re: 2020 FB Recruiting & Roster

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...Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma and Tennessee made the list.

..."If I had to say a school at the top right now, it would be Alabama," said Williams. "I don't really have a full list of the schools 1-7, but Alabama is on top.

'I have been there about six or seven times, I know how they do things and Alabama is a great program. I had a great conversation with coach Nick Saban last week and we had a great talk about the overall program. Alabama has had a lot of success, they put guys into the NFL and I would have to say they are No. 1 for me right now."

On August 24, in honor of his father's passing, Williams will announce his decision. He will be ready. He has a big summer ahead and that will help him make that decision.

"The summer is important to me. I have some important visits to take and I will keep talking to coaches trying to get my mind made up.

"I know for sure I will be committing August 24 and once I commit, I am done with recruiting. I will not visit other schools or anything like that. I will know for sure where I want to go on August 24."

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For a fifth consecutive offseason, BamaOnLine is counting down Alabama’s top 25 most important players ahead of the Crimson Tide’s fast-approaching fall camp and 2019 football season.

We continue our rankings with quarterbacks Mac Jones and Taulia Tagovailoa at No. 24.

*** Breakdown of Alabama’s Top-25 Most Important Players for 2019: Two things went into consideration in this breakdown. One was how much the player would see the field this fall. With that condition, the list is primarily made up of starters. The second aspect is the player’s importance to the team, meaning if they are replacing a starter at a key position and how hard it would be to replace them should something occur to force them out of commission.

JONES PROFILE
Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 205 pounds

Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla. High School: The Bolles School

247Sports Composite ranking: 3-star (2017)
- No. 399 nationally
- No. 18 pro-style quarterback
- No. 52 in state of Florida
TAGOVAILOA PROFILE

Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 211 pounds

Hometown: Alabaster, Ala. High School: Thompson

247Sports Composite ranking: 4-star (2019)
- No. 180 nationally
- No. 5 pro-style quarterback
- No. 8 in state of Alabama
2019 OUTLOOK

Alabama exited the 2018 season needing a new backup quarterback. Jalen Hurts is now in Norman, Okla., and will suit up for the Oklahoma Sooners this fall. While the Crimson Tide has its starting signal caller back for another year in Tua Tagovailoa, last year proved that having a capable backup was a luxury for Alabama -- and one many other teams would have enjoyed possessing.

Entering the spring, Jones looked like the favorite to lock down the No. 2 spot, and the redshirt sophomore didn’t waste his opportunity with a strong end to the 15-practice slate. He threw for an A-Day Game-high 271 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-23 passing and led the White team to a 31-17 win over the Crimson squad to cap the spring. But he wasn’t alone on the White team.

Alabama signed two 4-star quarterback recruits during the 2019 cycle, both of whom were on campus early in Taulia Tagovailoa and Paul Tyson. The younger Tagovailoa was the other QB on the White team and threw for 93 yards and a touchdown on 6-of-9 passing in his debut. There were times where Taulia looked like the second-best quarterback on the field other than his brother.

Exiting the spring, the battle for the backup quarterback job will be one of the more interesting for the Tide prior to fall camp and the 2019 season. Neither player has much experience (Jones attempted 13 passes in 2018) but they both showed Nick Saban and company have some options behind Tua Tagovailoa. And with some improvement this offseason, could be solid No. 2s.
WHY NO. 24?

If Tua Tagovailoa stays healthy throughout his junior season, the backup quarterback role will not matter all that much. At least not this year. But the returning starter dealt with hand, knee and ankle injuries from the spring until the end of the 2019 season and even had to leave the SEC Championship Game against Georgia because of it. Hurts led UA to a win after his early exit.

Hurts ranked No. 25 in our re-ranking of the most important players for last year’s team, and because of him, the entire team received SEC title game rings after the A-Day Game. So, an unknown backup with far less experience ranks one spot ahead of the now-Sooner. And to be honest, It has more to do with Tua Tagovailoa’s importance to the team success than anything else.

Plus, there is still work ahead for Jones and Taulia Tagovailoa -- and even Tyson -- this summer.

Saban's Spring comments...we've heard them a hundred times.. "they did well for spring, dont read too much into it...yada yada yada"
WHAT SAY YOU?

*** Below are the players that are ranked below Jones and Tagovailoa at No. 24.
25. PKs Joseph Bulovas and Will Reichard

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Have a quick nugget on Florida State offensive lineman Landon Dickerson. Dickerson is currently a redshirt sophomore that has put his name in the NCAA transfer portal and sources tell us that Alabama and Texas A&M are possible destinations.

Dickerson was a Rivals.com Four-star and during his time at Florida State he earned playing time starting at the right guard position during his freshman year and during his sophomore year, he earned the starting left guard spot, however, both seasons were cut short due to season-ending injuries.

During the 2018 season, he redshirted after suffering an unspecified injury. Sources tell us that Dickerson would like to play for a pro-style offense and is not happy with new offensive coordinator at Florida State Kendal Briles.

2018 - Unspecified injury season-ending injury (started two games) (Red-shirted)
2017 - Ankle injury (started four games)
2016 - ACL (started eight games)

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Five teams remain for the nation’s No. 1 overall player, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Five-star running back Zachary Evans (247) cut his list to Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, and Oklahoma on Twitter Tuesday evening.

The Houston (Texas) North Shore product earned an offer from the Crimson Tide in July of 2017. He’s visited the Capstone three times since, with plans to return at some point in the month of June — possibly as early as this upcoming weekend.

"Them, it's just them all around,” Evans told 247Sports of Alabama recently. “They're going to be compete. They lose some, they win some. You're going to come there and compete and be the best."

Alabama has had success recruiting elite backs in recent years. Since 2015, the Tide has signed either the No. 1 or 2-ranked running back each recruiting cycle expect for 2018.

247Sports compares Evans to Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon.
Dynamically athletic running back with prototype size and frame potential relative to the position. Owns college-ready build with frame space to add more bulk. Flashes elite athleticism verified in combine testing environment. Makes it look easy, sometimes to the point that it's deceptive. Shows great top-end speed and outstanding close-quarters lateral mobility confirmed by a 3.91 shuttle. Flashes devastating start-stop-start ability in close quarters, coupled with impressive hesitation stutter. Effortlessly strings moves together in the open field to elude multiple defenders. Chameleon in ability to alter running styles, going from elusive darter to hole-punching, straight-line galloper. Home run hitter with high-volume capability. Patient and presses the line of scrimmage to set up blocks. Size and strength potential could provide high ceiling in blitz pickup. At times dances in the backfield rather than accelerating through the hole. Sometimes an upright runner who presents a bigger target. Does not always finish runs with expected strength. Will try to bounce runs too often. Could get on the field immediately at high-major level and become a Power 5 star, in addition to first-round NFL Draft ceiling.

At 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, Evans has verified 4.51 40 speed, a 3.84 shuttle time, and a 37.20-inch vertical jump.

The Tide has one running back committed in its 2020 class already in four-star, in-state standout Roydell Williams.

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College football saw plenty of change in spring football. Schools like Northwestern, Auburn and Ohio State prepare to move forward with a new big-name quarterback. Some programs said goodbye to key talents (or added some) with another wave of transfer portal action.

What does it mean for the top 25?

At the top, does Clemson belong as the preseason No. 1 after its 15-0 season or do the returning weapons for Alabama bode well for the Crimson Tide?

Here is how the preseason rankings shake out heading into summer workouts.

25. Wisconsin
24. Baylor
23. Syracuse
22. Boise State
21. Penn State
20. Army
19. Nebraska
18. Stanford
17. Northwestern
16. Auburn
15.Iowa State
14. UCF
13. Florida
12. Washington
11. Notre Dame
10. Texas
9. Oregon
8. Texas A&M
7. LSU
6. Michigan
5. Ohio State
4. Oklahoma
3. Georgia
2. Alabama
Alabama fell from the No. 1 spot in the USA Today rankings with the changes on the coaching staff as the biggest development of the offseason. Nick Saban’s new staff, however, is in place with no signs of slowing down. The Crimson Tide are again projected to win the conference and make a College Football Playoff. The hype will again surround Tua Tagovailoa after a runner-up finish in the Heisman Trophy race. But how about Jerry Jeudy? The wide receiver could be one of the best. Alabama has a slew of weapons on offense, and the return of players like Raekwon Davis and Trevon Diggs is big on the other side of the ball. Can any player step up to replace the disruption caused by Quinnen Williams?

CBS Sports says, “The spring provided a look at the Tide's revamped and overhauled coaching staff, even if a few key faces — such as offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian — aren't new to the program. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Alabama and Clemson are the nation's best teams entering the summer.”
1. Clemson
The Tigers climbed ahead of Alabama in the USA Today preseason rankings. Clemson must rebuild its defensive line. Recruiting has been so strong under Dabo Swinney that the Tigers are expected to be just fine in the front seven. Offensively, this might be the most-frightening offense in school history. Trevor Lawrence (30 touchdowns, 3,280 yards), Justyn Ross (1,000 yards, nine touchdowns), Tee Higgins (936 yards 12 touchdowns) and Travis Etienne (1,736 yards, 26 touchdowns) are all back as well as four starters on the offensive line.

CBS Sports says, “It's all sunshine and rainbows in the wake of the program's latest national championship. Not that everything is peachy: Clemson lost wide receiver Amari Rodgers to an ACL tear in March, potentially robbing the offense of an all-conference weapon. Rodgers is a good one, but I think Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers will be OK.”

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