re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition

quote:

---

Kyler McMichael committing this Friday

Kyler McMichael, one of Alabama’s top cornerback targets in the Class of 2018, will announce his commitment Friday.

McMichael, a 247Sports 4-star prospect from Greater Atlanta Christian School (Norcross, Ga.), has visited Tuscaloosa multiple times this spring. Those visits weren’t public knowledge until he told SEC Country more than two weeks ago that he had been on campus at least three times. That was news to me because I hadn’t received word that McMichael had been on campus recently.

Clemson seemed the likely landing spot for McMichael earlier this year. I still believe the Tigers are in very good position to land his commitment; however, the Crimson Tide are also in a good spot after talking to multiple sources Tuesday night.

The thought right now is it’s a three-team race with Alabama, Clemson and Georgia battling it out for McMichael. The Bulldogs aren’t feeling confident with where they stand as of Tuesday.

One person close to McMichael went as far to say he thinks McMichael will choose Alabama at the end of the week. Hard emphasis on “thinks” there. But, that’s better than what I thought the team’s chances were when I found out he was going to announce his commitment this week, which came as a surprise because he had said earlier this month that he wanted to take some official visits before deciding. His original plan was to commit before his senior season, so it looks like he decided on that, after all.

He released his top 6 of Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee on June 14. That was followed with a trip to Tennessee last weekend and the decision Tuesday to go ahead and announce his commitment. Interestingly enough, no one I spoke to thinks the Volunteers are in a good spot even after his decision to go through with a commitment after his visit to Knoxville.

McMichael told SEC Country that Alabama was one of the schools recruiting him the hardest and his interest in the Crimson Tide is high.

“It’s definitely one of my top schools,” McMichael said. “I have been able to communicate with [defensive backs coach] Derrick Ansley almost every day. They talk about how they talk about me all of the time up there. I definitely feel like a top priority to them. I love it.”

McMichael is a giant priority for Alabama. After signing zero cornerbacks in the Class of 2017, the Crimson Tide are strongly pursuing him, along with Tyson Campbell, Josh Jobe, Patrick Surtain Jr., Jalyn Armour-Davis and Jaycee Horn. The Tide would like to sign four defensive backs this cycle.

“They want bigger press corners, so they see that out of me,” McMichael said. “That’s what I love — getting up on the line, pressing and being physical.”

He’s been laser-timed in the low 4.4-second range in the 40-yard dash. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound prospect also has been compared to one of Alabama’s best players.

“I did have one college coach who compared just his size and skill set defensively to like a Minkah Fitzpatrick,” Greater Atlanta Christian coach Tim Hardy told my colleague Jeff Sentell at DawgNation. “It was a knowledgeable SEC coach. So you just see he has all of that. The size. The length. The speed. He can really do some stuff.”

Alabama is definitely a strong player for the nation’s No. 13 cornerback. More than what I originally thought.

---