Fact or Fiction: Arkansas is surprise of season to date
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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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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1. Sam Pittman and Arkansas are the surprise of the season.
Farrell’s take: FACT. There have been some other surprises like Florida's defense being so bad, Oklahoma’s awful start and Virginia Tech quietly becoming the second best team in the ACC, but Pittman and Arkansas are the story of the year so far. Barry Odom has done a great job with the defense and Pittman has this team believing they can win from the start, which is amazing after the Chad Morris debacle. They were robbed in the Auburn game and should be sitting with three SEC wins after getting just one in the past three seasons.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. It’s only been in the last few years that Arkansas has really struggled as the Razorbacks were almost always a tough out during the Bret Bielema years and before that they were a really talented team in many seasons. Pittman has done an incredible job so quickly getting Arkansas back to being competitive and he deserves a lot of credit for that.
But the biggest surprise to me so far this college football season is that Oklahoma and Texas each have two losses and that in the SEC, Florida has already lost and LSU has lost twice. It’s been an amazing first few weeks.
2. Jake Garcia will stick with USC despite Trojans offering two other QBs.
Farrell’s take: FACT. But this is interesting. Sophomore Kedon Slovis is set to be the only returning scholarship QB on the roster next season, so Clay Helton wanted to look JUCO but instead came up with an offer for Jaxson Dart a 2021 from Utah. So that means Garcia, Miller Moss and perhaps Dart in this class. With Garcia across the country in Georgia, who knows who could be in his ear trying to flip him. He could listen but I think he sticks.
Gorney’s take: FACT. After talking to numerous people about this, I still feel Garcia is firmly committed to USC and I’d be surprised at this point if he flips somewhere else. Garcia has bounced around high schools but it’s all been in an attempt to play football - even his move to Valdosta, Ga., was so he could get in a full season before enrolling early in college. Miami and others are trying to flip him because he’s so talented, but at this point USC still looks to have him locked up and the offer to Dart is no indication Garcia is leaving.
3. Florida State is closer to competing in the ACC than it appeared.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. The win was a good one over North Carolina and I was impressed the way the ‘Noles fought and hung on as I thought they would lose late, but let’s pump the brakes a bit. This is a team that needs a ton of work and while this is a good first step, the QB situation is still a nightmare and the Seminoles are a couple years away from anything.
Gorney’s take: FACT. The Florida State team I watched lose to Georgia Tech has looked a whole lot different in recent weeks, really challenging Notre Dame for long stretches and then stunning North Carolina on Saturday.
Are the Seminoles back? God, no. But there are green shoots forming and there is enough talent on this roster that if they just believe success is around the corner, they might be able to find it. I have faith Mike Norvell and his staff will turn this thing around, but fans and the administration have to remain patient because it won’t be easy. The ACC is getting better almost across the board but FSU is showing some signs of life and that’s the first step. An eighth-place recruiting class in the ACC right now is a worrying sign, but there’s still a long way to go with the 2021 class.