Fact or Fiction: NFL combine, signing QBs and Penn State
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 NFL Combine matters in recruiting.
Farrell’s take: FACT. You may think it’s silly, but trust me when I tell you that football recruits follow the NFL Combine and, whether on purpose or subliminally, notice where players are coming from. When your team has more players representing at the combine, it’s a great recruiting tool and something to sell to high school stars. So when you see programs like Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and others continually putting players into the combine to showcase their skills as prospects watch, it only helps.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Not only do recruits follow the combine and the NFL Draft and many look at the numbers of where NFL players come from, but college recruiting staffs also make a big deal of it. Coaches always talk about developing players for the next level and if they can back that up with numbers then it’s an even more compelling case to pitch to prospects.
In many ways, recruiting is like the snowball effect where success begets more success because top players want to go where things are working. The NFL Combine is definitely a piece of that and that’s why you will see so many players - again - from the SEC working out in Indianapolis later this week.
2. Clemson is the hottest school when it comes to signing QBs.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Clemson is doing an amazing job recruiting quarterbacks as we can look to Trevor Lawrence as the best in college and DJ Uiagalelei following in his footsteps from the 2020 class. And let’s not forget a former five-star in Hunter Johnson who was a big recruit even though he hasn’t panned out yet at his second stop at Northwestern.
But for me it’s Oklahoma. Not only did they land Spencer Rattler, an elite five-star two years ago but they landed Brock Vandagriff for 2021. Oh wait, he decommitted right? No problem, they are now the team to beat for five-star Caleb Williams, who is higher ranked. Yes Williams is also looking at Clemson and yes Oklahoma has developed transfer quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts, but remember they recruited those guys as well. This may be an unpopular opinion, but Oklahoma is the place where quarterbacks are looking more than anywhere else these days.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Oklahoma is a good pick here, but Rattler is unproven and so is Williams even though the Sooners have done phenomenally well with transfer quarterbacks in recent years and coach Lincoln Riley is a brilliant offensive mind.
Clemson is the hottest school in the country for quarterbacks and maybe every position across the board. Lawrence’s success, and the expectation he’s the No. 1 NFL Draft pick after next season, will only help. If Uiagalelei steps in behind him and has immediate success, that should bode well, too. The Tigers surround their quarterbacks with elite playmakers and that helps. After Lawrence and Uiagalelei there will be another phenomenal QB heading to Clemson and it will keep the Tigers atop college football.
3. Penn State will finish in the top 10 in recruiting in 2021.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Wait what? Penn State is currently No 30 in the country in 2021 with three commits and all of them three-stars. But so many prospects seem to be mentioning Penn State on their short and early lists that I think the Nittany Lions will get on a roll and push into the top 10. It’s rare for a Big Ten program to finish in the top 10 these days beyond Ohio State, but I have a good feeling about James Franklin and this 2021 class.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Going back to the 2010 recruiting class, Penn State has had only one top-10 finish and that was in 2018 when the Nittany Lions signed two five-stars. Plus, in-state recruiting has not been dominated by Penn State in the 2021 cycle as Ohio State has come in and landed two of the top players there. Franklin is one of the best recruiters in the country and he’s going to put together a top-20 class like every cycle, but top 10? That’s a little too high for me.