In today’s Fact or Fiction national columnist Mike Farrell looks at three big recent topics in college football and decides whether each statement is indeed FACT or if it’s FICTION.
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1. Kedon Slovis should be a Heisman candidate heading into the season.
FACT. Many people are laughing at the notion of Kedon Slovis being a Heisman candidate but I have him in my preseason top five for many reasons. Despite losing Tyler Vaughns and Amon-Ra St. Brown at receiver, he could have more offensive weapons than ever with Drake London, Bru McCoy, Gary Bryant, some key transfers and likely a better running game. It will all come down to how USC does overall but a 40-50 touchdown season is certainly within reach for Slovis.
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2. Phil Jurkovec is a first-round talent.
FICTION. I didn’t believe in Phil Jurkovec a ton out of high school or at Notre Dame despite his size and ability to move. His release was funky and he looked like a deer in headlights at times. But then 2020 happened and he led the Boston College offense with 17 touchdowns against only five interceptions and ran for another three scores. A recent article by Yahoo’s own Pete Thamel has Jurkovec as the buzz word amongst scouts heading into the season. But I haven’t heard the same and will believe it when I see it. I feel he has a solid year for sure with some big-time weapons you’ve probably never heard of but any first-round talk should be tempered. This isn’t hate it’s just realistic expectation as scouts will need to see a lot more from him to push him to that level.
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3. Trev Alberts is the perfect fit to be Nebraska's athletic director.
FACT. Let’s get this straight — I don’t think Scott Frost will last at Nebraska and I don’t see a turnaround anytime soon for the Huskers. They are just too far from competing right now and there is little reason to think Frost will turn things around from his 12-20 start in Lincoln. But hiring Trev Alberts, who as a former star player under Tom Osborne back in the day, as the new Athletic Director is a perfect move. He knows the culture Osborne created and the things that made Nebraska football different from the rest back during their title runs. The landscape of college football has changed a ton and things are very different now but if anyone can find a coach who he feels can emphasize those things (if Frost fails) it’s Alberts.
