide go anywhere, to get anyone? And if Ohio State continues to make a push back to the College Football Playoff, will the Buckeyes remain under serious consideration?
TAKE ONE: ADAM FRIEDMAN, MID-ATLANTIC ANALYST, RIVALS.COM
“Wright sees a good opportunity at Tennessee and its record this season will have little to do with his final decision. He likes the coaches, the environment and feels comfortable around the people in Knoxville. The Vols are locked in a tight battle with Alabama for Wright’s commitment and, while those two schools are the main contenders for Wright, they aren’t the only schools he is considering.
“After visiting Tennessee for the Florida game, Wright will make the trip to Penn State this weekend for its game against Ohio State and he will be in Columbus for the Michigan game on Thanksgiving weekend. Georgia, Clemson, and Miami are potential official visit destinations along with the aforementioned Tennessee, Alabama and Penn State, but this recruitment will likely come down to Tennessee and Alabama.
"At this point I'd give the edge to Alabama but by the slimmest of margins."
TAKE TWO: MIKE FARRELL, RECRUITING DIRECTOR, RIVALS.COM
“It’s probably going to go down to the wire. A lot of people think he’s going to Alabama. I know he has a lot of people close to him that like Tennessee. I know it’s closer to home. There are certain factors -- Tennessee needs to play well, that will obviously help. Alabama is playing as well as anybody in the country right now, so it really depends on what he wants, how important distance is and all those other factors.
"In the end it’s going to be Alabama. Call it a hunch or whatever but it’s just hard to bet against Bama in recruiting under Nick Saban.”
