Twitter Tuesday: ACC's best player, recruiter of the year, SEC sleeper
Our weekly #TwitterTuesday mailbag, where you ask National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell questions via social media, is back with another edition. Here are four questions we chose, including Farrell’s take on the ACC’s best player in 2017.
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I’m not even sure Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson will be the best player in the ACC next season. Derwin James from FSU is a beast and should be back fully healthy this season, while Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence at Clemson are elite and rare D-line prospects. And don’t forget this name – Harold Landry at Boston College. Few players come off the edge better than Landry, and he could be this year’s Vic Beasley in the ACC, albeit for a much weaker team. Jackson is a great player and obviously the most explosive offensive player in the league, but the ACC is loaded on defense and the players named above could all be first rounders next year (or the year after for Lawrence).
It would be foolish to bet against Alabama based on their recent run of success, but with the Tide’s slow start I’m going to go with another elite program – Ohio State.
Last year, the Buckeyes finished second to Alabama but had the same exact average star ranking, a 4.1, which is amazing for a single recruiting cycle. This year they boast a 4.0 average star rating and are killing it once again. The Buckeyes are recruiting as well nationally as any program since Rivals.com began and are a threat in any state in the country when they want a prospect.
Urban Meyer of course deserves a ton of the credit and is very involved in national recruiting, and they have the reigning Rivals.com Recruiter of the Year in Kerry Coombs. Can Coombs repeat, will someone else from the staff step up and take the title or will it be a recruiter from another program that finishes well?
More than likely, someone on a different staff will take the recruiting title, and I’m looking at perhaps someone like Craig Naivar at Texas or maybe Keith Williams or Dontae Williams at Nebraska. It’s still very early, and USC will make a big run especially in state, so watch out for Tee Martin as well.
There’s no way to predict a Recruiter of the Year in June, especially as coaching staffs get axed or guys move on to other jobs, but some of these guys stand out early.
These are two different kinds of backs, as Asa Martin has better feet and is more of a slasher with speed while Dameon Pierce is a big, downhill guy with power who can wear a defense down more. I like Martin better because of what he can do in space and in the passing game, but both players could easily have great careers in college.
You would have to think one of them could end up at Auburn, as both have the Tigers high on their list, and they’d be happy with either. With Martin, Auburn has been recruiting him the hardest and has been on him the longest, while Alabama has come in a bit late with pressure and Florida stands out due to a great visit.
With Pierce, as a former Alabama commitment he is now focusing on Auburn when looking at that state and has a high comfort level with the coaches. He's also looking at Florida closely. Georgia is expected to land their top target in Zamir White, so Pierce will likely end up out of state. I’m not sure how quickly he’ll want to commit again after decommitting from Alabama in May, but I like Auburn’s chances here. One back ends up at Florida and one at Auburn, although I don’t know who lands where. If Auburn whiffs on both of them, that would be disappointing.
My sleeper in the SEC is South Carolina for a few reasons. First, the SEC East isn’t loaded with national powers, we know that. Florida and Georgia are expected to battle for the conference title according to most with Tennessee on some lists as well, but don’t overlook the Gamecocks.
South Carolina was 6-7 last year and made a bowl game despite the cupboard being very bare for new head coach Will Muschamp. He’s an excellent defensive coach, and you know the defense will improve in year two. The offense under Jake Bentley should also improve greatly. I’m not saying they will win the division, but they will continue to improve and perhaps make things difficult for some of the favorites.
As for the breakout star, watch for Da’Shawn Hand to emerge at Alabama. I know, I know, part of me is saying this because we had Hand as the No. 1 player in the country in 2014, but I also very much believe in his physical abilities. With Jonathan Allen gone and Hand’s ability to play numerous positions along the line and his great supporting cast, I think he has a massive final year.
