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re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:46 pm to TigerPaw1
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:46 pm to TigerPaw1
A-List No. 3: Coynis Miller wants to help offers mimic his success (AL.com)
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Defensive lineman Coynis Miller, No. 3 on AL's A-List, an annual ranking of Alabama's top senior football prospects, enters his senior season at Jackson-Olin ready to rumble his way to touchdowns from the Wildcat quarterback position and on defense - his primary position - cause havoc at and around the line of scrimmage.
Such efforts would immortalize Miller's legacy at the school. He sure has come a long way from daydreaming about football in elementary school; walking down the street with weights; learning how to compete after transferring to Jackson-Olin.
His football journey started modestly in Decatur, Georgia, when he was still in elementary school.
One summer, every morning around 5 a.m., Miller and his cousin and best friend, Anthony Mason, started their mile run to the park. The boys would spend the early morning working out and later in the day, play basketball before returning home around 7 p.m.
"We just did it. We got up at that time," Miller said. "Like, we heard that the great players woke up early to get work in, so we figured we should get started (early).
Miller was a fifth-grader, his friend a sixth-grader.
It's what today's high school players call grinding. Miller and Mason had noting but with a 30-pound dumbbell, which they carried the dumbbell down the road, jumped with it in their grasp, whatever exercises they could think of to place them closer to their mission of making a future out of sports.
"We were getting it from a young age," Miller said. "All the older guys would tell us, 'Y'all going to be something one day.' "
That day is here.
DREAMING ABOUT THIS SEASON
Miller sat in class, daydreaming about his future as a sports entrepreneur. He thought about his workout journey. How many more of his peers could achieve athletic success with the right equipment and guidance?
This was the foundation of Miller's goal to work with youth in the future as a trainer.
Miller's current work with local trainers Kevin Brown and Adrian Steele further shaped his belief that more teenagers could excel at this game if they had better access to resources, from healthy eating to off-the-field life tutoring.
He's already started.
CUB TO A BEAR
At Jackson-Olin, coach Tim Vakakes taught Miller the proper lifting technique. T.D. Moultry, his 2016 teammate and current Auburn linebacker, showed Miller how to handle the recruiting limelight, and how to lead his peers.
Now, it's all up to Miller.
Moultry inspired him last season, telling Miller he expected him to become stronger than him. Moultry then set a herculean-level effort for Miller to follow and eventually, surpass.
"Seeing him benching more than me, squatting more than me, just made me think, 'Hey I have to step it up,'" Miller said.
Said Vakakes: "It took awhile for him to catch on in the weight room and really embrace it... I put him with TD for a reason; so he could see what 'elite' looks like. That's how they work, that's how hard they lift, they don't skip reps.
"If he ever embraces it 100 percent - he's embraced it, and developed his body, turning himself into an elite prospect - but if he ever fully embraces it, he's a first-day guy in the (NFL) draft. That's the kind of talent he is."
Miller remembers sending a workout video to Moultry the day he passed him in the weight room. Nowadays, Miller tosses weight room plates around like so many pillow on his mom's sofa.
"Wake up every day with a good mindset," Miller said. "Go hard every day. Go harder than the person beside you. A lot of things aren't given to you, so you have to take it. Go out, keep grinding, keep going."
Speaking of workouts, Miller's gym idol is James Harrison, a future Hall of Fame linebacker with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harrison's creative and entertaining workout videos, from tossing a medicine ball over a volleyball net and one-handed barbell shoulder presses, inspire and educate Miller.
"I think that's why I like him," Miller said of Harrison, a two-time Super Bowl winner and five-time Pro Bowler. "He does stuff that catches my eye. Some of the things he does, we started doing it in here. I even begged my dad to buy me his jersey."
Miller has never worn his Harrison jersey. He just wants to get it signed.
MINI FRIDGE?
Only two interior linemen have been named Mr. Alabama Football, awarded annually by the Alabama Sports Writers Association since the award's inception in 1982 - Huffman's Andre Smith in 2005 and Blount's DeMarco McNeil in 1998.
Miller could be next. He's a dominateing defensive lineman with hip strength that has attracted most of college football to his Birmingham high school. Plus, he runs the rock an extra-large Wildcat quarterback in goal-line situations.
Back in the summer of 2016. Miller, new at Jackson-Olin, listened as offensive teammates, giddy and excited, gave him news from offensive meetings. In addition to his defensive line duties, Miller was slotted to play in a short-yardage/ goal line package.
"That's 90 Under?" he asked. He thought about it more. "What am I getting myself into? Man, this is going to be crazy, touching the ball."
In practice, Miller and the offense, loaded with defensive players in this special package, faced more than 11 scout team defenders to get ready for Friday night.
Guess it worked. Miller played fullback then Wildcat quarterback, daring defenders to bring him down.
Miller didn't just touch the ball. He became a new-age William "Refrigerator" Perry for Jackson-Olin, scoring 12 touchdowns as the Mustangs went 8-2 during the regular season and earned its first playoff berth since 1998.
"So, it was just crazy," Miller said. "I didn't expect I was going to score that many touchdowns. I just went out there and ran the ball. It was good, just getting the ball, helping the team be better, win games, continue (more) to the win. (But) it was crazy."
As a two-way player, Miller, now up to to 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, enters 2019 as a Mr. Football candidate.
TRUE HONOR
Miller receives regular text messages from a defensive tackle at a Texas high school. The player discovered Miller's football ferociousness online.
"Man, I look up to you, I watch hour film every day," the lineman recently told Miller.
That's why of all Miller's many college offers - from Clemson and Alabama to Auburn and Florida, he said this relationship marks his biggest accomplishment of high school football.
"Having somebody look up to me," Miller said, "it made me feel like I did something right."
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Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:49 pm to TigerPaw1
Looks like all the SECCountry affiliates did top lists for their states. I will post some from Georgia and Florida
Georgia recruiting rankings: The Peach State’s top 30 for 2018 (SECCountry)
Absolute joke that Harris & Jibunor aren't listed in the top 30
Georgia recruiting rankings: The Peach State’s top 30 for 2018 (SECCountry)
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Georgia high school football kicked off last week with the traditionally great Corky Kell Classic event, plus a renewal of Friday Night’s Lights across the state. It brings to mind this question: Which seniors belong in DawgNation’s first Georgia recruiting rankings for 2018?
DawgNation has watched these players compete at camps and in big games since May 2015.
Who stands out? Who is better than all those star rankings say?
This is the formula used to answer those questions:
- Recruiting reputation across the various services and with analysts.
- How the players performed in camps.
- On-field production. Can they do football in shorts and in pads? That was a big chunk here.
- Future college potential, as well as the likelihood of playing as a freshman and being an NFL draft pick in three to four years.
- How did we do all of that? In-person evaluation, review of Power 5 offers, and conversations with high school and college coaches, college scouts and fellow recruiting analysts all went into the gumbo for our first ranking of the Peach State’s top 30 for 2018.
That’s it. Now, here we go.
Top 30 players in Georgia for 2018
(We will update this list monthly going forward.)
JUST OFF THE LIST: Buford 3-star RB Anthony Grant (Tennessee commit); Rome 3-star DT Jaquon Griffin (LSU commit); 4-star LB Michael Harris (Auburn commit); Prince Avenue Christian 4-star OLB Richard Jibunor (undecided); Archer 3-star DB Taiyon Palmer (Duke commit); Bainbridge 4-star RB Dameon Pierce (Florida commit); Thomason 4-star CB Christian Tutt (undecided).
Absolute joke that Harris & Jibunor aren't listed in the top 30
This post was edited on 8/22/17 at 9:50 pm
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:50 pm to TigerPaw1
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27. 4-star OG Dylan Wonnum (6-5, 285), Tucker; undecided
Dylan Wonnum rates on the 247Sports composite as the nation’s No. 9 offensive tackle for this cycle. But he doesn’t have elite size for a tackle and some college staffs — UGA, for instance — project him as a guard. He could be a great talent at guard.
The Tucker standout seems ready to decide in a few weeks, perhaps by mid-September. Auburn and South Carolina are two schools to watch.
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:50 pm to TigerPaw1
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18. 4-star S Quindarious Monday (6-2 1/2, 185), Carver-Atlanta; committed to Auburn
Quindarious Monday also cracked my list of the top 5 performers at the Rising Seniors event last December. He’s got great length and a knack for finding the football.
Monday makes plays and does not shy away from any matchup opportunity. He’ll be tremendous once he gets into both a college nutrition and elite strength and conditioning program. Clemson made a hard run at him, too. His upside places him higher than a few more technically proficient DBs on this list.
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:51 pm to TigerPaw1
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17. 4-star OLB Quay Walker (6-4, 210), Crisp County; committed to Alabama
We’ve reached the point in this rankings where there’s really nothing but elite prospects left. These players would be top 10 talents in any state except for California, Florida and Texas.
Quay Walker, this versatile Crimson Tide commit, checks in here. He’s got an even bigger upside than his former teammate Markaviest “Big Cat” Bryant at Auburn. Walker can cover the slot receiver, rush the passer and tackle the ball out in space, too. Georgia was once a major factor in his decision.
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:51 pm to TigerPaw1
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16. 4-star CB Kyler McMichael (6-1/2, 196), Greater Atlanta Christian; committed to Clemson
Kyler McMichael had his choice of Alabama, Clemson, Florida State and Georgia — plus a lot of other big-time programs.
The Greater Atlanta Christian star is strong and tough. He also plays running back for his Spartans. He could start a lot of games for the Tigers in the ACC.
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:51 pm to TigerPaw1
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14. 4-star WR Matthew Hill (6-2, 185), Brookwood; committed to Auburn
Josh Vann will have a good career for South Carolina, but the prediction here is that Matthew Hill will be better than that for the Tigers.
Hill starred at Prince Avenue Christian and picked up an early SEC offer from Kentucky as a freshman. When I saw him make plays against Central Gwinnett as a sophomore, I knew this young man had star quality. Georgia never went hard after him.
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:52 pm to TigerPaw1
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8. 4-star OLB J.J. Peterson (6-1 1/2, 210), Colquitt County; undecided
J.J. Peterson, the nation’s No. 1 OLB for this year, is a player whom I still feel has yet to scratch the surface of his potential. He did well at the The Opening regional in Atlanta but didn’t elevate his game in Oregon at the national finals.
He looked very good, but not elite, at the Corky Kell Classic last weekend. Peterson was mostly deployed as a pass rusher. Alabama loves him, and I think that’s where he will end up. He has an impressive array of skills. I’ve seen him take a kickoff back on film, but I just don’t know if he has put it all together yet.
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:52 pm to TigerPaw1
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5. 4-star OG Trey Hill (6-3.5, 345), Houston County; undecided
Can UGA sign the nation’s Nos. 1 and 2 offensive guards for 2018?
That’s the plan for Georgia line coach Sam Pittman. He wants to add Hill and Jamaree Salyer for the interior of his Bulldogs offensive line. The Bulldogs have a strong chance at doing that, too. Why? Because they have sold Hill on the notion that he can come in right away and command immediate playing time at center.
Posted on 8/22/17 at 9:53 pm to TigerPaw1
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1. 5-star QB Justin Fields (6-3, 221), Harrison; undecided
Justin Fields somehow earned the right to be rated above Trevor Lawrence as the top player in the nation this year, according to the 247Sports rankings. I concur. Why?
When it comes down to it, he hasn’t had the supporting cast around him at Harrison to steer his team to the heights that Lawrence has at Cartersville. I gave Lawrence a lot of points in that column for the head-to-head analysis there.
What Fields does have is the sharpest mind for the QB position that those Elite 11 gurus might have seen. He has the ability to put up 300 yards passing and 150 yards rushing in a high school game and somehow make it seem like that it was something he was supposed to do.
Fields can clock a 4.51 laser time in the 40-yard dash at 221 pounds. That’s faster than the highest-rated receiver on this list can cover that ground.
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:00 am to TigerPaw1
It's a Dawgnation article and notice how all of the "just missed" guys are not going to UGA. Funny how that works.
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:15 am to RandySavage
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It's a Dawgnation article and notice how all of the "just missed" guys are not going to UGA. Funny how that works.
Ya Sentell is a huge Dawg homer. It's really crazy how much of the guys covering UGA are huge fans too. Rusty, Kipp and Sentell all are terrible at hiding their UGA love
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:15 am to TigerPaw1
Justin Fields is new No. 1 prospect in the 247Sports Composite (247)
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There’s a new No. 1 player in the 2018 class, as far as the 247Sports Composite is concerned.
With the latest recruiting industry update, quarterback Justin Fields is the new No. 1 overall player in the country in the 247Sports Composite. 247Sports already had Fields slotted as its top-ranked player in the Top247.
A 6-foot-3, 221-pound specimen from Georgia, Fields is a dynamic blend of arm talent and overall athleticism.
"This is something we felt like the industry would agree on, starting back in the spring," said 247Sports Director of Scouting Barton Simmons. "I expect the consensus will only get strengthened with this season’s productivity. He’s just such a rare combination of poise and accuracy in the pocket with unique athleticism."
The Kennesaw (GA) Harrison product was previously committed to Penn State, but he opened his recruitment in June.
Florida State is the heavy Crystal Ball favorite for Fields at 52 percent, but four teams (Georgia, Auburn and Florida) also have predictions in their favor. Since his decommitment, Fields has visited the Seminoles, Bulldogs, Gators and Tigers. Florida recently secured a commitment from highly-regarded 2018 QB Matt Corral.
Fields, the Elite 11 MVP, does not currently have a commitment date or window set.
This climb to No. 1 has been a rapid one for Fields. Last July, he ranked as a three-star recruit and the No. 20 dual-threat quarterback in the country.
At this summer's Opening Finals in Beaverton, Ore., Fields set the competition on fire during 7on7, completing 84 of 117 attempts for 16 touchdowns and no interceptions, per 247Sports' stats. Fields led all quarterbacks in completion percentage, touchdowns and percent of drives that ended in a score (69.5 — the next-closest being 52.6).
Fields' Harrison Hoyas (1-0) continue their 2017 season Friday night (Aug. 25) at powerhouse Rome.
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:18 am to TigerPaw1
Rivals100 update: QBs fighting for top spot, new five-stars (Rivals)
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The latest Rivals100 for the class of 2018 has been released, and with it we have four new five-star prospects, one player who lost his fifth star and a lot of big moves in both directions. But perhaps most importantly, we have two quarterbacks in the top two spots in the nation for the first time in history.
Usually the talk of a new release is about the new five-stars or perhaps a new No. 1, but the biggest development here is that quarterback Justin Fields is now No. 2 behind No. 1 Trevor Lawrence, the quarterback who has topped the list from the beginning.
Could we be headed toward the best quarterback showdown in Rivals.com history? It’s possible. I can’t remember a time where two signal callers were Nos. 1 and 2 in our Rivals100. The closest I can recall was when Shea Patterson made a run toward Jacob Eason in the 2016 class, although neither topped the list as Rashan Gary edged out Dexter Lawrence in a battle of defensive tackles.
There has never been a one-two punch like this, as the closest Eason and Patterson ever got was Nos. 1 and 3. Fields, who had a great summer, has closed the gap on Lawrence by moving up six spots from No. 8 to No. 2.
Aside from that push, there was little movement in the top 10, although we have some great positional battles brewing. Who will end up as the No. 1 running back, Georgia commitment Zamir White or Miami commitment Lorenzo Lingard? Can Clemson commitment Xavier Thomas hold off fellow defensive end Micah Parsons for the No. 1 spot along the defensive line? And can cornerback Anthony Cook push his way up and past fellow corner Patrick Surtain for the top spot there?
The Rivals.com analysts break down the new five-stars and the lone player who lost his fifth star.
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:19 am to TigerPaw1
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NEW FIVE-STARS
CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart
"Taylor-Stuart has the physical tools to be a special cornerback, and he really answered the bell time and again this offseason to move up to five-star status. Size is not an issue at all with Taylor-Stuart and neither is speed, since he was clearly one of the fastest players at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas in Indianapolis this summer. He can be physical at the line, he can run with any receiver and his length makes him special. USC, Ohio State, Texas A&M and others are high on his list.”
– Adam Gorney, Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:20 am to TigerPaw1
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LB Teradja Mitchell
“Mitchell has showed drastic improvement compared to this time last year. The Ohio State commit has always been a big hitter and makes plays all over the field during the season, but the biggest knock on him has been his speed. As a huge inside linebacker, teams would try to take advantage of him in the passing game, but Mitchell has shed weight and has become an asset in coverage. The Buckeyes will rely on Mitchell much like they did Raekwon McMillan.”
– Adam Friedman, Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst
This dude is why we got Michael Harris. Aren't many guys that I think are a better MLB prospect than Harris but he's definitely one of them
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:21 am to TigerPaw1
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ATH Devon Williams
Williams is an incredibly intriguing prospect because he's so long and athletic that he could be incredible at wide receiver as he continues to develop. He's bounced back and forth between receiver and safety over this past year, but I think he could be really special on offense because his length sets him apart. He simply just outreaches smaller cornerbacks, and DBs can't be physical against him because he's wiry enough to dodge the jam at the line. He still needs to refine playing the receiver position, but everything looks positive as of now. UCLA, USC, Alabama, Florida State and others are in the mix.”
- Adam Gorney, Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:21 am to TigerPaw1
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WR Mark Pope
“The only knock on Pope is his lack of ideal height. That said, he’s not a shrimp by any means. He is nothing short of dominant at elite events and on Friday nights. His acceleration and ability to create space make him elite. Pope is committed to Miami but still considering Florida.”
– Rob Cassidy, Rivals.com Florida Recruiting Analyst
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:22 am to TigerPaw1
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LOST FIFTH STAR
QB Matt Corral
“After evaluating Corral multiple times in the last couple months, the feeling was that he's not at the same elite level as five-star quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields and Emory Jones in this class. I love Corral's competitiveness and versatility in games and he has a strong arm, but accuracy was an issue this summer and he needs to focus on being the best at all times. A big senior season alongside five-star receiver Jalen Hall could help move the Florida commit back up the charts.”
- Adam Gorney, Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst
Posted on 8/23/17 at 7:23 am to TigerPaw1
Rivals100 update: Risers and Sliders (Rivals)
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Today's release of an updated Rivals100 for the 2018 class features numerous risers and sliders; many of these prospects made significant impressions at talent-filled offseason events. The Rivals.com analyst team breaks down the noteworthy moves in the Rivals100 below.
Note: The listings below include only prospects that jumped 30 or more spots either within or into the Rivals100 and those who dropped more than 20 spots within the Rivals100.
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