re: Class of 2016 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: Waiting On Demetris Robertson Edition

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July is now upon us, can Alabama duplicate the effort? The numbers may be lower as the class of 2016 fills up, but priority prospects like Trevon Diggs, Jawon Pass, Nigel Knott, Jared Mayden and others are planning on ending their respective recruitments in the coming weeks.

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Dominick Blaylock Shows Skill
Chad Simmons
National Recruiting Analyst
MARIETTA, Ga. - Yes, it is early for Dominck Blaylock - he is only a rising freshman, but you can see why two SEC schools have already offered him here...

South Carolina offered first.
Then is was Auburn.
Dominick Blaylock has yet to start high school, but yes, he already has two scholarship offers.

Expect others to join in sooner rather than later. Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State among others are showing interest. He has two brothers playing at Kentucky, so look for the Wildcats to get involved in the near future.

The 6-foot, 164 pound is very natural at wide receiver, but could he be even better at corner? He is very fluid, he has a nice burst out of his breaks, and his hands are money. He will reach double-digits in offers very early in his high school career.

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Tre Nixon Tweets Top 10: Which School Is Best Fit for 4-Star WR?
By Tyler Donohue , National Recruiting Analyst Jul 1, 2015

Speedy wide receiver Tre Nixon updated his widespread recruitment process Tuesday night, announcing a top-10 list on Twitter:

The 4-star Florida prospect pinpointed Alabama, Auburn, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas A&M as programs of greatest interest. This collection of favorites features universities from four Power Five conferences, highlighted by seven SEC squads.

“The biggest thing for me here on out is to see which school could best prepare me as a receiver and as a young man,” he told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports. “All of them have good facilities and good coaches, now what I’m looking for is who can develop me."

Nixon, a 6'1", 170-pound senior at Viera High School, enjoyed a rapid rise on the recruiting trail following a monstrous 2014 campaign. He caught 43 passes for 1,065 yards and 13 touchdowns last fall.

His yards-per-reception average (24.7) provides evidence of Nixon's tremendous quickness. He was clocked at 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, per 247Sports.

College coaching staffs always covet speed along the perimeter and, considering his solid size, it's no surprise Nixon sparked serious looks from the next level. He holds nearly 50 scholarship offers seven months shy of national signing day.

His decision isn't likely to arrive until much later in the year. Nixon expressed plans to further whittle the list before lining up a few official visits, according to Wiltfong.

Rated 43rd nationally among wide receivers, he seems as wide open to possibilities as any player in the 2016 class. Duke, Penn State, Notre Dame and Georgia equally share expert commitment predictions in his 247Sports' Crystal Ball, though projections remain limited at this point.

The Nittany Lions joined this pursuit early, hosting him in Happy Valley twice last year. Nixon is expected to return to Penn State on July 18, per Greg Pickel of PennLive.com.

"Love where things are heading [at Penn State]," he told Pickel. "Love the coaches and everything about them."

Head coach James Franklin's class already features Elite 11 finalist quarterback Jake Zembiec and impressive running back Miles Sanders, but this group still needs field-stretching pass-catchers. Nixon certainly fits the bill.

Oregon rarely lacks elite speed in its uptempo offensive attack, and the Ducks have clearly identified Nixon as a potential valuable commodity. Despite the lack of an offer until late May, head coach Mark Helfrich has his team firmly in the equation.

Though Nixon lives at the opposite end of the country, his willingness to reciprocate interest has roots.

"Oregon is an amazing school. It was my favorite school growing up," he told Andrew Nemec of The Oregonian. "It's definitely a game-changer for me. They gave me a good feeling, let me know I was a priority for them and showed me how I'd fit in their offense."

Oregon and Penn State present intriguing options beyond Nixon's home region, but odds are in favor of him landing in the SEC based on sheer numbers.

Tennessee and Florida are two contenders that stand out among the group.

The new Gators regime is attempting to recharge a dormant offense, and local priorities like Nixon are necessary in that effort. Florida is his lone in-state favorite and arguably offers him the most realistic chance to immediately contribute.

Despite that proximity, Tennessee is the team that requires a close look on this list.

The Volunteers continue to be very aggressive in his recruitment, spurred by a strong recent campus visit.

“[Head coach] Butch Jones was following me everywhere I went, same thing with [passing game coordinator Zach] Azzani, they definitely care," Nixon told Wiltfong. "It’s not easy to rebuild in the SEC playing that tough schedule but they’re doing it, and they’re bringing in top recruits and it’s great to see where the program is headed.”

Blue-chip quarterback Jarrett Guarantano is one of those recruits who could help Tennessee take another step in conference competition. He's also among the most active player-recruiters in this class, so expect him to spend significant time selling Nixon on the prospect of pairing up.

Upcoming visits should help clarify Nixon's ultimate intentions. Tennessee seems to be on the rise but with an abundance of contenders in the SEC and beyond, it's an unpredictable race for this Sunshine State standout.

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*** Kirby Smart: 'It never stops. It's 365 recruiting'
Charlie Potter

Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart was in Georgia for some time off at his place on the lake this week and took some time to sit down with the guys from 680 The Fan to talk recruiting. Smart is widely known as one of the top recruiters in the country, but he revealed that it is no easy task.

“It never stops. It’s 365 recruiting. So we’re recruiting non-stop,” Smart said on Monday. “At least in pro ball, they sit back and kind of enjoy it. They’ve got rules, they can’t be around their players. But for us, it never really stops, recruiting, but least the football stops.”

Smart sticks to the mindset that some other assistant on another team is working one second longer than him. That keeps him glued to his phone and social media and prevents him from much free time at all, except these few weeks in the summer.

“That cell phone you’ve got, these smart phones, will be the death of college coaches,” Smart said. “Every college coach I talk to won’t say it on record, but everyone’s thinking ‘Should I go to the league?’ Because you don’t have the same requirements, it’s different, the hours are different. But the recruiting is non-stop. My phone, I’m on the boat today, it blows up non-stop.

“… You can put the phone down, you can put it away in pro ball. There’s three of four months where players, they’ve got all stuff going with the Collective Bargaining Agreement where you can’t do certain things. You can only be out there a certain amount of time. You can’t do certain things. Where for us, it’s non-stop. I’ve got recruits that’ll text and call and do everything in the middle of the night, and I’m thinking ‘Well, I’m with my family.’ But you’ve got to dedicate time to that or you can’t do it.”

That dedication also comes on vacation for Smart and the Alabama assistants, who have their phones by their side even then.

“I get a direct message on Twitter, ‘Coach, I’m coming to Tuscaloosa in a week.’ I’m thinking ‘Well, I’m not going to be there. Who’s going to be there? I’m on vacation.’ So you’ve got to find somebody to cover up, go spend time with them, because if you don’t, somebody will,” Smart said.

“And that’s the part I say college coaches are always looking to go (to the NFL), because if you’re not a niche recruiter, if you get older or less active as a recruiter, you become less valuable.”

Smart is obviously a valuable asset to the Crimson Tide, as he received a pay raise in June. But head coach Nick Saban still expects nothing short of the best from his long-time defensive coordinator. Saban never lets up when it comes to recruiting.

“Absolutely,” Smart said. “Every day you’re behind in recruiting with him. We’re never ahead. We might think we’re ahead, but he makes sure that we understand that ‘Hey, we’re way behind, why aren’t we doing this? Has this kid been here? How many kids have been here in a five-hour radius? Why aren’t they here? What’s the reason? The top players in the country need to get here. It’s constant, and you always feel like it’s fourth and one.”

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Adam Rittenberg ?@ESPNRittenberg
Braxton Miller told @TIM_MAYsports he'll announce his plans next week. Ohio St AD Gene Smith told me today he expects Miller to stay at OSU

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