Fact or Fiction: Jakim Stewart Will End Up At LSU
Competitor National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney Recruiting analysts nationwide Marshall Levenson together with Dale Dowden VolReport.com and Jade May UGASports.com addresses three topics and determines whether they believe each statement is fact or fiction.
1. Tennessee should start to feel very comfortable as it leads five-star OL David Sanders.
Gorney’s take: Facts. A few weeks ago, it felt like David Sanders’ recruitment might come down to a coin toss between Ohio State and Tennessee, and even then, the Buckeyes’ coaching staff still likely felt like they had a pretty good chance. But in the final days before the decision was made, the trend seemed decidedly in Tennessee’s direction. He was impressed by Nebraska, but seemed like a long shot. Georgia is in this predicament as well. Ohio State and Tennessee seem to be real contenders, but there’s plenty of Vols smoke here, and I believe that.
Dowden’s take: Fact. Tennessee has been chasing the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle in an attempt to close the gap between itself and Ohio State, once thought to be the leader. Sanders has visited Tennessee more than any other program this year, including two visits in the spring and one in late July after his official visit.
Sanders told Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman earlier this year that the Vols were the team he was most excited about in January, and that’s accurate. Believing this to be true, I began many visits to Rocky Top. Will the Vols be the No. 2 overall prospect? That remains to be seen, but as the decision date approaches, they should feel pretty good about their positioning.
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2. Justus Terry waited until closer to the early signing period to make his decision, which is bad news for Georgia.
Gorney’s take: Facts. I still fully expect Georgia to end up signing Justus Terry after earlier committing to the Bulldogs and USC, but the longer this goes on, the more likely Alabama, especially It’s Florida State and the opportunity to work with a five-star standout from Manchester, Georgia. There have been rumors in recent weeks that the Crimson Tide are making a concerted effort to land Terry, and if he’s so determined to return to Georgia, why hasn’t he done so yet? I still think the Dawgs look the best here, but if this drags out into the fall — and Alabama is undefeated or really special — it could make things too close and make it worse. People are uneasy.
May’s View: A Novel. Kirby Smart Of course, I would rather Terry commit than not. Regardless, though, this recruitment will take place before signing day. Georgia has been sending a “marathon” message to Terry all year, and it’s still continuing. He should be available for multiple Bulldog games this season, starting with the season opener against Clemson. While it’s taking a little longer than some hoped, we still fully expect Terry to be a Bulldog come December.
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3. LSU almost always gets the No. 1 prospect in the state. Jakeem Stewart is also coming to Baton Rouge.
Gorney’s take: Facts. Jakim Stewart is going to do things his way and on his own schedule, and he gets that opportunity because he’s a great defensive end and every program in the country wants him badly. USC, Ohio State, Oregon State, Texas and others are all here, and Stewart has said multiple times that he would never hesitate to leave the state. I believe it. But a recent return to Baton Rouge could help the Tigers, and with history so strongly on their side, unless something else happens, I still think LSU has the best chance here.
Levenson’s take: Fact. While most people right now would say out-of-state programs like USC, Ohio State and even Oregon State are the most motivated, I did always feel like Louisiana’s top prospects would end up staying home. It’s almost an “I’m going to believe otherwise when I see it” situation for them to leave the state. The state’s top recruit has left LSU only once since 2012, and that was Archie Manning. I do think USC has a real position in his recruitment, much like Ohio State does, because of the coaching and legitimate, strong relationships. We also know that Oregon State could outbid anyone if the Ducks wanted to. But at the end of the day, I still feel like LSU lost. Louisiana is one of the most culturally rich states in the country when it comes to representing the state in college and even in the NFL.
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