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

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Auburn no longer leads for Hoover linebacker Jeremiah Moon
Mountain Brook vs Hoover Football

Jeremiah Moon named Auburn and Mississippi State his co-leaders last October, and the Tigers and Bulldogs maintained that position for months.

However, the Hoover linebacker told AL.com this week circumstances have changed.

Will Muschamp
Moon has yet to speak with Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. (Wade Rackley/Auburn Athletics)

"Not really," Moon said when asked if the two schools remained at the top of his list. "I haven't really heard much from them lately. I get letters from them and am still considering them, but I just haven't heard from them since last year probably."

Former Auburn defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson was one of Moon's top recruiters before he was replaced by Will Muschamp in December. Moon has not spoken to Muschamp since he arrived on the Plains.

"I thought it was a pretty good hire," Moon said. "Even though (Muschamp's) record at Florida wasn't the best, they still had one of the top defenses in the country. I guess that's pretty good for Auburn, since Coach (Gus) Malzahn does a great job with the offense already."

Vanderbilt and Georgia Southern are the most recent schools to offer Moon, bringing his total to nine. In addition to Auburn and Mississippi State, Moon has been offered by Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

He has yet to be offered by Alabama, but visited Tuscaloosa last weekend for the Tide's Junior Day.

"We split up into position groups and toured everything," Moon said. "The thing that opened my eyes was what their head athletic trainer said -- he said when you're visiting you shouldn't look past the training and people who are going to help you get better.

"I sat down with Coach and they're just waiting on me to gain a little bit more weight. They said Coach (Kirby) Smart and (Mario) Cristobal will be coming to watch me during spring ball, that will be good."

Moon says South Carolina is after him harder than any other program. He visited Columbia last month with his family and said the most appealing about the Gamecocks is the defense they run, since it's similar to what Moon plays in at Hoover.

Moon will likely wait until after his senior season is over to make a commitment.

"I'm still open," he said. "I just want to make sure if i get injured or football doesn't work out, I have a good education. I want to know that I'll have a chance to play too. I'll have to work hard, but I want to put myself in a good situation where I might be able to play a little bit earlier. So I'm checking out the depth charts and redshirts of each school."

The four-star prospect stands at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds and is ranked as the nation's No. 8 outside linebacker in the 247Sports Composite.

He is the former teammate of Auburn signee Darrell Williams and Alabama commit Christian Bell, who accepted a grayshirt for the class of 2016. The Bucs won their third consecutive state title in December with a win over Prattville in the Class 7A championship.

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Alabama offer a 'dream come true' for junior college offensive tackle Tate Leavitt

Alabama's search for help at the offensive tackle position could come from the junior college ranks.

Crimson Tide coaches turned the heat on Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College tackle Tate Leavitt shortly after signing day and extended the 6-foot-6, 315-pound Leavitt an offer last week.

Leavitt signed with Ohio University out of high school from Thornville, Ohio, but fell just short on qualifying. He helped lead Hutchinson to a No. 4 ranking and earned postseason honorable mention all-Jayhawk Conference honors as a left tackle.

He said his recruiting heated up after the season ended, and now Leavitt has offers from Texas Tech, Arizona State, Illinois, Ohio, Eastern Michigan and Kansas State as well as Alabama. Crimson Tide assistants Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier have been recruiting him.

"It means quite a bit," Leavitt said of the offer. "It's kind of a dream come true as in not necessarily that's my dream school, but the prestigious school that they are and the tradition that they've built up for many, many, many, many years, to be able to get an offer by them is special."

Leavitt will play his sophomore season at Hutchinson this fall and graduate in December. He'll enroll at his school of choice in January and be ready for spring practice in 2016. Alabama signed only one true tackle in Matt Womack in the 2015 class, though Lester Cotton could play there in college as well as guard.

"Basically they see me as a tackle," Leavitt said. "They didn't specify which side. They said the biggest thing when they watch my tape is the level of intensity and how I finish people is the thing that impressed them. I'm assuming that I fit into their run game pretty well. They like my pass blocking as well."

Leavitt said he's in no hurry to make a decision.

"I'm taking my time until the summer," Leavitt said. "Summer is when I'll probably narrow it down to a few schools and those few schools I'll take visits to. I don't really have a timetable for when I'll make a decision.

"(I'm looking at) Playing opportunity, how comfortable I am with the coaching staff, players and the campus are the biggest things when it comes to making my decision."

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4-star recruit P.J. Blue transfers to Park Crossing, anticipates Auburn offer

One of the state's top prospects is finishing his career at a new school.

P.J. Blue has transferred from Class 5A Jemison to Class 6A Park Crossing, which went 7-3 in its first year of existence last fall.

Recruiters know who Blue is, and he'll get more exposure at the Montgomery school, but that's not the main reason he moved.

"That was a big plus, but the reason I moved is because my mom wanted to have better job opportunities, so she wanted to move down here," said Blue, who completed his first week at the school.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Blue is a four-star recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings. He played all over the field at Jemison, but will get to focus on playing strong safety at Park Crossing.

RELATED - Blue on Nick Saban: 'It was almost like talking to God'

Alabama offered Blue On Jan. 31, he said. Blue's offer list is now up to seven - Alabama, Kentucky, Clemson, South Carolina, Louisville, Nebraska and Missouri.

Auburn has not offered yet, "but I see it coming this weekend," Blue said.

Blue will visit Auburn this weekend for a Junior Day.

"They told me that I'm a big priority for them and they gave me a lot of pitches and what-not on coming there," Blue said.

Auburn is recruiting Blue at safety. Alabama is looking at Blue at linebacker or safety. Blue grew up an Alabama fan.

"They told me basically the same thing," Blue said of Alabama. "I'm a big priority and they want me there. They think I can fit in there."

Blue said he'd go wherever he felt most comfortable, and thinks he'll wait out the recruiting process a little bit longer.

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Weather postpones Velus Jones' weekend plans

Fast-rising Saraland 2016 wide receiver Velus Jones was scheduled to visit Louisville and Kentucky this weekend, but Spartans' coach Jeff Kelly said those trips had to be postponed because of the latest round of winter weather.

Kelly said the trip would be rescheduled after spring break.

Despite the travel plans, it has still been a big week for Jones, who has garnered offers from Florida and UCLA in the past few days.

"Velus has had a good week," Kelly said. "The Florida offer was big because he has been a Gator fan growing up. Then for another national program like UCLA to come in and extend an offer was nice. I doubt he has ever been to California, but it would be hard for him not to look at a program with that reputation no matter where it is located."

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Florence LB Erroll Thompson says Michigan recruiting him hardest, Alabama 'really fired up about me'

Going into his junior season, Florence's Erroll Thompson was coming off a major knee injury and had never played defense for Florence High School.

Thompson blew up for the Falcons, recording 70 tackles, 29 for loss, with seven sacks and a forced fumble, he said, as Florence reached the Class 6A semifinals. The 6-foot-2, 255-pound Thompson starred as an outside linebacker and defensive end. He was a running back as a freshman, but tore the ACL in his right knee and didn't play as a sophomore.

Now, he has eight offers - Missouri, Tennessee, Louisville, Michigan, Southern Miss, Kentucky, Charlotte and Memphis. Thompson is only a three-star prospect on the 247Sports composite rankings, but that's sure to rise over the next few months.

Late last month, he was offered by Michigan and new head coach Jim Harbaugh.

"They're showing me a lot of interest," Thompson said. "I'd say they're the hardest team recruiting me right now. They're showing me a lot of interest. They really like me.

"It's kind of surprising because I had never heard from them until the day I got an offer."

The bigger in-state schools could follow. Thompson hasn't heard as much from Auburn, but is visiting the school this weekend.

He took a trip to Tuscaloosa last week.

"It went really good," Thompson said. "I met 1-on-1 with Coach (Nick) Saban and Coach (Kirby) Smart. They're really fired up about me. I can't really say if they're close to offering or not, but they're on me pretty high."

Thompson is expected to shift to a middle linebacker this spring, and if he excels there, the Alabama offer could come. He said Smart plans on visiting Florence to watch Thompson work out at some point.

"Really, they want to see me inside more," Thompson said. "They told me they like the way I play. I'm physical, fast, they told me I play the game right way and I'm a guy they're looking for, but they just want to see more at inside linebacker."

Michigan is recruiting him at both linebacker spots. Thompson said he plans on visiting the school over the summer.

He also visited Kentucky last weekend after his Alabama visit.

"That went really good," Thompson said. "I like the coaching staff. The facilities are really nice. The schools are really nice. Everything's good."

Florence linebacker Keaton Anderson signed with Alabama in February.

"About every day I talk to him, he's mentioning 'Bama to me," Thompson said. "That's like my brother, so you know he's going to try to get me down there with him."

Thompson does have a timetable for making his commitment.

"Hopefully before my senior season I can be finished with everything," he said.

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Big day for Maryland cornerback Zechariah McPhearson includes offer from Alabama

Tuesday was a big day for Upper Marlboro, Md., cornerback Zecheriah McPhearson.

He earned offers from nearby Penn State and Pitt, but also from Alabama. He hadn't been in much contact with Crimson Tide coaches, but his coach told him to give Alabama outside linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi a call.

"He said he offered me and he wants to get me down there for a visit," McPhearson said. "It was pretty awesome. I was excited and all that. It's a big program and I'm very excited that they recognized my talents.

The 5-foot-11, 182-pound McPhearson is rated as a three-star recruit on the 247Sports composite, but has four-star status on the 247Sports individual rankings.

"They like my speed and also because I make big plays during the games at big times," McPhearson said of Alabama.

He said he plans on making a visit to Tuscaloosa in the next two or three months, but has to plan it around his baseball schedule. McPhearson is a college prospect as a center fielder for Riverdale Baptist School.

McPhearson resumed playing football before his sophomore year and scored seven touchdowns last season in a variety of ways, according to PressBoxDC. He held four-star recruit Trevon Diggs, who recently visited Alabama, to less than 30 receiving yards and zero touchdowns.

Other offers include Ohio State, Clemson, Boston College, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh and Penn State.

"As of right now, I'm just keeping my options open," McPhearson said. "I need to make some visits first. I'm looking for a good academic program where I can major in commercial real estate because that's what I want to major in.

"I'm just taking it step by step. I don't want to step out too soon."

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He has made a trip to Tuscaloosa before, and was impressed.

"I see some nice girls at Alabama," he told BR.

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LSU stepping up pursuit of Alabama 5-star cornerback commit Shyheim Carter

Kentwood, La., cornerback Shyheim Carter has been committed to Alabama since last July, but the five-star recruit will feel the pressure from LSU and others.

LSU has turned up the heat since a recent Junior Day, Carter told NOLA.com. New LSU coaches Ed Orgeron and Tony Ball have taken an active role in his recruitment.

"It's changed a lot," Carter told NOLA.com. "They're telling me if I want to go for a championship, it's the place to come."

Carter is hearing from schools all over the country. He mentioned USC, UCLA and Notre Dame, and his most recent offer comes from Michigan.

He maintains that he is committed to Alabama, but National Signing Day in 2016 is a long way away.

"It's a hard process, but I think about it every night," Carter told NOLA.com. "It's hard. My mentor tries to help guide me through it, but it's hard."

Carter is rated as the No. 32 overall prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings.

Check out this prospect breakdown on Carter from James Smith of NOLA.com, who covers recruiting.

Watch the video interview with Carter from NOLA.com.

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Leeds rising senior athlete TaDarryl Marshall has three SEC schools in his Top 5

Rising senior athlete TaDarryl Marshall named his Top 5 schools over the weekend and placed three SEC schools among the top contenders for his signature on a letter-of-intent.


He listed Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Samford and Alabama chronologically among his five top schools, but said the teams were listed in no particular order.

He has told AL.com in the past that Tennessee would be a team that would factor heavily in his decision. Marshall recently received an offer as an athlete from the Volunteers before an unofficial visit.


Auburn offered Marshall as a corneback over the last month, and he said Alabama was interested in him mainly as a quarterback. Georgia Tech was the first school to offer him prior to his junior season. The run-heavy Jackets also liked him under center.

Marshall has started a quarterback for Leeds since his freshman yea,r and he's the son of a Samford letterman at wide receiver.

He averaged less than 10 passing attempts per game in 2014 on a run-first, run-second and run-third offense. He's just over six feet tall and weighs in at 175 pounds. His fastest time in the 40 is 4.56 seconds and he can launch a football 65 yards in the air and hit his target.

Marshall ran for 1,376 yards and threw for 1,252 more for the Class 4A state champions this year. He completed 68 of his 137 pass attempts for an offense that managed more than 5,300 rushing yards in 15 games.

He's shown a knack for performing in big games. He was named the MVP of the 2014 Class 4A state title game this past season after throwing for 98 yards and piling up another 107 rushing yards. Marshall also ran for 139 yards and threw for another 147 yards in a losing effort in the Class 3A state title game as a sophomore.

Marshall holds a 3.5 grade-point average, but has yet to make the ACT score he's looking for. Marshall has set his sights on a unique college major in forestry and wildlife management.

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