Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analyst Cole Patterson along with Mark Passwaters of AggieYell.com and Patrick Burnham from TheOsceola.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
1. After another visit to Auburn over the weekend and with Georgia looming, FSU should be concerned about keeping five-star KJ Bolden in the class.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Is KJ Bolden going to flip? There’s no way of telling right now but wearing Georgia gloves at his game and a possible visit back to Athens combined with a return trip to Auburn that went well, tells me that there is reason for concern in Tallahassee. Florida State did a phenomenal job recruiting the five-star safety from Buford, Ga., and landing his commitment last summer but Bolden isn’t just taking visits for a good time and some free stuff. He’s returning to the programs that were heavily involved in his recruitment the first time so while a flip doesn’t seem imminent it’s certainly something to watch.
Burnham’s take: FICTION. Anytime a committed prospect continues to visit other schools you have to think there is still some interest on some level from the prospect. I believe this is the second weekend in a row Bolden has visited a school other than FSU but then again, the Seminoles were playing out of town or not playing those same two weeks. Bolden is one of the most-highly sought after prospects in the country, so there will always be some level of concern until he signs the dotted line. But as long as FSU continues to win big, everything else will take care of itself.
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2. After a visit to Colorado over the weekend and Auburn pushing hard, Cam Coleman might be on flip watch.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. The word is that Cam Coleman had a very strong visit to Colorado but I still think the real threat here would be Auburn since QB commit Walker White has made Coleman his top target and he lives less than an hour from campus. Texas A&M is showing signs of life on offense and that will help keep Coleman but Auburn coach Hugh Freeze and Colorado’s Deion Sanders among others won’t give up. Things still look fine between Coleman and the Aggies but signing day cannot get here soon enough.
Passwaters’ take: FICTION. Coleman always said he would take visits and he was in College Station for A&M’s drubbing of Auburn, so he got a first-hand look at the differences between the two programs. The coaches who recruited him haven’t gone anywhere, the family he has in the neighborhood is still there and there’s tangible improvements year over year in the A&M program. After seeing Bobby Petrino’s offense in use, I don’t think he’s going anywhere.
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3. The prospect who’s most worthy of a new five-star ranking in the Texas state rankings is Texas A&M commit Terry Bussey.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Terry Bussey could definitely be one as well but Florida quarterback commit DJ Lagway is having a senior season that cannot be ignored. The Willis, Texas, four-star is completing nearly 75 percent of his passes, throwing for more than 320 yards per game and has thrown 31 touchdowns with just three picks. Lagway does have a little glitchy release that should be corrected to get the ball out faster but it’s not that bad as the ball gets out cleanly and accurately, and the kid is just a big-time gamer with great size.
Patterson’s take: FACT. Versatility and positional flexibility seem to be more important than ever in today’s game. Travis Hunter might be the biggest example of that as he plays both sides of the ball for Deion Sanders and Colorado. Bussey has similar abilities. He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands, evidenced by 80 total touchdowns as a junior. But he’s also incredibly talented in the secondary and as a return man, making him an all-around threat wherever he lines up. Texas A&M has pitched him on playing defensive back with packages designed for him at wide receiver, too.
There are already three five-star recruits in Texas and Bussey probably has the strongest argument to become the fourth. He’s already highly thought of by Rivals, landing inside the top 50 in the Rivals100 and the No. 2 athlete nationally. Cornerback Kobe Black, safety Xavier Filsaime, receiver Bryant Wesco and quarterback DJ Lagway are all worth being in the conversation, too. But Bussey’s all-around impact ability gives him the edge.
