Fact or Fiction: Spring football can work

National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.

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Farrell’s take: FICTION. I don’t see it being nearly the same. So many players will opt out for the NFL Draft (the combine is in February and the draft in April) that the stars we expect to see - like Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields - just won’t be able to play, whether they want to or not. And how can we expect student-athletes to play football in the spring and then in the fall again? We’re talking about the potential for serious injury, overwork and big-time stress.

Gorney’s take: FICTION. This is a complicated topic, but I don’t see how this can work. Almost all the top college football players will skip a spring season to prepare for the NFL Combine and NFL Draft, and I can’t blame them.

This is such a mess and I just don’t see why playing in the spring is any better than playing in the fall, other than the hope of a widely available and successful vaccine comes by that time. If I had to guess, the spring season will be canceled as well, and then players that want an extra year of eligibility will just get it for the following fall.

Farrell’s take: FICTION. This is just a guess, as this situation has never occurred before with the postponement of college football, but I have a feeling every Power Five conference will eventually cave and postpone the season. And that will even things out. The five-star was supposed to play this season at IMG Academy in Florida, but he’s staying home in Texas and will likely choose between Alabama and Texas A&M, according to early rumors. But I don’t see the Ohio State class imploding in a mass exodus of recruits away from the Big Ten despite the conference being the first to give up.

Gorney’s take: FACT. This is a complete guess because we are in totally uncharted waters, but when a five-star who was committed to Ohio State decides to go elsewhere, then nobody is safe in this recruiting cycle. The early indications are that most recruits are going to stick with their schools and then navigate through these tumultuous times happily committed - and happy to just have a spot available.

But just looking at the top of the Big Ten team rankings, Michigan has a heavy presence of commits from the West and the Southeast, and Ohio State has a solid group from the Southeast. With uncertainty could come an attraction to staying closer to home.

Farrell’s take: FACT. You can’t have players signing in December without any clear guidance on roster limitations or scholarship numbers, and it’s unfair to ask players to sign without any opportunity to take their allotted official visits. The calendar will be pushed back to the spring and I can see a final signing period in May, depending on whether college football is played at all.

Gorney’s take: FACT. The Early Signing Period in December has become the important one, as nearly everyone signs then, but it seems almost impossible to fathom that’s going to happen this recruiting cycle. Visits are highly unlikely and there will be no game-day experiences. Everyone is so concerned about the virus that asking kids to travel on airplanes, stay in hotels and then interact with numerous people on campus seems like a major long shot. A February signing day is possible, but that adds questions about early enrollees, and then I’d imagine a later spring or early summer signing period to lock up recruiting classes. It’s going to be an uncertain and fluid time for everyone involved.