Portal Fact or Fiction: TAMU vs LSU, Georgia's Offense, Travis Hunter

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

1. Texas A&M got the better of the portal CB situation over LSU.

Farrell’s take: FACT

The Aggies landed former 5-star Tony Grimes from UNC, while LSU landed former 5-star Denver Harris from the Aggies. These happened on the same day, so it makes sense to compare them. Grimes was a disappointment at UNC, but many feel it’s because of the defensive scheme for the defensive backs playing off the ball most of the time. Harris was a disappointment at A&M mainly because of off field issues. Both have immense talent but Harris’ issues worries me more. I think Brian Kelly and the culture there will grow him up quite a bit but I’m excited to see what Grimes can do in a much more aggressive defense.

Oct 8, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels defensive back Tony Grimes (1) tackles Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Frank Ladson Jr. (8) during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium.

2. UGA’s offense just got unstoppable.

Farrell’s take: FACT

You think of defense when you think of UGA and for good reason, but that offense next season is going to be insane. The additions of Dominic Lovett from Missouri and RaRa Thomas from Mississippi State in the portal give UGA two elite receivers the first time since Kirby Smart has been there. Add that to Brock Bowers and a great running back room and I don’t care who the QB is. Watch out.

Nov 5, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Rara Thomas (0) gestures during a run that would result in a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the fourth quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.

3. Travis Hunter is worth all the drama.

Farrell’s take: FICTION

He’s a talented kid for sure. But there’s no way I would have had him ranked No. 1 in the country in 2022 and he’s not my No. 1 portal player — not by a long shot. He had a very good first season at Jackson State and he has a chance to be an elite cornerback in college or even a wide receiver. But he is a bit much for all of this. Hunter stayed committed to Florida State for months while essentially being committed to Georgia and then he abandoned both to follow Deion to Jackson State in a stunning move. Much of it was for his love of Sanders and to help HBCU schools get more attention but what about now? 100,000 YouTube subscribers to hear a decision we all knew — that he was headed to Colorado — and then calling out Deion’s old program in FSU for tampering with him on Twitter? C’mon. And what about all those reasons he committed to Jackson State in the first place and it wasn’t just for Deion? It’s all about attention and in my experience players like this can hurt a locker room as much as help it. I think some teams dodged a bullet here.