re: Class of 2015 Recruiting MEGATHREAD - Twilight Edition

Field turf?

don't thin so as we would have read bout this already

Tyler Carr is announcing Tuesday morning, same day as Jalen Harris. Kinda funny since neither fanbase really wants either one

Alvin Kamara to Tennessee.

Per Tider Insider(Free)

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First of all, I really like the pickup of quarterback Blake Barnett of Corona-Santiago, CA. After the de-commitment of Ricky Town, UA was kind of behind the 8 ball in terms of getting top QB in this class. But Barnett's de-commitment from Notre Dame opened the door. Barnett's athleticism and running ability adds a dimension that UA hasn't had. The 6-4, 200-pounder has a good, strong arm. He's accurate. More than anything though, he seems to be the right kind of fit for Nick Saban. He's a mature kid with a good understanding of the game. Team player with a great work ethic. I really like the development of redshirt freshman Cooper Bateman. If he continues to progress, he'll be a legitimate contender in the near future. But I think Barnett is the best quarterback prospect signed by UA's since AJ McCarron, maybe the best since Saban's been here.
I warned a long time ago that this could be one of the craziest recruiting years in a while with players flipping from one school to another. As the process goes along, I think we will see more flips. Some UA's commits have been looking around at other schools. You never know, but linebacker/defensive end Mekhi Brown of Columbis-Carver, GA, who picked up an offer at Ohio State's camp this week, has been very solid. I don't think he'll surprise. I feel that Coconut Beach-Monarch, FL wide receiver Calvin Ridley and safety Shawn Burgess-Becker will feel some heat later in the process, but Alabama appears to be pretty solid for both players. Georgia and possibly Auburn will confine making a push for defensive line commit Jonathan Ledbetter of Tucker, GA. Cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick of St Peter's Prep on Jersey City NJ seemed to be solid when he committed at A-Day. He's now looking at FSU and South Carolina. UA will have to deal with negative recruiting on some of these commitments. There's no doubt Fitzpatrick is being fed the depth chart line. Offensive guard Dallas Warmack of Atlanta-Mays is being fed the same line.

I think UA did a great job during last week's visit of Ennis, Texas linebacker/defensive end James Lockhart. The 6-3, 252-pound Lockhart ranks as one of Texas A&M's top in-state targets, probably the number one defensive end on the Aggie board. Lockhart clearly left Tuscaloosa feeling that the Tide staff had done a much more thorough job of explaining their plan for him in UA's defense. Lockhart liked the possibility UA mentioned to him about Mike linebacker. A&M has recruited him strictly as a down defensive lineman, but Alabama showed him how he might fit in at Jack and Mike. Lockhart hopes to make a decision later this summer. He plans to visit UA again in July with his parents. If that trip happens, it's likely he'll pull the trigger and commit to the Tide.

A guy pulling the trigger this week will be tight end Jalen Harris of St James in Montgomery. The 6-4, 240-pound Harris has seen his stock soar this summer. A blowout camp performance in Tuscaloosa two weeks ago earned him an offer. Auburn offered a couple of days later. LSU offered. Those are probably the three favorites heading into his announcement at 6 PM this coming Tuesday. Most expect the choice will be Alabama or Auburn. It wouldn't surprise me either way. He grew up an Alabama fan. He said UA was his "dream offer". Alabama has a big need for an in-line tight end who can block. On the other hand, Harris went to every Auburn home game last season. He admits to favoring Auburn at the beginning of his recruitment. He's also been exposed to a very strong AU flavor at St James, where coaches with ties to AU abound. As I said, his decision wouldn't surprise me either way, but for some reason the hunch here is that it'll be Auburn. Again, that's just a hunch.

If by chance Harris does pick Auburn, it's possible that Anfernee Jennings, who is committed to Alabama, could be a TE option in this class. In some ways, Jennings reminds me of Travis McCall when McCall was coming out of Prattville several years ago. McCall was a standout defensive end who ended up a power-blocking tight end at UA. The 6-2 1/2, 260-pound Jennings had a standout performance at UA's lineman camp last weekend. Sources say he showed flashes of star quality as a defensive end/Jack linebacker type. So it might be that Jennings is just too good on defense to be a tight end.

It really looked like Hogansville-Callaway, GA receiver Terry Godwin was seriously considering a flip to Alabama. The Georgia staff knew that. But UGA's sudden offer of a basketball scholarship to Godwin's sister has kind of changed things. A strong source close to Godwin says that Alabama still has a shot, but the challenge is much greater now with his sister headed to Georgia. Auburn is also still in the mix.

Speaking of Hogansville, GA, I'm told the rave of Nick Saban's youth camp last week was a 13-year old lineman from Hogansville named Keiondre Jones. Supposedly the entire UA staff, including Nick Saban, dropped their jaws while watching the 6-2, 275-pound offensive lineman at the camp. Some are calling that Jones is the best looking young OL prospect they've ever seen.

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I know I'm a Vandy fan, and therefore speaking out of turn, but what I don't get is the fact that few are dwelling on the fact that Bama has had difficulties recruiting elite quarterbacks lately anyway. Cornwell was the best Bama has gotten in recent years, and he was rated about where Barnett is rated now. Granted, Cornwell is a pro-style and was pretty polished, but given that Saban is clearly doing some offensive scheme revamping, bringing in a dual threat that he thinks he can mold (and, according to some Bama poster I read, wants to be molded) into a great pocket passer makes all the sense in the world, at least in a world where the last truly elite quarterback Bama thought they had de-committed and there's no guarantee of getting a great one, let alone an elite one, in 2016. Most quarterbacks already take time to develop, and the rawness of Barnett isn't nearly as significant as some people seem to suggest. Even if he doesn't RS, he's going to be a back-up for at least 2 years, which is plenty of time to add polish to his pre-existing abilities.

I get the skepticism about the kid himself, I really do. That's healthy. I'm just not seeing the healthiness, however, of criticizing the choice to take a top 100 player in any position, let alone a position of huge potential need, simply because of a hope that a 16 year old from the Pacific Northwest -- not even a local kid that can be counted on to have grown up wanting to play at Bama -- might choose to come to Tuscaloosa. Or, to put it another way, how screwed would LSU have been if Bama had gotten Fournette? And, conversely, I've already heard rumblings from Bama fans that y'all should have taken Roc when you had the chance.

We're not after Shy Tuttle.

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I think people are sleeping on Cooper Bateman. How is Barnett a better prospect than Cooper was coming out of high school? I also thought Cooper was a dual threat QB...

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He isn't and Cooper Bateman pretty much was.

That is what is truly ironic here. Sometimes I just read and laugh.

Yea I here ya man.

Cornwell world have been a 5 star by the end of his senior season if he had not been hurt. He was playing great.