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re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:08 am to Rizzy
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:08 am to Rizzy
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Former Alabama wide receiver Tyrone Prothro will return to the field this fall.
The former Crimson Tide star pass-catcher has joined the coaching staff at Spanish Fort, a 6A power and will coach slot receivers for head coach Ben Blackmon, according to AL.com. He will also be helping out with the junior varsity basketball team.
“Even before the injury, I wanted to coach whenever my playing days were over,” Prothro said, per AL.com. “That’s been a long-term goal for me. I’m excited to have that chance at Spanish Fort.”
Before his college career was ended by injury, Prothro was an electrifying player, catching 58 passes for 863 yards and five touchdowns in 26 games at Alabama. He also averaged 26.7 yards on 29 kickoff returns and 10.5 yards on 17 punt returns.
Since sustaining a compound fracture in his lower leg in an Oct. 1, 2005, game against Florida, Prothro has had 12 surgeries in as many years to repair his gruesome injury.
Living in Tuscaloosa, Prothro had hoped for an opportunity to begin his career on the sidelines of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Now on his way to Spanish Fort, however, he’s excited for this new journey -- which could open doors for him to return to Alabama.
“I’ve had some coaching opportunities I passed up along the way,” Prothro said. “I always wanted to go back to my alma mater, but I understand there is a long list of guys who want to work under coach (Nick) Saban and get that knowledge from all the experience he has. A position just never worked out there, and I didn’t want to keep passing up other opportunities.”
Prothro played two years for the Crimson Tide with fellow Spanish Fort assistant Atlas Herrion.
LINK
I still can't believe that idiot Shula called that pass play that late in the game.
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Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:12 am to TideSaint
Harold Joiner is on campus.
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:19 am to TideSaint
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Alabama, Florida State and Georgia in the top three for Jaylen McCollough
BRADENTON, Fla. — Jaylen McCollough is a name Alabama fans should familiarize themselves with for next year.
McCollough, a 2019 safety from Hillgrove High School (Powder Springs, Ga.) with a 4-star rating on the 247Sports composite, has Alabama, Florida State and Georgia tied at the moment in his recruitment.
“Those three schools are in my top three because of the way they play defense at an elite level,” McCollough told SEC Country at the NFA 7v7 Championship last weekend. “I know [FSU defensive coordinator] Coach (Charles) Kelly and [Alabama defensive backs] Coach (Derrick) Ansley play with six DBs a lot. With Georgia, it’s the home school. They’re always going to be in the mix. I just like how they play physically on defense.”
Rated as the nation’s No. 5 safety in the Class of 2019, Alabama is recruiting him as a defensive back who can play anywhere in the secondary. McCollough likes that a lot.
McCollough usually speaks with Ansley and offensive line coach Brent Key. He hears from at least one Alabama staff member every week.
“They’re one of the top schools recruiting me,” McCollough said. “They’re coming after me so hard. I talk to Coach Ansley every week. They’re recruiting me really hard. I’m really cool with Coach Ansley. I call him ‘DA.’ He’s a really chill, relaxed guy.”
Florida State is seen as the heavy favorite right now to land the McCollough according to the 247Sports crystal ball. The Bulldogs are also seen as a threat. He has taken note that there’s a lot of talent in the state of Georgia for the 2019 class. Will it matter if his good friends in the Peach State decide to commit to Georgia?
“Yes and no,” McCollough said. “You go to college for yourself, but then again, you want to play with the best. Georgia’s 2019 class is one of the best out there. It plays a part, but it’s not a major part.”
McCollough went in-depth on why he’d choose each school he’s currently considering:
On Alabama: “It’s Alabama. It’s one of the best schools I’ve ever been to. It doesn’t get better than ‘Bama. I just like how they treat you like royalty there. It’s just a good atmosphere with great tradition and family. It’s a really good school.”
On Florida State: “The tradition is always there. They always have good players coming out of there. It’s a good school to play at.”
On Georgia: “I feel like Kirby Smart is building something good there. That 2017 class was good. I feel like they’re building something special there.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect said he’s planning on committing next summer. Alabama really wants this guy as one of its anchors in the Class of 2019. I had one source close to the program tell me, “He’s a great kid. He’s a ‘Bama type of kid.” Though FSU is considered to be the favorite, the Crimson Tide feel very good with where they stand for the elite prospect.
How will one school pull away from the next for McCollough?
“It has to feel like a second home and I’d like to have a good relationship with the players and coaches there,” McCollough said. “This school also needs to have great academics because I’m going to be there for around four to five years.”
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:22 am to TideSaint
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Stephon Wynn includes Alabama in his final three
Stephon Wynn Jr., a 4-star defensive end from IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), will announce his commitment on July 1 at 1 p.m. ET in his hometown of Anderson, S.C. Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina are his final schools.
The nation’s No. 5 strongside defensive end visited Tuscaloosa earlier this month, but I don’t think the Crimson Tide are going to be the pick here. Georgia has felt good about Wynn for quite some time, and I believe the Bulldogs will get Wynn’s commitment. The main reason for that is because of his relationship with UGA defensive line coach Tray Scott.
“Coach Scott has been recruiting me since I was in the ninth grade when he was at North Carolina,” Wynn said to my colleague Jeff Sentell over on DawgNation. “He’s been at my school and has been coming to watch me practice and I’ve been able to call him and talk to him on the phone for quite a while. We’ve built a real close relationship since I was in the ninth grade and in the early part of my recruitment.”
Though it seems unlikely that the 6-4, 285-pound prospect will choose Alabama, the Crimson Tide are in very good standing with several defensive linemen in the Class of 2018 such as 4-star prospects Coynis Miller and Bobby Brown. Junior college prospect Caleb Tremblay has risen on the board after a very good performance at the team’s OL/DL camp last week. In-state 3-star prospect Jalen Cunningham still needs to camp to earn a committable offer.
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:23 am to TideSaint
Anoma is one of my top 5 most coveted recruits in this class. I believe he may have the highest upside of any recruit I've seen in the entire class regardless of position. Hopefully we land him this weekend.
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:25 am to Bama3714
Very interesting post from the Auburn board:
Georgia currently leads in CBs for Corral.
quote:
TT a UGA buddy who usually has good info on the kids North of Atlanta......
Kirby Smart refused the commitment of Matt Corral. They think they have Justin Fields locked up.
My take on that is that they feel good about it and prefer him over Corral, so they told Corral they wanted to wait. That's it.
Georgia currently leads in CBs for Corral.
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:26 am to Bama3714
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Anoma is one of my top 5 most coveted recruits in this class. I believe he may have the highest upside of any recruit I've seen in the entire class regardless of position. Hopefully we land him this weekend.
He may not contribute right away, but he has the potential to be special.
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:29 am to TideSaint
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Jalen Cunningham doesn’t hide who he roots for.
The 3-star defensive tackle from St. Clair Co. (Ala.) has a Crimson Tide bumper sticker with a Crimson Tide license plate and a Crimson Tide key lanyard. Cunningham is as big — literally — of an Alabama fan as they come.
That’s why, since the beginning of his recruitment, Cunningham has called Alabama his leader.
His language is starting to change.
“It’s not really an order no more, for real,” Cunningham said.
He still says the Tigers have a shot, as do Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Cunningham got a little more specific with his top four when he spoke with my colleague Chris Kirschner following Big Cat Weekend.
“Auburn definitely closed the gap for me. They’re now No. 3 in my top five. Alabama is still No. 1 followed by Mississippi State,” Cunningham said. “It’s crazy. I always thought I would hate going to Auburn, but I really don’t because of this coaching staff. It was really the name Auburn that I hated, but now that I’ve been around them more, I really like it.”
Cunningham still plans to decide before the season. All indications are the Crimson Tide will be his choice.
But there is something for all coaching staff’s to monitor: Cunningham’s weight.
The big defensive tackle weighed 362 pounds going into the spring, and every coaching staff he met with told him he need to shed roughly 30 pounds. So Cunningham cut junk food out of his daily routine and started running suicides at his high school gym on a daily basis.
Auburn and Alabama have sent Cunningham a strict “keep in shape” message, and he’s abiding by it.
Now he’s just trying to separate the four schools in his top four — Auburn, Alabama, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Cunningham says he’s “seen almost everything” at all of the schools he’s interested in, so it will all come down to relationships now.
He told SEC Country there are two position coaches he feels closest to: Auburn’s Rodney Garner and Alabama’s Karl Dunbar.
Cunningham’s relationship with Garner will be Auburn’s final saving grace.
“Just him having a good personality and him knowing more than half of my family. So that’s good,” Cunningham said.
LINK
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:30 am to TideSaint
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Here’s another top defensive tackle who will likely choose between Auburn and Alabama: Coynis Miller.
The 4-star defensive tackle from Jackson-Olin (Ala.) released his top 5 early Thursday morning, which included Auburn, Alabama, Louisville, Florida and Oregon. Originally a close to Signing Day decision, Miller recently told SEC Country he plans to have a “summer decision” and this top 5 is the first step in that process.
Miller has a few out-of-state programs involved and claims there’s a chance he goes elsewhere. The two in-state programs have made the biggest push, and it seems like he’ll land at one of those two destinations.
Multiple people close to Miller’s recruitment have told me Auburn is the team to beat despite many saying that designation would go to Alabama.
LINK
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:32 am to TideSaint
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Shea Dixon on LSU's 247 posted some tidbits this morning and seems to think LSU is the leader for Tae Provens. Have a hard time seeing them take both Provens and Joiner but we will see
LSU sure is taking a lot of head scratchers in this year's class.
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:56 am to Bama3714
Sounds like we may have a top QB visiting this weekend.
Posted on 6/22/17 at 11:58 am to TideSaint
Agree completely. Still raw with technique. But he sure does flash 5* on his Junior highlights. Looks like he could completely blow up on the Composite rankings before Singing Day. I could see him having a huge senior year.
Posted on 6/22/17 at 12:03 pm to TideSaint
Not really sure where UGa stands with Corral and Fields. But the one thing that mystifies me almost as much as Ole Miss recruiting a couple years ago is UGa's success at recruiting QBs nationally. They seem to land a top 3 QB every year from all over the country. Why? It's a program that recruits well, with talent all around them. But what's the deal with their national QB recruiting? I mean.. has Stafford really had that much NFL success for that to be considered a draw? Just kind of odd for a program that hasn't ever been elite.
Posted on 6/22/17 at 12:09 pm to Bama3714
quote:
Sounds like we may have a top QB visiting this weekend.
Who?
Posted on 6/22/17 at 12:16 pm to TideSaint
Rumors are Fields.
Posted on 6/22/17 at 12:21 pm to TideSaint
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The skinny defensive end from Napa, Calif., has now turned himself into a major college football prospect.
It just took some time.
Caleb Tremblay earned an offer from Alabama last weekend while on a visit for a camp. His offer list is nearing double digits and now includes the Crimson Tide along with California, Washington, Syracuse and others.
Three years ago, Tremblay had no offers. He was fast, but was only 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds. He took a year off from school and then enrolled at American River College in Sacramento, Calif. He was going to start in 2015, but injured his knee and was only a part-time student that fall.
Now at 274 pounds, Tremblay made an impact last season with ARC, recording 30 tackles and three sacks. Within the last month, Alabama assistant Tosh Lupoi reached out and invited Tremblay for an unofficial visit.
"I had all that motivation from taking two years off, so I played as hard as I could every game," Tremblay said. "I put on 74 pounds since high school and kept the speed."
He toured the campus on Friday and participated in a lineman camp at Alabama on Saturday before returning to California on Sunday.
"I played just like I did on my highlight tape, really quick and athletic," Tremblay said. "I think they liked that. I was the same person in real life as the HUDL."
Tremblay, who has a goal of graduating from junior college in December, has already visited California. He also plans to visit Colorado and Washington this summer and wants to take an official visit to Alabama.
"I don't really like making a favorites list," he said. "I would consider 'Bama one of my top schools."
Tremblay said Alabama has many things that he looks for in a school.
"Like the culture and developing players," Tremblay said. "The big thing I was talking with one of my coaches today was that you have to see how you fit in with the program, the player personnel and body size and how it fits in with what they've had in the past.
"Coming in and being able to play and fitting in with the program, and obviously the school aspect, the degree and being able to further your education and be successful out of college is important, too."
Tremblay still wants to take other visits before making a commitment anywhere.
"I am not going to put a timetable on it," he said. "I'm going with what feels right. It could be in a couple of weeks or it could be possibly after the season."
LINK
This dude was supposedly dominant at camp last week.
Posted on 6/22/17 at 2:29 pm to TideSaint
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Bob Jones 2019 cornerback Jaydon Hill left Mississippi State's Elite Camp last Saturday feeling like he had a good showing. How good, exactly? It didn't take long for him to find out.
"They called me about 20 minutes after the camp was over with," the 6-foot, 163-pound Hill said.
On the other end of the line was a Mississippi State coach - Hill couldn't remember exactly which one - calling with a scholarship offer.
The Bulldogs' offer came two weeks after rival Ole Miss became the first team to offer Hill.
"It's a blessing," Hill said. "I always dreamed of having offers. I never thought it'd be this early."
Bob Jones coach Kevin Rose is not surprised with Hills' summer success.
"College coaches have told me he fights for every rep at camps," Rose said. "They're having to basically make him get off the field. I think he's been very impressive at the camps with his ability to cover and be physical. He's got a great body. He's 6 foot or 6-1, long arms and legs, and good thickness in his body. He's a good-looking defensive back."
Rose said that Hill started last season fourth or fifth on the depth chart, but he steadily improved each week while playing special teams and seeing more and more action in the secondary.
"By the end of the year, we kind of felt like he was as good a defensive back as we had," Rose said. "I think he's a good cover guy and a pretty good tackler. You see a lot of guys at defensive back, all the way up to the NFL, who won't tackle, but he's pretty physical. He turns and breaks on the ball and changes directions good."
Hill finished his sophomore season with 23 tackles, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He'll be expected to play a bigger role in the defensive backfield following the graduation of several starters.
"I think he's the best player back there," Rose said, "and I think when you're the best player, it comes with the responsibility of being a good leader. Jaydon's not a real verbal guy; he just goes out there and plays, but he sets a good example. He plays hard. He competes."
Hill's recruitment is similar to that of former teammate A.J. Harris, a defensive back who got his first offer from Florida State during the spring after his freshman year. Harris signed with Ole Miss in February.
Harris is among the former Bob Jones players who Hill considers to be like a brother. The others are Middle Tennessee running back Brad Anderson, Troy receiver Milkhi Stewart and his twin, Milkyle Stewart. Hill will wear Milkhi's old No. 4 this season.
LINK
Posted on 6/22/17 at 2:34 pm to TideSaint
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Montgomery (Ala.) St. James School running back Tony Amerson is one of the up-and-coming names in the state for 2019.
The 5-foot-10.5, 210-pound prospect already holds nine offers with more on the way.
“I recently visited Auburn, and I really liked that,” Amerson told BamaOnLine. “I plan on visiting Bama, Vandy, Louisville, UGA, and Florida, too.”
Amerson worked out for the Tigers staff at camp last Friday.
“I really did have a fun time at Auburn,” he said. “I liked Coach (Tim) Horton and Coach (Kevin) Steele. They’re really good people, and I like what they have over there at Auburn.”
While an offer didn’t come on the trip to Auburn, one could see be on the horizon.
“I had a good workout went I went up there,” Amerson said. “I thought I did good, and they told me I did good and that they liked a lot of stuff that I did. They said I worked hard. I think they might be close (to offering).”
The Maryland native is just down the road from the Tigers’ campus. An offer from Gus Malzahn and staff would be big for the rising in-stater.
“It would definitely mean a lot,” Amerson said. “I have a few friends that play for Auburn in Jalen Harris and Marlon Davidson. So it would be really cool to have the chance to go play with them up the road 40 minutes.”
Amerson is equally as high on the Crimson Tide.
“I’ve been to Tuscaloosa three or four times, and I really like it up there as well,” he said. “They have really nice facilities. I like that they work hard every day. I really like that, actually. They’re just all grind and no play. I really like that. I speak to Coach (Derrick) Ansley just about every time I see him up at Bama.”
Amerson dove further into what sticks out about the Capstone.
“Really the intensity,” he said. “Just that constant strive for perfection that each player has. That really appeals to me. It’s not just everybody comes in and they do their own thing. At Alabama everybody has their owns stats, but they put that aside for the greater good of the team to bring out the best in the team. It’s really cool how they do that.”
An offer from Alabama would be a lofty achievement for the up-and-coming prospect out of St. James.
“Bama would definitely be a huge impact,” Amerson said. “Alabama is the best. If you got an offer from the best, you’re doing something right. I just want to be the best I can be. If that means I have to go to Alabama to be the best, I’ll have to take that step when I decide to commit.”
Amerson says he feels Florida, Georgia and Bama might be the closest to offering. He says the schools hope to see more film of him catching the ball and pass blocking before they pull the trigger.
Last season Amerson rushed for 1,067 yards and eight touchdowns.
LINK
Posted on 6/22/17 at 2:36 pm to TideSaint
Matt Corral quote:
quote:
“I think I’ll get to Alabama around July 21,” said Corral. “I think I’ll do that trip first. Then I’m going to go to Georgia right after that and then Florida right after that one. I want to get all of my trips done by the end of July.”
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