Fact or Fiction: Florida commit Amaris Williams is on flip watch

Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman, national recruiting director Adam Gorney, Jason Higdon of 1stAndTenFlorida.com and national recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. tackle three topics and determine where they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.

Friedman’s take: FACT. The NCAA is set to discuss shortening the transfer portal windows and it should make the college football recruiting process a bit easier for coaches to navigate. As it stands right now, the transfer portal window will open for 60 days beginning Dec. 4 and another 15 days on April 15. Reducing the amount of time the windows are open will certainly give coaches more time to focus on other team related activities.

The NCAA has a history of making decisions without considering the full impact on players and this could be framed as another one of those instances. Giving players less time to think about whether they want or need to transfer only hurts the players.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the NCAA face some legal issues by trying to reduce transfer opportunities for players. Historically the courts haven’t looked favorably on organizations that try to take away rights from people and, since that the NCAA has already set up a system which gives players the opportunity to freely transfer within set periods of time, trying to limit those opportunities seems like a legally questionable decision.

If a player filed a lawsuit to be able to transfer during a time when the transfer portal window was previously open, the NCAA could have trouble justifying taking away the rights of a player so that college coaches could more easily navigate the recruiting process.
Gorney’s take: FACT. It really shouldn’t change much since the data shows most players enter the portal in the first few days but closing the back end of that window to 30 days, or 45 days as some want, would help coaches get a better grip and understanding of who is headed to the portal and who is going to stay on the roster.

Sixty days dragged that process out far too long. It does provide for less flexibility for the players who want to mull over their situation or see if assistant coaches are leaving for new staffs but shortening that window is fine, gives players enough time to figure out their situations and if most enter the portal in the first few days anyway, making it shorter shouldn’t be disadvantageous to the players much at all.

Friedman’s take: FACT. Expectations for Florida‘s season weren’t super high coming into this year but people did not think it was going to be this bad. Florida’s recruiting efforts could be beginning to suffer, too. Rivals250 defensive lineman Amaris Williams committed to Florida in June and has remained steadfast in his commitment, but that hasn’t stopped other programs from reaching out. Tennessee hosted Williams a couple of times earlier this year and now Ohio State has entered the picture.

The Buckeyes have been in contact with Williams for the last couple months and are starting to build a relationship with him. A visit is not set up just yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take a visit to the Columbus campus at some point this month, potentially for the Penn State game. There’s a long way to go before expecting a flip from Williams but Florida fans need to keep an eye on him over the next weeks and months.

Higdon’s take: FACT. Ohio State has been one of the better programs in the last couple of years, and it is coming full force for Williams. He recently tweeted regarding the Ohio State offer. While a harmless tweet is not something Florida fans should be alarmed by, they should be bothered if he visits Ohio State in the coming weeks, which looks likely to happen. If the Gators continue to struggle the rest of the season, Williams will be one of many players Florida fans need to watch.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH FLORIDA FANS AT 1ST AND TEN FLORIDA

Friedman’s take: FICTION. With 21 five-stars in the Rivals250, the total is bound to rise when the postseason rankings update is complete. A handful of players have already made strong cases to earn their fifth star but there are some who are in danger of losing the coveted distinction. Jordan Seaton, Cam Coleman and Ny Carr are just some of the obvious candidates to move up the rankings but there are more that will emerge as the heart of the fall season progresses.

Garcia’s take: FACT. Rivals currently sits at 21 five-star prospects in the senior class and even just down South, there are a handful of legitimate candidates to earn the final nod come January. We’ve already documented many of them, from top offensive lineman Jordan Seaton to the head-turning wide receiver duo of Cam Coleman and Ny Carr — all three of which are already ranked in the top 36 nationally ahead of dominant senior seasons on the field.

There is also time for other prospects to make their claim, especially come high school playoff time and beyond, so upping the number closer to 30 seems relatively likely as things currently stand. It’s a great and diverse class, positionally, throughout the country, so the five-star benefit of the doubt will continue to extend.