re: 2020 FB Recruiting & Roster

quote:

---

Nick Saban, Steve Sarkisian, and Jeff Banks stopped in at Desert Pines HS in Las Vegas on Tuesday afternoon to visit with 5-star athlete LINK ]Darnell Washington. “It was just pretty much any questions I have,” he said of what was talked about. “It was informative.”

As for deciding factors important to Washington, he highlights trust in Bama's staff as something that could set them apart. “Every school’s got a great education, great facilities, great coaches, but at the end of the day it’s going to come down to the trust, and me trusting them to develop me... And I just trust them to make me a better person on and off the field, not just as a player.”

Washington plans to commit at the Under Armour All-America Game after talking about possibly announcing on Dec. 12, which is his mother's birthday.
“If I was committing today I would not know who I’d pick,” he said.

---

quote:

---

We did. But a green light for Gibbs depends on higher priorities -- taking a 3rd RB is still tbd.

---

quote:

---

Robinson will join fellow Tide commits Bryce Young, Malachi Moore, Jamil Burroughs, Javon Baker, Brian Branch, and Will Anderson as the current UA pledges slated to play in the game.

---

quote:

---

So we think big Timothy Smith will stick? Lot of smoke on Florida boards about flipping him. Guys senior film is really good.

---

quote:

---

2. Who do you fear that we may have too high?

Rob Cassidy (Florida): Bryce Young is a tremendous talent and is certainly a Rivals100 prospect, but I’m not quite as high on him as seemingly everyone else on the planet. My sample size watching him is small, so maybe I’ve seen him on his worst days. That’s why I abstained from our internal conversation about his ranking. So while I’m not saying he shouldn't be a five-star, I’m more skeptical than most. You never want to be the outlier because that usually means you’re wrong, so I’ll happily eat my crow here when Young is a first-round pick. Still, I don’t see the can’t-miss polished passer that everyone else seems to.

Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): There was a decent amount of debate about Haynes King. The Texas A&M quarterback commit is a great athlete and can get hot as a passer in the right situations but I'm worried about his lack of consistency. There are fewer highs than there are lows in his game and it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up playing a different position at the next level.

Mike Farrell (National): I have a feeling that Zachary Evans is ranked a bit high. There is such a boom-or-bust factor with him I could see him being a starter as a true freshman or in the transfer portal within months. He’s the wildcard in this class.

Adam Gorney (National/West Coast): When Leonard Manuel is focused and engaged he could be one of the better receivers in the country. But the four-star who’s now ranked No. 114 nationally has bounced around high schools, he’s been in and out of some commitments and I do have some questions about his hands as an elite receiver. In Florida’s offense and under coach Dan Mullen’s tutelage, he should have a big career in Gainesville if he keeps his eye on the ball but his ranking is a tad high.

Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): Prince Dorbah drops out of the Rivals100 in this update. That was the right move, but we may still have him too high. I wrote about another linebacker/defensive end hybrid earlier in Deontae Craig, but Craig is bigger and a more unique athlete than Dorbah. I just do not see Dorbah's skill set and size fitting anywhere on the field that allows him to play like a four-star.

Chad Simmons (Southeast): Is Oxford (Miss.) jumbo-athlete Jeremiah Pegues too high? Where will he play? How will he be featured? Those are questions surrounding the No. 191 prospect in the country. He is a big, versatile athlete likely to end up at tight end, but he is more of an H-Back, and that position is not used much anymore. He has soft hands, he is mobile for his size and he can make plays with the ball in his hands. But he does not have great length, he is not one that is likely to flex out and he may have a limited role on the next level. Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi State appear to be the main schools involved in his recruitment.

Sam Spiegelman (Texas/Louisiana): Prince Dorbah. When it comes to innate playmaking ability, combine numbers and physicality, there's not much to doubt about what Dorbah brings to the table. However, he's been in the Rivals100 and now inside the Rivals250 at a position he doesn't play week in and week out. Dorbah is a stand-up outside linebacker but plays as a 5-tech for Highland Park. He's asked to occupy two gaps instead of rushing the passer, which is what he'll do at Texas. There's a lot of projecting here and the All-American Bowl should provide us with a better glimpse into Dorbah's future.

Woody Wommack (Southeast): We just moved recent Oklahoma commit Reggie Grimes down a bit in the Rivals100 but he's still in the top 75 players in the country. As an exceptional athlete with a very high ceiling, he's a very tough player to rank because his production on the field hasn't caught up with where he could be in the future. Ranking guys like him too low is how you get burned if and when they blossom at the next level, but there have been plenty of times where we have ranked guys with not enough production too high as well. He has helped his team to the state championship game in Tennessee and will be playing in the Under Armour All-America Game as well, so we still have a few more chances to see him before making a final call.

---