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

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Jacob Copeland ?????
@JCope5era

Nephew said "unk I'm the newest Alabama commit. Let them know I'm up next" ???????? #RollTide

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Heard from one of the mods that spoke to a couple staffers recently that they are really high on Armour-Davis in a Minkah-type role. Not a true CB, but more of a combo CB/S guy that will also be an excellent Special Teams player.

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KN put up a post explaining his Armour-Davis coverage and what he thinks is going on. Says that he felt very confident in AU when he put in his CB pick this past February. He said that every source he spoke to said it was a clear AU/FSU battle. KN says when he spoke with him this past month, it didn't really seem like he was that interested in Bama despite adding them back to his top group. Apparently recently he's thought about flipping his CB pick to FSU because the Noles had gotten real confident. Now after talking to sources again not at all confident in Auburn's chances. Armour-Davis is close with Travis Williams but apparently doesn't speak a ton with Greg Brown. Now with an announcement coming out of nowhere it doesn't look good for AU. 

He decided to change his pick to foggy but then decided to pick Bama considering how confident the Bama side is now that hard to ignore that. Only silver lining is Armour-Davis does plan to take his official visits and AU should get one. Moving forward CB targets to watch are 3* Juanyeh Thomas and 4* Jordan Miner. Says AU might push for a commit next weekend from Thomas. All in all says this recruitment has been difficult to read and apologizes for not having a great handle on it 

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Alabama currently sits at No. 63 in the 247Sports Team Recruiting Rankings with a pair of commitments in Xavier Williams and Jordan Davis -- uncharted territory for a program that's signed seven straight No. 1-ranked classes.

While recapturing the top spot seems a far cry from where the Crimson Tide currently sits, there may be a potential path for Bama to get back atop the rankings.

Of course if Alabama flipped guys like Trevor Lawrence and Xavier Thomas, projecting UA back to No. 1 would be easy. This projection, however, is a more realistic route, although there would have to be some changes in momentum for a few names on the list.

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Breaking it down

I will start off by saying I think it's unlikely that Alabama repeats as recruiting champions in 2018. I think certainly a top 10, if not five class, is much more within reason at the moment. 

With that being said, Alabama recruits better than most, so to say the chances of going on a major run from where the program is now to where it will be in February 2018, wouldn't be an unwarranted statement. 

The Tide currently sits at No. 63 right behind Western Michigan, Toledo, and Houston. With Nick Saban announcing Alabama will sign 22 in the class, plus the three from 2017 -- Jarez Parks, Joseph Bulovas, and Hunter Brannon -- we take a look at a realistic list of 22 names that could get the Tide in contention for No. 1. Keep in mind for some of the names on the list, momentum would have to change with where their recruitments sit now -- something the Tide has shown it's capable of doing, especially in the summer months. Also, it would be easy to throw Trevor Lawrence or Xavier Thomas in and predict the top class once again. As the title suggests, however, this is a realistic breakdown. 

This projection scores a 306.39. Alabama's last three top-ranked classes have averaged a total 311. Of course rankings are always adjusted, and not every recruit currently committed will stay committed, making it more difficult to project what another program's score, like Ohio State's, will look like down the road. 

Keep in mind this is more for fun than anything. 

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RB - Asa Martin

Alabama lost its running back commit in Dameon Pierce last week. Martin picked up an offer at A-Day as Alabama looks to sweep away momentum from Auburn and Florida. 

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WR - Seth Williams

If Alabama really wants a certain recruit, they typically get him more times than not, especially for a guy just a few miles away from campus. Williams hasn't named the Tide his leader, but the Crystal Ball would suggest he ends up sticking with his hometown team. 

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TE - Glenn Beal

Dominick Wood-Anderson looked like the guy at tight end earlier this spring, but after a visit to Oregon the Ducks have all the momentum. Alabama likes Beal and vice versa. Does the Tide steal another one away from the Bayou State? 

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OL - Nicholas Petit-Frere

It looks like it's shaping up to be Alabama-Notre Dame-Florida in the race for the elite tackle's signature. The Tide has been by twice this spring to see Petit-Frere, and got him on campus for A-Day. 

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