Rivals national recruiting analyst Marshall Levenson is joined by national recruiting director Adam Gorney, national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman and OUInsider.com’s Parker Thune to tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
MORE FACT OR FICTION: Georgia will land both five-star DTs in the 2025 Rivals250
1. Five QBs could earn five-star status in 2025.
Gorney: FICTION. From 2018 until present day, there have been three NFL Drafts with five or more quarterbacks taken in the first round with a record six going in April’s draft. So history could be on the side of the argument to move more quarterbacks up to five-star status because teams are taking them more often. But I just don’t see it with this class. So far, Julian Lewis, Bryce Underwood and Tavien St. Clair are the five-stars so we’re off to a strong start and I wouldn’t be against adding more if it called for it. SMU commit Keelon Russell and Texas commit KJ Lacey are two that could get more discussion moving forward, along with others, but getting to five in this class seems like a stretch.
Levenson: FACT. Quarterbacks are the most important position in football, maybe in sports, and the NFL Draft treats it as such. There were just three quarterbacks taken in the top 12 of the first round that had been reported to be legitimate options even outside of the first round. So looking at some options outside of Lewis, Underwood and St. Clair, names such as Keelon Russell and Matt Zollers come to mind. Both had massive rises in this update: Russell rising 194 spots within the Rivals250 and Zollers with an outright Rivals250 debut at No. 70. With big seasons, there is potential for even more of a rise for the pair.
There are also names such Lacey, George McIntyre and Deuce Knight that all find themselves in or near the top 50. While each have taken slight drops, it is not out of the realm of possibilities that strong summer performances and dominant seasons could warrant a bump back up for any of them.
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2. Luke Metz can take over the No. 1 ILB spot as the year progresses.
Friedman: FICTION. I’m certainly not ruling out Metz as a potential No. 1 at inside linebacker because he is an excellent talent at the position. Jumping over Elijah Melendez and overtaking Riley Pettijohn is a big ask considering their skillsets. Melendez and Pettijohn are exceptionally explosive for their size and do a great job tracking down ball carriers on inside and outside runs. Metz has proven to be a big hitter and fills running lanes with the best of them but he may not be as rangy as Melendez or Pettijohn right now.
Levenson: FICTION. Metz rightfully had a big rise up the ranks leading to a Rivals250 debut at No. 83. But as Friedman says, taking over the No. 1 spot may be too tall of a task. Pettijohn’s varied skillset and athleticism give him a perfect mold of the modern college linebacker and he looks to be ready to contribute on Day One. For Metz to be No. 1 at the position, you would be asking him to be in the top 30 in the country, which right now, seems unlikely.
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3. Peyton Houston should be Oklahoma’s first 2027 QB offer.
Thune: FACT. Houston will camp at Oklahoma on June 13, and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that even if the offer doesn’t come at that time, he’ll be the initial QB target for Oklahoma in the 2027 class. He’s already visited Norman for a game day, meshes well with the program from a cultural standpoint and is every bit the budding superstar that one expects an Oklahoma quarterback recruit to be. The Sooners aren’t in the business of offering and recruiting just one QB, so I would expect other signal-callers to get looks. But Houston is a natural starting point for OU in its effort to recruit a 2027 arm. And it’s not outlandish to assert that he’ll be in the five-star conversation come his senior year.
Levenson: FACT. I am in complete agreement with Thune on this topic. In my opinion, Houston is the most polished quarterback in the 2027 class. It is likely Houston will be a featured member of the initial 2027 rankings, checking in at a high slot. For Oklahoma, which will host Houston on campus this month, putting an offer on the table may not come at a better time. There are a handful of 2027 arm talents who could be deemed worthy of an Oklahoma offer at this point, but Houston seems like a smart play to focus on at this time.
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