re: Class of 2015 Recruiting MEGATHREAD - Twilight Edition

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Peters' mom 'really likes' Mississippi State

Jamal Peters proudly calls himself a "momma's boy."

And that's a very, very good thing for Mississippi State.

"Mom's opinion matters a lot," the second player named to the 2014 Dandy Dozen said. "My mom really likes Mississippi State a lot. Out of all the schools, that's the one she likes."

The top-ranked recruit in Mississippi says the Bulldogs get mom's stamp of approval because of the emphasis their coaching staff has placed on education during his recruitment.

"They're the only school that really talks to me and her about education, and my mom doesn't mess around with my education," Peters said. "She takes that seriously. So she likes them."

The Bassfield safety says his top five hasn't changed since he released the list earlier this month.

Alabama is still leading, followed by Mississippi State, Florida State, Ole Miss and LSU.

"Alabama is a tough school to beat," Peters said. "That's the place to be if you want to win. They have it all there. Mississippi State is still running behind."

But Peters' mother likes the idea of him staying in state.

"Staying close would be really nice, so that matters to me," he said. "I don't want (my mom) having to travel really far for games. I just want her to be able to come down the road and watch me play."

Peters plans to visit Mississippi State this weekend for its Big Dawg Camp, then trek to LSU for a 7-on-7 competition.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder calls his upcoming visit to Starkville "big." The last time he was on campus was in April.

"Last time I was there, I really had a good experience but it's been so long," Peters said. "I'm really anxious to get up there again. I'm ready to see everything again."

Peters maintains that Mississippi State is the school recruiting him hardest, adding that "feeling wanted" is the biggest factor in his recruitment.

"What I'm looking for is the school that just shows me the most love. You know, that school that really works for me and checks in all the time," Peters said. "Next, I want to be able to play early."

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LINK Sounds like it will be a tough pull.

Mississippi safety. I've read this story before.

9100

Lockhart is visiting TAMU a day earlier. Looks like this recruiting battle may be over soon.

I'm not sure the coaches dreamed much of taking him. Looks like they toyed around with the idea of taking him before ultimately deciding to wait and see where other guys (Adonis Thomas and McMillon) go.

I read on the OM board that McMillon is supposed to visit OM this weekend. (?)

Y'all know that I don't typically recommend Carvell's stuff, but his interview with Ledbetter was downright intredasting.

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Will Alabama commit Jonathan Ledbetter flip to UGA at Friday’s “Dawg Night” prospect camp?
It has been the hottest topic this week on the UGA message boards.
The 4-star defensive tackle from Tucker High School was at DeKalb County Media Day on Tuesday.
We asked Ledbetter point-blank about the issue: What about the rumor he will flip to UGA at Dawg Night?
Ledbetter gave a reply, and see what you think about his answer, along with his body language.
And, when you watch the video below, you’ll see the conversation take a surprising turn: His older brother, Joe Ledbetter, is hoping to join the football program at Alabama or UGA. He’s applied to both schools, and has already been accepted at Alabama. He’s waiting to hear from UGA.
Joe Ledbetter is a former Tucker tight end who has played college basketball the last two seasons at Pfeiffer, an NCAA Div. II school in North Carolina. The 6-foot-5 forward appeared in 23 games last season, averaging 3.4 points and 4.7 rebounds.
You can look at Joe’s basketball film here, and see that he’s pretty big, athletic and physical. Joe hopes to follow the same type of path of Jimmy Graham and Antonio Gates, college basketball players who switched to football late in their athletic careers.
Back to Jonathan Ledbetter. He’s the No. 10 overall prospect in Georgia and probably under-rated since he’s skipped a grade and is still 16 years old. He has been committed to Alabama since last January, and confirmed on Tuesday that he will attend Dawg Night.
What about those rumors Ledbetter will switch from Alabama to UGA at Dawg Night? Please watch the below video:

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LINK

Who knows what this kid will do. He seems more firm than I would have believed from reading this board but got know Georgia will give his brother a spot and he will likely get caught up in the excitement of Dawg night. He may flip and is just trying to down play it until he does flip.

Shyheim Carter sophomore Highlights

SIAP again

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Blake Barnett: “The Elite 11 was the best experience of my life”

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It’s just an awesome feeling to have been able to compete with the best quarterbacks in the nation and get an opportunity to learn from such outstanding coaches in an event like the Elite 11,” Barnett said. “It was great and gave me a chance to test my skills and see where I stood as a player.”

The moment Trent Dilfer pulled Blake Barnett aside to inform him he had won the Elite 11 was a special moment to the California native that everyone watching on ESPNU was able to witness.
“It was unexpected but an awesome moment of excitement,” Barnett admitted. “I did not know it was already decided, and I was a little frustrated as a competitor because I wanted to finish the game. I wanted to finish strong, keep competing and playing well.”

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While Barnett garnered the top spot in the Elite 11, his Team Apocalypse teammate, wide receiver Calvin Ridley, won the MVP award in the 7-on-7 championship and was un-coverable. The two had never met before, despite both being committed to the University of Alabama, but the chemistry was instantaneous.

“It was the first time we ever met, but we had an instant connection on and off the field,” Barnett said. “We just clicked immediately and I look forward to playing with him on the next level.”
Many have speculated that Ridley may not be firmly committed to the Crimson Tide, but Barnett believes his future teammate is solid with his decision.
“After this experience, and since The Opening, I have been in constant contact with him and let’s just say Alabama is solid there at this point.” Barnett said.

One of the highlights of the trip to The Opening was the chance for Barnett to bond with the other 9 commitments in his class that also competed during the 5-day odyssey, especially the offensive linemen.
It was awesome to be around all those guys for the first time, especially the lineman,” Barnett stated. “Just being able to start building relationships with all of them and talk between games, then hang out back at the hotel getting to know them was a great experience.”
The elite signal-caller has also turned into a lead recruiter in the 2015 class since pledging to the Crimson Tide in June. He has high hopes to help his class continue the tradition under Nick Saban in being considering the top in the country.

“I stay in conversation with players everyday,” Barnett said. “If there is a player Alabama is trying to recruit, I try to stay in contact.”
Two wide receivers at The Opening highly interest Barnett, one played the slot on his 7-on-7 Team Apocalypse and the other is a long-time training partner with him that is trained by his quarterback coach Dennis Gile.

“I really liked the slot receiver on my team, Deddrick Thomas, who is committed to Mississippi State,” Barnett said. “His routes were clean and he was very fast. I’m also working on the two running backs I had on my team in Damien Harris and Jaques Patrick.

I am also talking to Christian Kirk, who I train with out in Arizona with Coach (Dennis) Gile,” he continued. “He is an excellent receiver, probably one of the top five in the nation. Right now, he seems pretty open and is not single-minded toward one school at all. He is taking his visits, and is deciding which schools to visit.”

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Read more
LINK

Some thoughts on the season I was thinking:

- Hand gaining weight getting up to 280 is a showing of his body type with the strength training. He had a huge frame all throughout HS with ridiculous strength. He is a little less athletic than like say Robert N. at OM but his base of power and explosion coupled with the work ethic he has will help him excel day 1 IMHO. Jon Allen sort of showed the blueprint, now Hand will follow and take it to another level with his skillset, which. I always assumed would make him a DE. Some of you may not like it because of the perception of Bama's DL being space eaters anyway, but plenty of guys set precedent even in a 3 man DL scheme like JJ Watt, Haloti Ngata, and Chandler Jones to be BEAST pass rushers at DE. That is the skillset and level of talent Hand has. I expect phenomenal and game changing type of play.

- I believe one of the most impactful newcomers on O this year will be Robert Foster. It will be an easy target for a new QB like Coker to throw at the open WR and I expect Foster to get ample opportunity early and often with Coop and Christion likely being early targets for D coverage. Despite being RSed last year (which may have been more of a formality and come down to learning the PB more than anything) I think he will likely make the most impact aside from Coop and help Coker along in the early season especially.

- The transformation of the DL and the Jack (DJ Pettway) under Bo Davis will show significant improvement this year. Rumph had a certain level of coaching skill in certain areas that weren't specific to the base scheme, and it is Davis' coaching specialty. Expect huge strides from A'Shawn, Jon Allen, maybe even Ivory and Lake and huge impact from Frazier especially at NG in early down situations. I think Pettway will be the best true pass rusher at the Jack position Bama has had since Upshaw. Also I expect flashes in back-up from a up & comer Tim Williams. I wouldn't be suprised if Pettway is a household name to many SEC affiliates by the end of the year and he possibly could rack up double digit sacks this year.

- The rotation and overall depth at RB is absolutely sick heading in. As long as there is some gel on the OL, this unit could be talent wise Saban's best at Bama. I wouldn't be surprised to see a rotation at RB very equally splitting carries, and also different utilization of guys in different situations. The unsung hero and most underrated of this group will be senior FB Jalston Fowler, even without a lot of recognition, if he is fully utilized correctly by Kiffin and Bama implements a lot if the I and power formations in, expect Fowler to be the first FB off the board come draft time next year.

I am SOOOOO READY for some football!!!!!!