Rivals national recruiting analyst John Garcia is joined by national recruiting director Adam Gorney, TideIllustrated.com‘s Jack Knowlton and FirstAndTenFlorida.com‘s Jason Higdon to tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
1. Even after another Colorado trip, Georgia remains the top threat to flip Julian Lewis from USC.
Gorney: FACT. There is definitely interest – better yet, intrigue – when it comes to playing for coach Deion Sanders and everything that comes with that. There’s no doubt Julian Lewis had a great trip to Colorado in recent days especially the draw being offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur having significant NFL experience.
But I just don’t see it happening. Georgia remains the biggest threat to USC in Lewis’ recruitment for so many reasons but mainly he has a legitimate shot of winning multiple national titles with the Dawgs and the same cannot be said at Colorado. I don’t think distance is playing the biggest role here, it’s playing on the biggest stage in Athens and winning. I still think USC is sitting in a very strong spot here (especially if its defense shows real life this season) but Georgia is the Trojans’ biggest competition.
Garcia: FACT. There is no shortage of programs coming after the top passer in the land, and who could blame them? Still, there does seem to be a clear pecking order at the top of this race in Lewis’ recruitment. Either he sticks with Lincoln Riley and USC, potentially becoming the next great arm in Los Angeles. The other angle is staying closer to home and it’s very clear that Georgia is gunning for Lewis about as much as it has – or more – for any elite prospect in the Kirby Smart era. There has been a bit of a trend with elite talent from the Peach State not playing in Athens, and the staff there is working every angle to ensure Lewis doesn’t look like the next big miss for the Bulldogs. Alabama, Auburn and certainly Colorado are in the mix, but it feels like they’re on the outside looking in compared to USC and UGA.
*****
2.
Alabama will have to flip a quarterback recruit to lead its 2025 class.
Knowlton: FACT. While it hasn’t debuted yet, Kalen DeBoer’s offense requires elite quarterback play. Six of the top seven pro-style quarterbacks in the 2025 class are all currently committed elsewhere. The Crimson Tide will likely pursue flipping one of those players rather than settling for a quarterback who could potentially struggle in DeBoer’s system. Julian Lewis remains the top name to watch. He will be back on campus April 4 as the Tide look to stay in the race to flip the USC commit.
Garcia: FACT. Unless it unearths a late-riser at the game’s most important position, DeBoer and company are going to continue to work the flip game in search of the first prep passer to pick the program in his tenure. George MacIntyre had the program in high regard before picking Tennessee. KJ Lacey felt similarly before an early pledge to Texas. Deuce Knight certainly held Alabama high before picking Notre Dame and, of course, Lewis is the ideal flip candidate for plenty of programs this offseason.
Pulling off any one flip from this group would be massive, and history tells us we can’t assume any of the races are truly over until pen meets paper. Imagine if Alabama comes out of the gates with a strong downfield attack under DeBoer? It could and should get interesting in a hurry.
*****
3.
Florida legacy recruit Cornelius Ingram II is a lock to the Gators.
Higdon: FICTION. When I think of the University of Florida football team, a few players, including Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerrfel, Percy Harvin, Tim Tebow and Emmitt Smith, pop into my head. These are some of the most famous Gators of all time. Emmitt James Smith IV, the son of the former Florida running back, had a chance to go to Florida twice! Instead, he opted for Stanford and then Texas A&M. We have the son of one of the greatest players who picked another program twice. There is no such thing as a lock. You will look silly the second you start talking in absolutes when referring to recruiting. Just because Cornelius Ingram‘s father played for the Gators does not mean he is a lock to sign with Florida. They are the team to beat if he sticks with football, but it is far from a lock.
Garcia: FACT. Call me silly-looking, I guess. Ingram has legitimate basketball interest and offers are starting to come in, but Florida has been pressing on the football side and it looks like it could pay off sooner rather than later. He grew up a Gator and never strayed very far from campus his entire life, not to mention his father is his prep coach and the two have executed at a high level with the prep quarterback. Ingram has the athleticism to work as a big pass-catcher, whether jumbo wide receiver or tight end like his father before him. Without a lot of other football programs beating down the door for Ingram, it feels more like a matter of when and not if he follows in his father’s footsteps at UF. My FutureCast is already in.
