Recruiting Fact or Fiction: Venables DL Prowess, Braylen Russell Staying Home, In-State Hokies

In today’s Fact or Fiction — Recruiting Edition — I look at three big recent topics from the recruiting trail and decide whether the statement is indeed FACT or if it’s FICTION.

1. Brent Venables is making a difference with the defense line.

Farrell’s take: FACT

We knew this would happen, right? Venables was an elite recruiter at OU long ago and helped build an amazing defensive line tradition at Clemson and now he’s killing it at OU again. IMG star Jayden Jackson is on board and will likely be joined in this class by teammate David Stone and Missouri star DL Williams Nwaneri who are both five stars. And while DE James Nesta and DE Wyatt Gilmore aren’t as highly ranked, Venables also has a knack for finding talent overlooked a bit. The defense has to be fixed before the move to the SEC, and starting up front is nice. Now he just needs to close on the two big names.

Oklahoma football coach Brent Venables talks during a press conference in Norman, Okla., Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.

2. RB Braylen Russell stays in state at Arkansas.

Farrell’s take: FACT

Russell commits Friday night and should recommit to Arkansas in what has become a rarity. Usually, when kids decommit, they shy away from that school, or the school they spurn turns away from them. In this case, it brought them closer. South Carolina and Tennessee have done a great job here, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t end up back where he started with the Hawgs.

2024 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ RB Braylen Russell (@BraylenRussell) is HIM!!! pic.twitter.com/KL0uPbKNSd

— Earl Gill (@EarlGill10) October 29, 2022

3. The Hokies are turning a corner in-state.

Farrell’s take: FICTION

I’d love to say yes after the commitment of in-state 4-star WR Keylen Adams he’s a nice addition along with DE Gerard Johnson and WR Chanz Wiggins, but I’ll need to see more. In 2023 the Hokies landed zero players in the top 15 in Virginia, so while this momentum is nice, prospects like Chris Cole, Kris Jones, Fred Johnson, Peyton Lewis, and others would have to pact together and start heading to Blacksburg and the Hokies are far from shutting down the state the way Frank Beamer did at times. Brent Pry is aware of what Beamer did, but the days of Rolodex recruiting and long-standing relationships are gone, and he’ll need to win big on the field before the tide is turned.