Fact or Fiction: Georgia is in the driver’s seat for Nicolai Brooks

Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith is joined by recruiting analyst Jed May of UGASports.com, Ryan O’Bleness of SpartansIllustrated.com and Tim Verghese of InsideNebraska.com to tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.

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1. Georgia is in the driver’s seat for Nicolai Brooks.

May: FACT. This race is a close one. However, if I had to pick today, my pick would be Georgia. The Bulldogs have been on Nicolai Brooks for a long time, having given him one of his first offers. He has a strong relationship with Stacy Searels. In more recent development, the Bulldogs have surged for Brooks after getting him on campus for an official visit in June. Georgia is now prioritizing him as the fifth offensive lineman to round out another stellar class. With all that in mind, I’d give the Bulldogs a slight edge as of now.

Smith: FACT. For me, this has been a fairly recent development. Brooks’ recruitment has been a mystery up until lately. He has narrowed down his choices to a final three of Texas, Georgia and Alabama. Each program presents a unique opportunity for the big lineman. It’s an upset that Iowa, who he was previously committed to, did not make the final three.

But now that the lineman is transferring to Grayson High School in Georgia, it seems inevitable that he will be a Bulldog. Coach Kirby Smart loves big linemen that he can mold and few have higher upside than Brooks.

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2. Michigan State has an opportunity to capitalize on the latest twists in the Michigan cheating scandal.

© Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

O’Bleness: FICTION. The Michigan football program is accused of perhaps one of the most egregious cheating scandals in NCAA history and will be punished to some degree. The question is, how harshly?

Now, the question as it relates to Michigan State is tough. Michigan is not going to have any players suspended as far as we know, so nothing is going to change on the field when the two teams face off — unless perhaps head coach Sherrone Moore is suspended at the time and misses the contest, as Moore is reportedly facing a potential show-cause penalty and possibly a suspension.

Michigan State and Michigan will have many recruiting battles within the state and perhaps in the Midwest, but seem to have different approaches at the national level. If Michigan gets some serious recruiting penalties handed down that severely limit the time it’s allowed to evaluate or recruit, scholarship spots are taken away (which may not matter as much anymore given that scholarship numbers for football are going up to 105 per team for the 2025-26 academic year), reduction in visits allowed or something along those lines, then yes, that certainly gives MSU an advantage on the recruiting trail.

At the end of the day, though, I just don’t see the projected penalties (fines, suspension for Moore, show-cause penalties) being large enough for Michigan State to significantly capitalize on this. Unless something surprising happens, Michigan’s punishment will likely have little consequence as it relates to MSU on the field and on the recruiting trail.

Smith: FICTION. I’ve been struck at how little Michigan State has seemed to come up during this whole ordeal. Ohio State and its supporters have gotten jabs in at the Wolverines. The Buckeyes seem to be elevating the program at the right time as Michigan enters the transition to Moore.

But Michigan State has been an afterthought in this equation. That’s surprising to me even though it has a new coach with a lot to be excited about. Perhaps this scandal isn’t translating to the recruits both programs are after. Or maybe the Spartans are worried about their own house as they turn the page to Jonathan Smith. Either way, it doesn’t feel like anything happening in Ann Arbor will benefit Michigan State. That feels like a missed opportunity but it could still work out in the end for Smith.

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3. Nebraska is surging in the recruitment of Jayden McGregory.

Eliot Clough / Rivals

Verghese: FACT. Jayden McGregory has emerged as a top defensive back target for Nebraska over the last few months and now the Huskers are a top program for the four-star. Michigan and Illinois are two other top contenders, but his best relationships are at Nebraska in director of player personnel Keith Williams and recruiting assistant Taylor Richards.

Nebraska’s proximity to home helps the Huskers, as does his budding relationship with defensive backs coach John Butler. He’s planning to visit for the Colorado game in early September, where Nebraska will get an opportunity to showcase the Memorial Stadium environment to the four-star for the first time.

Smith: FACT. The Huskers have quietly done a great job with the four-star out of Iowa. Nebraska always had McGregory at the top of its board. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound defender is a rangy prospect with good ball skills. He’s got enough size to make an impact in run support, too.

Nebraska made a huge move after getting him on campus and around other recruits this summer. That visit really helped the vision come together that McGregory could see himself playing college football in Lincoln. Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and Toledo are the other standouts right now for the Iowa native.

Getting back to Lincoln for the Colorado game could help the team take full control of this recruitment.

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