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re: Class of 2019 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: That's a Wrap Edition
Posted on 3/29/18 at 4:43 pm to amders44
Posted on 3/29/18 at 4:43 pm to amders44
quote:I'm no expert, but I do know that Alabama is not for every recruit, and vice versa. CNS apparently doesn't pull any punches when it comes to telling a recruit what to expect AND what's expected from them. This can prove daunting to many people...especially an 18 year old pampered kid.
How do we go from leader for McClendon to not in top 5? I mean we only won another NC and Saban comitted to 2024. We still have top notch facilities etc. What gives? I am usually a sunshine pumper when it comes to Alabama, but I get the feeling that not quite as many recruits see us as the absolute number 1 choice to play ball. Any of you experts see or feel the same way?
1
Posted on 3/29/18 at 4:54 pm to coachcrisp
Bama basically had a all new staff. They got to build ties to the players Bama is after.
Posted on 3/29/18 at 5:08 pm to remaster916
quote:
Bama basically had a all new staff. They got to build ties to the players Bama is after.
That is true, but I dont think it's why McClendon is focusing on other opportunities. (1) Bama's depth chart may feel daunting to him. (2) He doesn't appear to be at the top of Bama's board at this time.
He may have to blow up or Bama may have to miss on several prospects before they'd turn up the heat on McClendon. In the mean time, other schools may be saying he's a top priority.
Based on what McClendon said in the Rivals article, it sounds like he's looking for a good fit program where he's a top priority (UGA may be slow playing him too) with good chances to play early that he can commit to by August 1.
Steele Chambers, Kane Patterson, Kevin Harris and Lloyd Summerall are some other LBs Bama is recruiting who also don't appear to be at the top of their board at this time. See next post.
This post was edited on 3/31/18 at 1:07 pm
Posted on 3/29/18 at 5:19 pm to remaster916
The Top Targets list (bold name = Bama commit) is updated very often and kept in 2nd post of this thread. Here's the LB section:
Linebackers (5-6)
4* LB King Mwikuta 6-4/232 (GA) hudl
5* LB Nakobe Dean 6-1/215 (MS) hudl
4* LB Vonta Bentley 6-2/220 (AL) hudl
4* DE Ani Izuchukwu 6-4/230 (TN) hudl
4* LB Lakia Henry 6-1/230 (Juco/GA) hudl
4* Ath Christian Harris 6-1/225 (LA) hudl
4* LB/S Marcel Brooks 6-3/200 (TX) hudl
4* LB Mohamoud Diabate 6-4/220 (AL) hudl
4* LB Kevin Harris 6-4/210 (GA) hudl
5* DE Nolan Smith 6-3/232 (IMG/GA) hudl
Kevin Harris may commit to LSU this spring. And flipping Nolan Smith from UGA is unlikely, but the #1 WDE (/OLB) Kayvon Thibodeaux visits Bama April 7. Afterward, I think Bama will be a very serious contender for him. The 6-1 guys are ILBs. Bentley (6-2) is an ILB (/SAM?) prospect. The WDEs and taller LBs are Jack/SAM prospects. Mwikuta and Diabate are versatile (OLB & ILB).
All of that said, it's still early in the cycle.
Linebackers (5-6)
4* LB King Mwikuta 6-4/232 (GA) hudl
5* LB Nakobe Dean 6-1/215 (MS) hudl
4* LB Vonta Bentley 6-2/220 (AL) hudl
4* DE Ani Izuchukwu 6-4/230 (TN) hudl
4* LB Lakia Henry 6-1/230 (Juco/GA) hudl
4* Ath Christian Harris 6-1/225 (LA) hudl
4* LB/S Marcel Brooks 6-3/200 (TX) hudl
4* LB Mohamoud Diabate 6-4/220 (AL) hudl
4* LB Kevin Harris 6-4/210 (GA) hudl
5* DE Nolan Smith 6-3/232 (IMG/GA) hudl
Kevin Harris may commit to LSU this spring. And flipping Nolan Smith from UGA is unlikely, but the #1 WDE (/OLB) Kayvon Thibodeaux visits Bama April 7. Afterward, I think Bama will be a very serious contender for him. The 6-1 guys are ILBs. Bentley (6-2) is an ILB (/SAM?) prospect. The WDEs and taller LBs are Jack/SAM prospects. Mwikuta and Diabate are versatile (OLB & ILB).
All of that said, it's still early in the cycle.
This post was edited on 3/30/18 at 9:31 am
Posted on 3/29/18 at 6:28 pm to TidalSurge1
Top-100 cornerback says LSU is recruiting him hardest (SEC Country - LSU)
Top-100 cornerback Christian Williams visited LSU for junior day in late February.
Top-100 cornerback Christian Williams visited LSU for junior day in late February.
quote:
LSU recruiting 4-star CB Christian Williams the hardest
BUFORD, Ga. — Christian Williams was one of several elite out-of-state prospects to attend LSU’s junior day in the beginning of March. Since then, defensive backs coach Corey Raymond has turned up the heat on the top-100 cornerback from Alabama.
LSU, Auburn and Alabama are the three teams pushing hardest to land the 4-star prospect, but the Tigers have made their presence felt a bit more over the past month.
“The hardest pushes would be from LSU, Auburn and Alabama,” Williams told SEC Country at the Nike Opening regional in Atlanta. “LSU is pushing very, very hard. I’d say that they are probably recruiting me the hardest.”
Raymond is attempting to replenish depth in the secondary after reeling in only one defensive back in the 2018 class.
Williams, who hails from coastal Alabama, is a 6-foot-1, 178-pound corner who has a chance to make an immediate impact in Baton Rouge. Raymond is pushing that message to Williams as they continue to cultivate a relationship.
“He’s being real with me and everything,” Williams said of Raymond’s push. “He’s just talking to me a lot about how [LSU] needs me. He said I could come in and start. I just want to make sure I feel good with the place.”
Williams was one of several out-of-state visitors on LSU’s campus at the start of March. He met with Raymond and area recruiter and recruiting coordinator Tommie Robinson.
At the moment, the Daphne (Ala.) product does not have a leader. However, Williams indicated his most recent visit — to Baton Rouge — left a good first impression on him.
“It was honestly really, really good. I really liked it,” he said. “I got to meet some of the coaches and touch base with some coaches and just see how they’re coaching. Overall, I enjoyed it."
This post was edited on 3/29/18 at 6:35 pm
Posted on 3/29/18 at 7:37 pm to TidalSurge1
How Alabama plans on recruiting WR position with explosion of young receivers
Devonta Lee is one of Bama's top WR targets.
Devonta Lee is one of Bama's top WR targets.
quote:
Alabama finished seventh in the 2018 class recruiting rankings, but expect the Crimson Tide to be back on top in 2019. SEC Country’s Chris Kirschner will answer the Recruiting Question of the Day each weekday. You can ask him your questions on Twitter or on Facebook. Find our previous questions and answers here.
Ryan @ryanwill61
How heavily do you think Bama will recruit the receiver position with the explosions of Jeudy, Smith, etc last year? Not so much or the same?
This post was edited on 3/29/18 at 7:40 pm
Posted on 3/29/18 at 7:40 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
Alabama isn’t expected to lose any of its suspected main wide receivers after this season. The emergence of freshman Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III allows the team to focus its efforts on other key positions this recruiting cycle. Not to mention, Tyrell Shavers, a 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman, should see a lot of balls thrown his way this season.
We do know that Alabama wanted to add one big-bodied receiver in the 2018 class but missed on Justyn Ross, the state’s top prospect who signed with Clemson. I would expect the team to try to get a bigger receiver this class.
It is interesting, though, that Alabama hasn’t offered George Pickens, a 6-5 Auburn wide receiver commit who attends Hoover (Ala.) High School. Pickens shined this past Sunday at the Opening Atlanta regional camp and was arguably a top-3 performer at the position. The Tide are also heavily recruiting Frank Ladson, a 5-star prospect who stands 6-4, but he seems likely to stay in the state of Florida.
Alabama has positioned itself nicely for two wide receiver prospects from the state of Louisiana in 4-star prospects DeVonta Lee (6-2, former teammate of DeVonta Smith) and Trey Palmer (6-0, former teammate of Shyheim Carter).
Outside of those two, there aren’t many receivers who have emerged as strong targets for the Tide. Jake Smith (4-star prospect from Arizona) and Jameson Williams (4-star prospect from Missouri) have Alabama among their top schools, but that’s about it.
This post was edited on 3/29/18 at 8:08 pm
Posted on 3/29/18 at 7:42 pm to TidalSurge1
Four-star Alabama athlete commits to Tennessee (247Sports)
@ Tide or Die87:
Thx for the heads up.
V
quote:
Four-star Class of 2020 athlete Kristian Story of Lanett (Ala.) High School announced Thursday night that he has committed to Tennessee.
"I am committed to The University of Tennessee #GoVols #2thet0p," he tweeted.
The 6-foot-2, 196-pound Story chose the Vols over scholarship offers from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State, Louisville and Jacksonville State, giving new Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt's staff its first commitment for the 2020 class.
Story made his decision known while visiting the Vols on Thursday for the second time this month. He also attended Tennessee's junior day on March 3 after getting an offer from the Vols in January.
He's ranked by 247Sports as the No. 96 overall prospect and No. 6 athlete in the 2020 class.
@ Tide or Die87:
Thx for the heads up. V
This post was edited on 3/30/18 at 9:51 am
Posted on 3/29/18 at 8:03 pm to TidalSurge1
2020 kid K. Story to Tenn...
Posted on 3/29/18 at 9:27 pm to TidalSurge1
I don’t see it lasting long.
Posted on 3/29/18 at 9:28 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
I don’t see it lasting long.
I don't either.
But maybe the Vo11s will improve and win at least one conference game this season.
This post was edited on 3/30/18 at 7:31 am
Posted on 3/29/18 at 9:29 pm to TidalSurge1
Alabama running second behind familiar foe for one of state’s top prospects
LB Vonta Bentley has Clemson as his leader.
LB Vonta Bentley has Clemson as his leader.
quote:
Welcome to SEC Country’s daily Roll Tide-ings, a rundown of everything happening in Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting with Chris Kirschner. Today, we talk the latest with one of the state of Alabama’s top prospects.
Alabama playing catch-up with Vonta Bentley
BUFORD, Ga. — Alabama saw the state’s No. 1 prospect in the 2018 class, 4-star wide receiver Justyn Ross, sign with Clemson over the Crimson Tide. We could see one of the state’s top-10 prospects choose to do the same if things stay the course.
Vonta Bentley, a 4-star inside linebacker from Jackson-Olin High School (Birmingham, Ala.), told SEC Country last weekend at the Atlanta Opening regional camp that Clemson is currently his top school, with Alabama running second.
Bentley named Alabama his leader earlier this year, but said the Crimson Tide just haven’t been putting in the time with him that Clemson has. Bentley was back at Clemson on Wednesday.
“[Alabama] isn’t showing me as much attention as Clemson is,” Bentley said. “Clemson’s on me every day. They’re showing me a lot of attention. It’s a lot of love, like family.”
Why would Alabama not be showing lots of attention to one of the top players in its own state? Well, the Tide are in good shape with several inside linebackers who may be higher on the board than Bentley.
Five-star linebacker Nakobe Dean is very high on Alabama as is junior college linebacker Lakia Henry. Christian Harris, a 4-star prospect from Louisiana, seems likely to choose between Alabama and LSU. The interesting thing to note with Harris is that while the Tide want him at inside linebacker, LSU wants him as an H-Back. Harris hasn’t decided if he wants to play offense or defense.
This post was edited on 3/30/18 at 5:24 am
Posted on 3/29/18 at 9:43 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
Bentley could be next on that list of inside linebackers. He has been to Tuscaloosa numerous times, and it’s one of the main reasons why Alabama was his leader earlier this year.
“Well, I’m more familiar with everything down there,” Bentley said of Alabama. “I love their football [program]. They have sent a lot of linebackers to the NFL. A top player, Reuben Foster, was a player I’ve been looking up to football-wise. Mack Wilson is supposed to be projected first round, too.”
If Alabama decides to make a move on Bentley, Clemson isn’t the only school that it will likely have to compete with. Jackson-Olin High School has sent two football players to Auburn in the past two recruiting cycles (T.D. Moultry, a linebacker in the 2017 class, and Coynis Miller, a defensive tackle in the 2018 class). Jackson-Olin also has talented 2020 linebacker Quanderrius Robinson, who could end up at Auburn, too.
That school in the Birmingham area has definitely turned into a little Auburn pipeline, but the Tigers haven’t been showing much attention to Bentley as of late. When asked if Moultry and Miller being at Auburn help the Tigers’ chances, Bentley couldn’t answer. “I can’t say right now because Auburn’s not showing me as much attention as Clemson,” Bentley said. “Auburn’s not on that level with Clemson.”
Alabama has remained in contact with Bentley via defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and area recruiter Brent Key. Bentley said he really likes Key because of how he seems to make the game fun.
Bentley will be back in Tuscaloosa on April 13 to meet with the coaching staff. “I’ll be spending the night at Bama,” Bentley said. “It’s a spring practice. We’ll spend the night and interact with the players more. I went down there about three weeks ago to chop it up with the coach, going over film, looking at little things that matter.”
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound prospect isn’t making a decision anytime soon. The plan right now is to make a commitment late this fall. That’s plenty of time for the Tide to see where they stand with several of their other inside linebacker targets.
So, what can Alabama do to have itself back on top in Bentley’s recruitment? “Show love like Clemson is,” he said.
Note: The author assumes where Bentley is on Bama's board and then goes on like it's a fact. Bentley might be a definite take and Bama just became too confident with him. We'll see.
This post was edited on 3/30/18 at 7:23 am
Posted on 3/29/18 at 10:03 pm to TidalSurge1
Nvm
This post was edited on 3/29/18 at 10:16 pm
Posted on 3/30/18 at 9:35 am to Tide or Die87
Making The Case: Kevin Harris
Kevin Harris
Kevin Harris
quote:
Now that the class of 2019 is officially on the clock, several of the nation’s top players have begun to cut their lists in advance of a commitment announcement.
Today, experts from the Rivals network examine where Rivals250 defensive end Kevin Harris might end up playing his college football. The candidates are Alabama, Miami and LSU.
This post was edited on 3/30/18 at 9:52 am
Posted on 3/30/18 at 9:39 am to TidalSurge1
quote:
THE SITUATION
Kevin Harris is still collecting offers and after adding Alabama, Miami and LSU earlier this month, Harris quickly put all three schools into his top three. Once he picked up an offer from the Tigers, Harris made a visit to LSU and raved about the trip after, calling the Tigers his “dream school.”
Harris was supposed to visit Miami in March, but had to reschedule and is planning visiting Coral Gables in April and has also talked about making a trip to Tuscaloosa. Based on his timeline, Harris isn’t likely to remain on the open market for long, so where will he end up?
We asked our team experts to state the case for their respective programs and let National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell issue a verdict.
This post was edited on 3/30/18 at 9:55 am
Posted on 3/30/18 at 9:39 am to TidalSurge1
quote:
THE CASE FOR MIAMI
"Everybody knows that Harris' mom went to LSU, which gives the Tigers a flying head start in Harris' recruitment. But Miami's new defensive line coach is Jess Simpson, who knows how to navigate the growingly competitive landscape in Georgia.
"Harris' coach used to work under Simpson at nearby Buford High. Miami is in this battle to win it and Simpson and Mark Richt's Georgia ties give the Canes a chance. We will know more after Harris visits Miami in April."
– Gary Ferman, CaneSport.com
This post was edited on 3/30/18 at 9:59 am
Posted on 3/30/18 at 9:39 am to TidalSurge1
quote:
THE CASE FOR LSU
“I think LSU is well positioned for Harris. With family in Louisiana, a recent visit and the decision to make a decision soon after that unofficial visit could be a tip that things are very positive for the Tigers.
"Ed Orgeron and staff have done a pretty good job replenishing the defensive line and Harris certainly fits the mold of what they want in that tweener defensive end/outside linebacker spot.”
– Mike Scarborough, TigerBait.com
This post was edited on 3/30/18 at 10:05 am
Posted on 3/30/18 at 9:40 am to TidalSurge1
quote:
THE CASE FOR ALABAMA
“Alabama extended an offer last month to Harris. The Crimson Tide expect to sign 4-5 linebackers in the 2019 class. Harris is recruited mainly as an outside backer. King Mwikuta, a Rivals100 linebacker from Troup County High School in LaGrange, Ga., is on Alabama’s commitment list.
"Evaluations continue for the Crimson Tide as they attempt to find the right fits for the program. Alabama will closely watch Harris this spring and early summer to determine where he stands in the linebacker order. He is definitely one Alabama is keeping an eye on this spring.”
– Andrew Bone, BamaInsider.com
This post was edited on 3/30/18 at 10:09 am
Posted on 3/30/18 at 9:40 am to TidalSurge1
quote:
THE VERDICT
“I’ll go with LSU here, as Harris has said the offer was his dream offer, they have been recruiting him as hard or harder than anyone else and he has a great relationship with the staff.”
– Mike Farrell, Rivals.com National Recruiting Director
This post was edited on 3/30/18 at 10:14 am
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