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

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He's an "engineer."

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More 2019 commits than 2018.

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Billy Embody
@BillyEmbody

A look at #LSU DB coach Corey Raymond watching 5-star CB Patrick Surtain Jr. Named the Tigers his leader again

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I always figured you were unemployed since you posted so much in here. What do you do? I need a job that pays well and allows me to post recruiting news all day.

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Deyavie (pronounced D-ahh-vee) Hammond was offered by Alabama on May 17. His recruitment was never going to last much longer than that.

Hammond, a 2019 4-star offensive guard from Lakeland (Fla.) High School better known as ‘Fridge,’ was going to commit to Alabama this past Friday, but he couldn’t reach Tide offensive line coach Brent Key. He finally got a hold of him over the weekend. Hammond then spoke with Nick Saban on Monday night. He didn’t commit then. He surely hinted at it.

On Tuesday afternoon, Hammond announced his commitment to Alabama after his coach, Will Bahler, spoke with Tide wide receivers coach Mike Locksley, who is Hammond’s primary recruiter. Locksley had told Bahler that he had spoken with Saban about Hammond and he made it clear to him that they would be fired up to have him on board.

That’s all Fridge, who got that nickname his freshman year at Lakeland, needed to hear. He called Saban this afternoon to commit and then took to Twitter to announce his decision.

?“It’s kind of cliche to say that it was his dream offer, but it was,” Lakeland coach Will Bahler told SEC Country. “He grew up an Alabama fan. For most of these kids, ever since they’ve been alive, Alabama has been relevant. None of these kids can remember a time where Alabama wasn’t relevant.”

It’s been a busy few days for Hammond. In the past week, not only did he pick up an offer from Alabama, but Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State and Texas A&M also offered, too. But schools not named Alabama never had a chance to get Hammond’s commitment.

“He had always joked with me that if Alabama had ever offered him that that was where he was going to go,” Bahler said. “Once he got offered, he was done. I’m sure 95 percent of America would be like, ‘If Alabama offers me, I’m done.’ So, that’s what he decided to do.”

Bahler had told Hammond that just because he was offered, it didn’t necessarily mean that Alabama wanted him to commit right away. Lakeland High has churned out several prospects over the years, so Bahler has become all familiar with the recruiting process.

“I told him that it could go one of two ways between they are going to love you and be pumped up about your decision or they are going to slow play you and say we want to see you on campus first. It turned out that they wanted him.”

Since Hammond announced his commitment, Bahler has heard from at least one school asking why Hammond decided to announce his decision. Hammond’s former teammate, Class of 2017 wide receiver James Robinson, signed with Florida.

“With him being from Lakeland, Florida, it’s almost a birthright that he needs to go to Florida,” Bahler said.

Bahler said Alabama offensive line coach Brent Key is enamored with Hammond’s agileness for being 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds at 16 years old. If there’s one knock on Hammond’s game it’s that he has a tendency of not finishing every block all of the way through the play, but that’s an easy fix.

The nation’s No. 5 offensive guard will likely be an interior lineman in college, even though he plays tackle for Lakeland now. If Hammond grows to around 6-foot-6, then a move to tackle would be likely.

Bahler said Hammond has a lot of room to take his game to an even higher level than where he’s at now.

“He still has a lot of baby fat and still enjoys grandma’s cookies, but he’s so athletic for as big as he is,” Bahler said. “He’s still just a puppy, though. We don’t know how good he’s going to be just yet. A lot of things come naturally for him, though.”

Alabama now has three commitments in the Class of 2019, which is one more than the Tide’s Class of 2018. But it came as no surprise to see Hammond commit so early in his recruitment, according to his coach.

“Fridge, ever since he started getting offers, he was always ‘Bama,’Bama,’Bama,’Bama,’Bama,’Bama,” Bahler said. “If there was one offer that he wanted, it was Alabama.”

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?“It’s kind of cliche to say that it was his dream offer, but it was,” Lakeland coach Will Bahler told SEC Country. “He grew up an Alabama fan. For most of these kids, ever since they’ve been alive, Alabama has been relevant. None of these kids can remember a time where Alabama wasn’t relevant.”

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A second in-state player has been invited to Nike's The Opening finals in Beaverton, Ore.

Tank Jenkins, a four-star recruit from Park Crossing in Montgomery, was officially added to the roster on Tuesday. The Opening Finals will be from June 28-July 3 in Oregon.

Jenkins is one of the top interior linemen in the country and ranked as the state's top offensive linemen by recruiting services. He has an Auburn offer and is expected to camp at Alabama in hopes of earning a Crimson Tide offer.

Both Alabama and Auburn's offensive line coaches were on hand to see Park Crossing and Jenkins perform in their spring game against Hoover.

Park Crossing coach Smitty Grider indicated that some out-of-state power 5 schools are recruiting Jenkins hardest right now.

Jenkins joins Central-Phenix City receiver Justyn Ross as players who earned an invite to the Opening from Alabama. Ross shined at the Atlanta Regional and was picked that day. Jenkins, the offensive line MVP at the Charlotte Regional, becomes No. 2.

Two quarterbacks - Sidney Lanier's James Foster and Saraland's Jack West - earned invites to the Elite 11 finals next weekend in Los Angeles. They could advance from there to The Opening Finals.

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Nicholas Petit-Frere talks Alabama

Nicholas Petit-Frere is one of Alabama’s top offensive line targets in the Class of 2018. Not only is he a top target on the offensive line, but the staff considers him to be one of the “must-gets” in this recruiting cycle.

There are three main contenders for his commitment at this time: Alabama, Florida and Notre Dame. At least one high-ranking source inside the Alabama program likes where the Tide stand with Petit-Frere when he makes his decision, which he says will most likely happen after his senior season.

“Right now, if I’m focused on football, which I will be during the summer and fall, then that comes first,” Petit-Frere told SEC Country’s Zach Abolverdi. “I understand that college is a very important decision for me, but I’m here to get a good education and play for the Berkeley Buccaneers. What I’ve been told is to make sure I enjoy the process. It’s not like I can do this three or four times. It’s a one-time opportunity.”

The 6-foot-6, 260-pound prospect was last in Tuscaloosa for A-Day. SEC Country spotted the elite offensive lineman on the sidelines prior to the scrimmage with a giant smile on his face for the majority of the time he was on the field. Several Alabama coaches also made sure to check in with Petit-Frere while he was on the sidelines. Only the priority recruits get that attention.

“What I got at the spring game is that they are interested in me and they think I’m a good player,” Petit-Frere said. “I’m glad that they think that. I’m very humbled that they do [think that].”

Academics are very important to the nation’s No. 5 offensive tackle (per 247Sports composite rankings) from Berkeley Preparatory School (Tampa, Fla.). When asked about the most important factor for his college decision, getting a top-notch education was the first thing he listed.

“I just want to make sure that no matter where I go, I get a good education and finish out with my degree,” he said. “I just want to make sure I just do well in all of my subjects.”

Miami, which is one of the schools he’s also considering, is pitching a private school education. Notre Dame, which is most likely Alabama’s biggest competitor, is doing the same. He goes to a private high school now. He said he and his mother don’t have a preference when it comes to a public or private college.

Florida is coming after Petit-Frere very strongly, too. He hears from Gators coaches on a regular basis.

“I talk a little bit with everyone,” Petit-Frere said. “I usually try to talk with [offensive line] coach [Brad] Davis regularly and coach [Jim] McElwain when I’m able to. I see that Coach Davis is a very good coach and I know he’s a down-to-earth kind of guy. I don’t think he’ll ever try to sell a pitch that he doesn’t believe is true.”

He believes the same is true with Alabama offensive line coach Brent Key, who is recruiting him on a daily basis. The message from Key is plain and simple.

“He thinks that I would be a great fit for them,” Petit-Frere said. “I just tell him that I’m very humbled to have an offer like that.”

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First come, first serve

As much as it might hurt some LSU football fans to hear, Tyler Shelvin grew up an Alabama fan. He doesn’t remember why, he just gravitated toward the Crimson Tide.

But near the end of his freshman year of high school, Shelvin got a call from then-LSU defensive line coach Ed Orgeron. And the next three years of his life wrapped up then and there.

“When Coach O called me and I talked to him, I was committed on the spot,” Shelvin said. “Other schools started coming in and I had to adjust to it. But I made a promise to Coach O that I was going to stay with him.”

Shelvin didn’t shut down his recruitment after he committed. He said he wanted to “get the fun in” while he could. And Shelvin took advantage of the fun, accepting offers and taking visits across the Southeast. Eventually, Alabama came knocking.

If Alabama is interested in you, you don’t say no. Not because you’re interested, mind you, but because Alabama has a way of not letting you. The facilities, the tradition. All of it made sense to Shelvin. He understood the allure.

But LSU was first.

“LSU was always in the lead,” Shelvin said. “First come, first serve like they always say. They showed me so much love. I couldn’t betray them.”

Alabama pushed hard. Before Shelvin was “King,” former Alabama defensive line coach Bo Davis nicknamed Shelvin “The Dancing Bear,” because of how quick the big man was on his feet. The Tide called Shelvin so often that Coach O joked that Shelvin needed to tell them to leave him alone.

But after Davis was fired by Alabama, Shelvin lost interest. It was still hard to say no. He doesn’t like saying no to anyone who is offering him college tuition for free, especially a perennial national contender that told him he would compete to start as a freshman.

Plus, Shelvin felt good about having the opportunity to make a name for himself in his home state, whether or not Wilson was beside him.

“I knew I was going to make an impact on my city. Bringing somebody else in is cool and whatnot, but I’m going to make a statement.”

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