Recruiting Fact or Fiction: Wisconsin Decommits, Texas A&M Meltdown, OU Targets

Author:
Mike Farrell
Publish date:
Nov 18, 2022

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. Jim Leonhard isn’t a lock for the Wisconsin job.

Farrell’s take: FACT

Recent decommitments from players like WR Collin Dixon (pictured above) and DT Jamel Howard and an expected decommitment from DT Roderick Pierce III are a huge sign that the interim Wisconsin coach might not be the future pick to lead the program. Each of these players said they would stick with their commitments to the Badgers if Leonhard was hired so the fact they are all bailing at once leads me to believe something is up. This is no longer a no-brainer hire.

Oct 22, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Jim Leonhard reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Camp Randall Stadium.
© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

2. A&M’s recruiting efforts are a disaster.

Farrell’s take: FACT

Disasters are sometimes comparative so I’m talking about the state of recruiting in 2023 to the No. 1 class in 2022. I’ve never in my 25 years covering recruiting seen a program land a No. 1 class one year and fall so far in the next. This class is small, most of the 11 commits are visiting elsewhere and they’ve already lost the best player in LB Anthony Hill to decommitment. And what’s worse he will likely end up at Texas. This proves NIL wasn’t the key for the Aggies last year as the money hasn’t dried up. The interest in playing for Jimbo Fisher has dried up.

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3. The Sooners will land David Hicks Jr. and Peyton Bowen.

Farrell’s take: FICTION

They could land one despite the rough season but they won’t land both. Flash back to the summer when DL Hicks Jr. was an absolute lock to Oklahoma and it was just a matter of time when DB Bowen flipped from Notre Dame to OU. Guess what? Hicks Jr. committed to A&M in what wasn’t a surprise to me and Bowen is still a Notre Dame commit and I think stays that way. Both are at OU this weekend for huge visits and I could see Hicks Jr. pulling the parachute on this A&M disaster but both? I don’t see it.