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

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Contract Information Current NFL Player Contracts Negotiated

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Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral Top247 2018 offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor will take an official to Alabama the last weekend of September, his father tells 247Sports.

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Wasn't there some beef with Oscar Smith in the last 5 years?

I recall it had something to do with how Bama "treated" Phillip Sims and it cost Bama a good chance at Andrew Brown.

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Where do Alabama's top prospects play during Week 5 of the Alabama high school season?

Here's where the A-List - AL.com's ranking of the state's top 15 senior prospects - play this week, as well as a look at three other Auburn commitments.

1. Justyn Ross, WR, Central-Phenix City- After last week's game with Kathleen (Fla.) got cancelled, the Red Devils return to action at home against Smiths Station.

2. Jalyn Armour-Davis, ATH, St. Paul's- The Alabama commit is not expected to play after suffering a leg injury last week against Williamson, but the Saints play Dothan at home Friday.

3. Coynis Miller, DL, Jackson-Olin- The 290-pound defensive lineman plays tonight at home against John Carroll.

4. Asa Martin, RB, Austin- The Auburn pledge has played like a Mr. Football candidate this season and he leads the Class 6A No. 1-ranked Black Bears against Columbia at home Friday.

5. Seth Williams, WR, Paul Bryant- The Stampede makes the trip to Selma for Friday's region game.

6. Harold Joiner, RB, Mountain Brook- Fresh off running for less than 100 yards on 21 carries in a loss to Thompson, Joiner and the Spartans will try to end their two-game losing skid in Friday's home game against Spain Park.

7. Jack West, QB, Saraland- Fresh off perhaps his best career game in a 42-14 victory over Blount, West and the Spartans play winless Robertsdale at home Friday.

8. Andres Fox, DL, Mobile Christian- The Class 3A No. 1-ranked Leopards play No. 6-ranked T.R. Miller at home Friday.

9. Shedrick Jackson, WR, Hoover- The Bucs (3-1) play Tuscaloosa County at home Friday.

10. Tank Jenkins, OL, Park Crossing- The Thunderbirds make the trip to Seale to play Russell County on Friday.

11. James Foster, QB, Sidney Lanier- The Mizzou commit leads the undefeated Poets (4-0) against city rival Carver-Montgomery at Cramton Bowl on Friday.

12. Myles Mason, DB, Hewitt-Trussville- Fresh off his Huskies' debut last week, Mason is expected to play running back and defensive back when the Huskies entertain Buckhorn on Friday night.

13. Tae Provens, RB, Madison County- The LSU commit missed last week's game at North Jackson, but he may return for Friday's region showdown at Randolph.

14. Allen Love, DL, Huffman- The Ole Miss commit leads the Vikings against Vestavia Hills tonight at home. Vestavia also has an Ole Miss commit -- defensive back Jonathan Hess.

15. Cam Taylor, QB/ATH, Park Crossing- The Missouri commit is expected to again trigger the offense in a road game at Russell County on Friday.

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FRANKLIN, Ga. — Emory Jones was presented his Under Armour All-America Game jersey on Wednesday morning in front of a crowd of his classmates, coaches and family members.

Jones, a 4-star quarterback from Heard County High School, is Alabama’s likeliest signal-caller in the 2018 class, although that possibility of him flipping his commitment from Ohio State to the Crimson Tide remains a challenge for Alabama.

The Under Armour All-American has been committed to the Buckeyes for over a year now, but he has kept in touch with Alabama coaches and has watched their games this season. He was in attendance for the Tide’s opener against Florida State.

“I have seen some progress in their passing game,” Jones told SEC Country. “Jalen Hurts has definitely progressed as a passer. Last time I went there [this summer], I worked out with him and threw with him. I could tell that he progressed. He knows the offense and is more comfortable in the offense this year. That’s definitely good.”

The nation’s No. 3 dual-threat quarterback still says that Alabama is the only school other than Ohio State that he’s in contact with frequently. Jones said he talks to coaches at Auburn, Georgia and Florida State, too, but not too often. Those 3 schools are battling it out over the nation’s No. 1 quarterback in Justin Fields, so that could be a reason why they’re not all in with trying to flip Jones.

Alabama has been trying to get Jones on campus for its first two home games against Fresno State and Colorado State, but the Buckeyes commit didn’t make it. He did say that the only official visit outside of Ohio State that he is for sure taking is to Tuscaloosa, though.

“The coaches are telling me that they want me to get back to campus and get more comfortable with the coaches,” Jones said. “They want me to sit down with them to go over the playbook and watch some film. They think I could make a good impact on their offense.”

What’s interesting about Jones’ recruitment is that the Ohio State coaching staff wants him to completely shut down his recruitment and stop going on visits. He’s not doing that. He’s planning on taking additional visits because he says he wants that experience of visiting other schools he may never get the opportunity to see.

“I didn’t get to visit a lot of places before I committed, and I would like the chance to do so,” Jones said.

There has been some talk in the recruiting industry that there are some people in Jones’ family who want him to remain closer to home instead of going to Ohio State. Jones said that his grandma has expressed that opinion to him, but he doesn’t think she’s 100 percent serious.

“My grandma is always joking around with that,” Jones said. “She’s always telling me how she wants to choose a school closer to home so she can make it to all of my games. I know she’s kidding around. My mom told me before I committed to not worry about the distance. She’ll get to the games some way.”

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Emory Jones still strongly considering Alabama

FRANKLIN, Ga. — Ever since Emory Jones was 5 years old, it has just been him and his mother, Trina, living in the same house after his parents separated. That age also happened to be when Jones got into football.

Jones, a 4-star quarterback who’s committed to Ohio State, started playing the position when he was 5. On Wednesday, he officially accomplished one of his football dreams by being honored with his Under Armour All-America Game jersey.

Jones’ mother knew her son may have a future in football when he transferred to Heard County High School in the eighth grade.

“Emory tossed a 75-yard ball in eighth grade,” Trina Jones told SEC Country. “It wasn’t captured on anyone’s camera; I couldn’t find it, but I wish I could. That’s when I knew he was different. We went to a camp one time and he played in a game and someone walked away and said, ‘Oh, he just has raw talent.’

“So, I said, ‘What does that mean? Is raw cool? Is raw like, he’s bad?’ So I asked someone because I wasn’t sure from a football perspective. So, I looked it up and I talked to someone and they said it means he’s just athletic; he doesn’t have mechanics. That’s the moment I put him in training and he soared from there. He picked it up very quickly and he took off from there.”

Jones is now ranked as the nation’s No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the 2018 class and is a major target for Alabama. The Crimson Tide will need to flip Jones from his commitment to Ohio State, though. Jones has been committed to the Buckeyes for more than a year now. It’s the school he’s been dreaming about representing for several years now.

“Ever since [former Ohio State quarterback] Braxton Miller started playing, he’s always been an Ohio State fan,” Trina said. “I have family all around Ohio. From Cincinnati to Dayton to Cleveland to Columbus. We have family in the area, and in Pennsylvania, so we’ve traveled the area frequently. Ever since Braxton Miller [played for Ohio State], that was his favorite player.”

The part about having family in Ohio is important to note. With Jones living in Georgia, Ohio is obviously not around the corner from him and his mother. There have been some rumblings that there are some people in Jones’ inner circle that want him to stay closer to home when he ultimately signs with his college of choice. Emory told SEC Country that his grandma, perhaps jokingly, tells him how she wants him to choose a school closer to Franklin, Ga., so she can see him play in all of his games in person.

Emory’s mother doesn’t have an issue with Ohio State being so far away from home.

“I don’t care [if he’s closer to home],” Trina said. “I just want him to be where he’s going to feel like there’s a connection, where he fits in, where he can be happy. He’s going to go through some challenges. He’s going to have that. The closeness would’ve been so that I could’ve been close enough to support him through things he will endure while he’s in college. Not because I don’t want to travel there. My job requires me to travel every day. It’s nothing for us to jump in the car and drive there.

“I’m already planning around, if that’s what I have to do; I’ve already mentally started prepping for ‘am I going to drive to these games, if I am going to prepare to fly these games.’ The distance is not a problem.”

After talking with Emory’s mother, I came away with the impression that she is 100 percent on board with her son attending Ohio State. She has actively reached out to parents of current and former Buckeyes players. She specifically mentioned speaking to current Denver Broncos safety Bradley Roby’s mother frequently.

All of the parents of the Ohio State players she has talked with have said that the program turned their sons into men by the time they left. That’s the most important thing to her.

It’s clear that both Emory and his mother love everything about Ohio State and what the Buckeyes have to offer, but the Under Armour All-American still hasn’t decided to completely shut down his recruitment.

Why?

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