Rivals national recruiting analyst Marshall Levenson is joined by DuckSportsAuthority.com‘s Ryan Young, AggieYell.com‘s Landyn Rosow and DeathValleyInsider.com‘s Jefferson Powell to tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Oregon is the biggest threat to overtake Ohio State atop the 2025 team rankings.
Young: FACT. The Ducks are presently fourth in the Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings and are surging by the week. Combine a staff led by head coach Dan Lanning that has proven to be relentless in pursuit of its top targets — the Ducks have already won some major recruiting battles they weren’t pegged to win a few months ago, like for five-star running back Jordan Davison — and the kind of NIL backing needed nowadays to recruit with the best in the country, and that’s the recipe needed to truly recruit at an elite level.
Since June 25, Oregon has landed commitments from five Rivals250 four-star prospects and two five-stars in Davison (No. 2 RB and No. 18 overall) and receiver Dakorien Moore (No. 1 WR, No. 4 overall). The Ducks are stacking talent across the field, and even after losing out to LSU this week for five-star athlete DJ Pickett they’re far from done while looking strong for five-star safeties Jonah Williams and Trey McNutt and four-star top-100 receiver Michael Terry. Whether Oregon does or does not ultimately get to No. 1 this cycle, the Ducks have everyone’s attention and are definitely a top threat for that spot.
Levenson: FACT. I thought about this for a moment and was very close to going with fiction and siding with Alabama as the biggest threat. But there was one key aspect that leaves to me go with Oregon. The Ducks are currently No. 4 in the 2025 class and looking at the top five, Oregon has the fewest commits by a fairly wide margin.
Ohio State (24), Alabama (22), Georgia (20), Oregon (16), and Notre Dame (21) makes for an interesting look at what the future holds. Ohio State does not have many additions left for the year. Alabama at 22 and Notre Dame at 21 are in the same boat. Georgia is in a bit a decent spot for some more growth but Oregon with just 16 leaves so much room to grow. And looking at prospects like Williams, McNutt, and Terry are just three possibilities. There remains so major prospects around the country who could very well end up in Eugene. With so much room to grow and a number of elite prospects with real interest, they are set to make big moves up the ranks.
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2. LSU-Alabama will still be a heated rivalry in the post-Nick Saban era.
Powell: FACT. To say that the LSU-Alabama rivalry just won’t be the same without Nick Saban leading the Crimson Tide would be a big understatement. But it’s hardly the demise of this long storied series. We’re talking about a rivalry that dates back to Grover Cleveland’s time in the White House, a time where Theodore Roosevelt was president of the New York City Police Board, six years before he became the 26th President of the United States. There’s a lot of history in this series.
Some say that history tends to repeat itself. If that’s true, you could make an argument that the rivalry could become even more heated. The height of this rivalry has been over the last 40 years, following the retirement of another Alabama legend in Bear Bryant in 1982. While Alabama is saying goodbye to another legend this season, the next chapters of this century old rivalry have yet to be written. But the characters in those stories are not as important as the stories themselves.
This rivalry doesn’t need a Bear Bryant or Nick Saban to be one of the most heated rivalries in college football, it just needs the first Saturday in November.
Levenson: FACT. I think Powell described this situation perfectly. There was always an added layer to the rivalry between the two SEC powers given that Saban was once a national championship winning coach in Baton Rouge before eventually ending up at Alabama. However, that only added to the fire that was already burning. LSU has seen a rotation of quarterbacks over the past 20 years and you could argue the passion is added to as LSU fans hope and expect for a new coach to get the best of their biggest rival.
Now, with Kalen DeBoer at the head of the Tide, both fanbases are eager to see how this will play out. Alabama is looking to prove DeBoer belongs in this role to take down the likes of LSU and other SEC foes. Meanwhile LSU is looking to capitalize on what they are calling a potential downfall of Alabama with Nick Saban no longer at the helm.
I fully expect the 2024 rendition of the rivalry and beyond to be the normal level of craziness and passion we are used to.
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3. Texas A&M is the team to beat for 2026 four-star ATH Dequane Prevo.
Rosow: FACT. Texas A&M has seemingly been the program getting most of his attention for the past few weeks. It starts with the multiple visits he’s taken to College Station and is added to by the fact that he loves his relationship with coach (Holmon) Wiggins and believes in Mike Elko’s vision for him. I believe the talented wide receiver will end up committing to the Aggies.
Levenson: FACT. Dequane Prevo announce a commitment date of July 30 recently with a top schools of Texas A&M, USC, Arkansas, Penn State, and Baylor. Immediately upon putting out the news, I went ahead and logged a FutureCast for Texas A&M to land his commitment.
With an early commitment coming, I felt the Aggies were the clear answer at this time. They are the program he has visited most to this time, going back to 2022. He was most recently on campus in College Station on June 20, where Prevo was able to spend time with head coach Mike Elko. With just two weeks before a decision, Prevo looks like he is heading to Texas A&M as of now.
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.
