Fact or Fiction: Controversies at Clemson, FSU will hurt recruiting
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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1. The recent issues at Clemson and Florida State will affect recruiting.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and Florida State coach Mike Norvell are under heat for different reasons as we all know and tensions are high among players at each school. Each situation was dealt with internally, so that’s a start. Clemson just sent out its first batch of 2022 offers and the response has been positive while Florida State is a storied program that is in a rebuilding phase but will still be attractive to potential recruits.
Both coaches are going to need to overcome these incidents on the recruiting trail now that they are public. Questions will be asked by recruits and their parents, we know that for sure, and it will be used against them by other schools. My best guess is that each will still be attractive programs to recruits as long as the appropriate actions are taken moving forward.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Communication, learning and understanding are important factors to consider when coaches recruit, interact with players and run their programs. Those are essential not only in these heightened times but always. Mike Norvell and Dabo Swinney, both love their players and want the best for them. As they learn to navigate through this challenging time, the important thing is they grow from their mistakes to become better leaders. Top players will see Swinney and Norvell for who they really are and Clemson and Florida State will be stronger because of it.
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2. Texas A&M is hotter than Texas on the recruiting trail.
Farrell’s take: FACT. I like what A&M is doing recently and some big commitments are on the way such as Romello Brinson and others from outside the local recruiting territory. Texas continues to face issues with Tom Herman being on a bit of a hot seat. The Longhorns will get theirs and might even finish higher than the Aggies in recruiting in the end with a good season, but right now I hear more about A&M.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. It might seem that Texas A&M is gaining some steam on the recruiting trail, but the numbers just don’t prove it and Texas still is in better shape right now. The Longhorns are four spots ahead of A&M in the early 2021 team recruiting rankings and in two of the previous three classes, Texas was ranked higher.
There are two issues: Texas has recruited well (top-four classes in 2019 and 2018) and yet don’t have much to show for it on the field; and there’s at least a decent chance out-of-state programs are going to raid the state of Texas for top talent this year. This includes five-star OL Tommy Brockermeyer, who is a Texas legacy but Alabama is pushing very hard. In terms of just recruiting, Texas A&M is doing an impressive job, but Texas is still slightly better.
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3. UCLA will be on the come up in recruiting like USC is.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. What’s going on at UCLA? Recruiting continues to be down and it’s a mystery to me. Even though the program hasn’t won anything major in a long time the Bruins still pull a lot of local talent, but now many of those kids are going to Oregon and Washington, and UCLA is a far cry from USC in 2021. Chip Kelly has never been known as an active head coach recruiter, but he better step it up.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I still have a lot of faith in Kelly and his turnaround job at UCLA, although I will admit things have not gone well on the field with a 7-17 record. Still, Kelly has taken a scientific approach to recruiting with measurements, testing and all kinds of advances plus finding players that fit his system. A lot of smart people are on that staff and they know what they’re looking for. Getting four-star ATH Devin Kirkwood was a big win for the Bruins. More will come, but UCLA has to win some games on the field to really break through. And it will.