re: Class of 2015 Recruiting MEGATHREAD - Twilight Edition

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CeCe Jefferson

Saban and his staff have found success luring some of the top players out of Florida on an annual basis—with stars such as Amari Cooper and Derrick Henry serving as prime examples.

The Tide are hoping history repeats itself with CeCe Jefferson—the nation's top strong-side defensive end.

Jefferson is thought to be a lean to the homestanding Florida Gators. However, he visited Alabama last month and even wore an Alabama T-shirt upon his last visit to Gainesville, according to GatorBait's Luke Stampini.

While the Gators are in a strong position, another subpar season on the field this fall could impact their recruiting efforts. Regardless of that fact, expect the Tide to lay the groundwork with Jefferson to be in position to pull off a surprise in the end.

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Tim Settle

While Payne represents the top in-state defensive tackle Alabama is pursuing, the Tide are involved with a handful of elite, out-of-state tackles such as Trent Thompson and Shy Tuttle.

However, considering the success that assistant Lance Thompson has had in pulling 5-star defensive linemen out of the state of Virginia in recent years, Manassas, Virginia, standout Tim Settle is a name worth watching for Tide fans.

Settle—who is close friends with fellow Virginia natives and recent Tide signees Jonathan Allen and Da'Shawn Hand—visited Tuscaloosa last summer.

If he makes another trip to the Capstone this summer, Thompson will be in strong position to land another gem out of the state of Virginia.

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The new Rivals100 Presented by Under Armour has been released for the spring evaluation period for the class of 2015, and we have a change at the top. Seffner (Fla.) Armwood defensive end Byron Cowart is our new No. 1 player in the nation, moving up two spots from No. 3 and supplanting Albany (Ga.) Westover School defensive tackle Trenton Thompson, who slips to No. 3.

Whether Thompson camped or not this spring might be irrelevant (he did not) because of how dominant Cowart has been. The 6-foot-3, 257-pounder has drawn comparisons to Da'Shawn Hand, last year's No. 1, for his balance, agility and quickness. While Hand is a bit faster and perhaps slightly more agile, Cowart is stronger and more physical at the same stage. Meanwhile, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco quarterback Josh Rosen stays put at No. 2 after a great spring.

With such elite talents in the last few years like Hand, Robert Nkemdiche, Dorial Green-Beckham and Jadeveon Clowney, going bell-to-bell as the nation's No. 1 player has been commonplace. You have to go all the way back to 2010 when Ronald Powell unseated Seantrel Henderson during the final rankings cycle to find a swap at No. 1.

There were plenty of other changes of note. It's somewhat rare to add seven five-stars in one rankings cycle barring the final release, but with so many camps and 7-on-7 events in the spring, more and more players are showing they are deserving of the honor. Conversely, more players are also showing that perhaps their fifth star was a bit ambitious. Such is the case this time around with three prospects losing that coveted five-star status.

Now let's take a look at the rest of the big moves in the Rivals100. A big move is considered up or down 30 or more spots or moving into the coveted five-star class while any moves less than 30 are considered nominal. Negative moves of less than 30 slots, while certainly significant to prospects and the fan bases involved, are usually the result of so much upward movement from prospects that stood out during this evaluation cycle. The biggest jump among the seven new five-stars was 57 spots, while the biggest drop among the three prospects losing their fifth star was 26. The biggest jump into the Rivals100 is 132 spots and the biggest drop within the elite list is 36 spots.

This has been an exciting spring and this 2015 class looks like it will be a rollercoaster ride when it comes to rankings moreso than the last two years. Our team of national recruiting experts weighs in with their observations on the spring performances of these prospects.

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OL Lester Cotton
Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Central
NEW RANK PREV. RANK DIFFERENCE
34 112 +78


Cotton has emerged as the nation's No. 1 offensive guard for good reason. He has a great set, gets out of his stance quickly, anchors well and has excellent feet. He's aggressive with his punch and has a mean streak. The Alabama commitment is a perfect fit in a pro-style offense. - Mike Farrell, Rivals.com National Recruiting Director

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DL Jonathan Ledbetter
Tucker, Ga.
NEW RANK PREV. RANK DIFFERENCE
24 84 +60


Ledbetter has added more than 20 pounds of weight this offseason but hasn't lost a bit of his explosiveness at the line of scrimmage. His newfound muscle will give him the ability to play either defensive end or perhaps even slide inside and play defensive tackle at the next level. At the RCS Atlanta stop Ledbetter was dominant, even against top-notch competition. He showed out in similar fashion in other evaluation situations. Ledbetter is committed to Alabama. - Woody Wommack, Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst

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OL Tyler Carr
Southside, Ala.
NEW RANK PREV. RANK DIFFERENCE
66 30 -36

Tyler Carr is still a guy we absolutely love when it comes to potential and a high ceiling, but he is still a work in progress. He tends to overset at times and really struggles when defenders cross over. Still new to the offensive line, he is progressing but there are things to work on. Alabama and Auburn will likely battle this one out, but Georgia is also in the mix. - Mike Farrell, Rivals.com National Recruiting Director

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“Oh it’s definitely a big offer; a powerhouse team like Alabama is really big," Waller said before Sunday's NFTC event. "[They run] a pro style offense, so that’s a plus for me. A lot of their quarterbacks tend to go to the NFL, and the NFL likes pro style offenses, so they’re definitely high on my list.”

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He doesn't yet have a list of top schools, as he is still waiting on offers from programs such as Oregon and Ohio State. If and when those offers come, Waller will have a better sense of what his future college choices are looking like.

“Me and my mom are talking about it a lot but we will have to see how that plays out,” he said.

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“QB Travis Waller is an incredibly impressive prospect. #OhioState could be next to offer.

— Adam Gorney (@adamgorney) May 18, 2014”
“No offer yet but Anaheim (CA) QB Travis Waller to visit #ohiostate at beginning of June. That will be a big stop in his recruitment.

— Derek Young (@DYoungScout) May 19, 2014”

Now that Alabama has offered, it's possible that the Ducks and the Buckeyes will start courting him more aggressively, as competing with Alabama for top talent is anything but easy.

There's no timetable yet on when he could make an announcement, so the summer will really start to heat up for Waller.

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