Fact or Fiction: Avery Gach will finish as a top-100 prospect in 2025
Rivals national recruiting analyst Marshall Levenson is joined by national recruiting analysts Greg Smith, Sam Spiegelman, and TideIllustrated.com’s Jack Knowlton to tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
MORE FACT OR FICTION: Georgia is set to go on a recruiting roll
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1. Avery Gach will finish as a top-100 prospect in the 2025 class.
Smith: FACT. Gach is likely to be one of the big risers in the next rankings update. That’s because of a dominant performance at Rivals Five-Star which was our first live exposure to him. The Michigan native and Wolverines commit has great size (6-5, 285) and is pretty athletic, too. He even competed in the fastest man competition at the event in Jacksonville.
He is unlikely to get all the way to top 100 on this round but my feeling is that he will continue climbing the ranks, making him among the highest-rated offensive linemen in the nation.
Levenson: FACT. In the five prior rankings updates, Gach has seen his ranking decline each time in slow increments. He brought that trend to a halt while in Jacksonville for the Rivals Five-Star. As Smith points out, the 6-foot-5, 285-pound frame gives a lot to work out. Not only the physical ability but the mental toughness and mean streak he displayed, this is undoubtedly a player you can put confidence in to excel at the next level. He is due for a rise back up the rankings and if his senior season matches anything we saw in Jacksonville, he may be due to climb even further. He has never been ranked inside the top 100, but I believe he may be on his way.
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2. Louisiana will have at least three five-stars in the 2026 class.
Spiegelman: FACT. There’s already one five-star prospect in Louisiana for 2026 — Jahkeem Stewart — and he sits atop the Rivals250 for the class. Four-star OL Lamar Brown was undoubtedly a top-50 prospect on the defensive line, but a prospect that can challenge for five-star status on the offensive side of the ball. Four-star SAF Blaine Bradford was sensational this off-season and ended his sophomore campaign with an emphasis. He’s another defensive back that’s squarely in the mix for five-star consideration going into his junior season. Aiden Hall is one of the most versatile defensive backs in the nation and was equally impressive in a bigger frame this summer in a camp setting.
Levenson: FACT. The blueprint is there in a fairly simple way for how this could play out. Stewart is already firmly in the mix as the No. 1 prospect in the class. Both Brown and Bradford have shown, whether on tape or in offseason events, that their physical makeups along with athletic profiles are exactly what is being looked for in elite prospects. Both prospects, although still four-stars, are ranked inside the top-20 in the class. Over time, as the rankings expand, I expect them to fall within that same range, meaning five-stars may be in their future sooner rather than later.
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3. Alabama will finish with multiple five-stars in the 2025 class.
Knowlton: FACT. Alabama ending up with multiple five-stars in 2025 likely depends on which of its current commits rise to five-star status by National Signing Day. Wide receiver Caleb Cunningham and offensive lineman Ty Haywood are the Tide’s top two commits, currently ranked Nos. 21 and No. 22 respectively. Quarterback Keelon Russell is also a contender. Russell is likely due for another rapid rise after dominating the camp circuit and winning Elite 11 earlier this year. Russell is currently ranked No. 47 overall.
Cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. could also be a player to watch. The Mission Viejo product is currently listed as the No. 30 player in the country. Among the Crimson Tide’s remaining targets, Justus Terry is a five-star and ranked No. 6 in the country. Georgia will be a tough beat for his services but Alabama is likely to make a push this fall after getting him on campus for an OV. Wide receiver Kaliq Lockett also rose up the ranks this spring and could reach five-star status with another dominant season for Sachse High School in Texas. Alabama is a finalist for Lockett, who will announce his commitment Aug. 7.
Levenson: FACT. Knowlton nails it with this one. The biggest name I look at is Keelon Russell, who has had the biggest offseason of anyone in the country. If anyone has proven they are worthy of five-star discussion, it is him. Haywood and Cunningham are well within the range to eventually earn their fifth stars.
Along with potential risers such as Lockett, I also look to a player such as Michael Carroll, who had a phenomenal offseason including the Rivals Five-Star. He will certainly be in line for a big bump. It is a bit odd to think that Alabama does not have a five-star committed, but I don’t feel that will be the case for long.
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