Fact or Fiction: Lincoln Riley is going to dominate California recruiting
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman along with Andrew Bone from TideSports.com and Brandon Justice of TheMaizeandBlueReview.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Alabama will be the biggest beneficiary of Brandon Inniss' decommitment from Oklahoma.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Alabama will definitely play a big factor in Brandon Inniss’ recruitment now and a trip is being seriously considered to Tuscaloosa so the Crimson Tide will benefit from his decommitment. However, I’m just not sure there is one school that benefits more than any others. Miami, Ohio State and many others will be considered and I now think USC becomes a real player again in Inniss’ recruitment since the band might just be getting back together in Los Angeles instead of Norman.
Bone’s take: FACT. Alabama was considered an early front-runner for Inniss, but after not visiting Tuscaloosa during the summer the chances of him choosing the Crimson Tide were slim when he announced his commitment to the Sooners. Alabama has developed many elite receivers including several from South Florida including Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley and Jerry Jeudy. Alabama will re-enter the mix for Inniss and should contend for his future signature. It certainly opens the door for arguably the best school in the country when it comes to producing receivers.
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2. After his weekend visit to Michigan, Keon Sabb will flip to the Wolverines.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I definitely understand the Michigan momentum here. I just don’t think it’s a lock that he flips. Clemson is not giving up and the Tigers lasted through the weekend with Keon Sabb still committed to them. Michigan could definitely get him on board and there was no crazier environment than the Big House on Saturday - plus the win over Ohio State definitely helps - but Clemson is doing everything to keep him on board. That coaching staff can be convincing as well.
Justice’s take: FACT. Michigan got a surprise visit over the weekend from the Clemson commit, and by all accounts, it knocked it out of the park. The 2022 four-star safety watched as the Wolverines' secondary kept Ohio State's vaunted passing attack in check en route to a 42-27 victory. According to our Josh Henschke, "On the Michigan side, there was optimism in U-M circles that a flip could happen to the Wolverines. One source said that the optimism only increased with Sabb arriving on campus." Following his visit and the monumental victory, Michigan sent him home with all of the momentum in its hands and out of Clemson's. At this stage, you have to like Michigan's chances.
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3. Lincoln Riley is going to absolutely clean up in recruiting top California players starting in the 2022 class.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Lincoln Riley is wasting no time going after 2022 prospects including Tetairoa McMillan as a “top priority” and many others. We will see what kind of success he has with 2022 committed recruits but 2023 should be a blockbuster class. I fully expect Malachi Nelson, Makai Lemon and others to follow Riley to USC, Raleek Brown is very likely to end up with the Trojans as well and others will follow. Here’s the thing: A lot of elite players in Southern California still want to play for USC, they just needed a reason to go there. Riley is that reason so we will see lots of big names come onboard.
Spiegelman’s take: FACT. Aren't we already beginning to see this come to fruition? Lincoln Riley made the move of the offseason to switch from Norman to Los Angeles, and in making that move he brings his impressive resume to USC where he already has quite a bit of success recruiting the West Coast. I would expect to see some of the offensive firepower that Riley recruited to Oklahoma follow him to USC and he'll have a leg up with another national brand to sell on kids around the country as well. Raleek Brown, Malachi Nelson ... the list is growing by the minute and USC recruiting should begin to take off rather swiftly from here on out.