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Posted on 7/20/14 at 10:30 pm to Garfield
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Drew Richmond ?@TheDream_75 4h
To end rumors, I AM NOT silently committed anywhere ! September 9th is my date
Posted on 7/20/14 at 10:41 pm to chattabama
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A-List No. 14: Alabama commit Wetumpka OL Brandon Kennedy winning on, off the field
Eight or nine months ago, Brandon Kennedy held just one Division I scholarship offer.
"I was just wondering to myself, 'Do coaches like me? Do I have what it takes? Am I too short? What do I need to work on? Things like that just to get on a college coach's radar," the Wetumpka rising senior said.
On Friday, the 6-foot-2, 292-pound offensive lineman committed to Alabama, choosing the Crimson Tide over Auburn. He's also No. 14 on AL.com's A-List of the state's top football prospects in the Class of 2015.
His announcement, which took place in the lobby of Wetumpka high school's gymnasium, was met with the attention you'd expect for a consensus four-star recruit choosing between Iron Bowl enemies and media members showing up an hour before his announcement.
Afterward, Kennedy changed into his Nike Dri-FIT shirt and shorts and was ready to hit the practice field with the rest of his teammates.
"I play guard right behind him," teammate Arrington Gilbert said. "When I get off my block, he's either driving someone down the field or he has a pancake. It's really inspiring."
It was typical of the rain-or-shine, praise-or-criticize work ethic that's helped catapult Kennedy from a virtual nobody in recruiting circles to a four-star recruit ranked as the nation's top center by Rivals.com and, in the 247Sports composite rankings, the No. 16 offensive guard in the country.
A Red Box night for Kennedy is staying up late watching video clips of NFL teams' one-one-drills during OTAs (official team activities) online. On Saturdays and Sundays, you can almost set your watch by his appearance at the school to work out by his lonesome. It's a practice that has been consistent throughout high school career, coach Tim Perry said.
"I just want to be the best player I can be," said Kennedy, who patterns his game after a couple of former Alabama standouts, Antoine Caldwell and Chance Warmack. "So, whatever it takes to do that. I'm going to do that."
Kennedy is equally as focused in the classroom.
He holds a 4.2 grade point average, takes AP courses and is a member of both the National Honor and Spanish National Honor societies.
"He learned how to read at like three or four," said Kennedy's mother Kim Tuck. "So, I introduced reading to him. I guess he found a love for reading and he just went from there. He reads a lot and he likes to be to himself. When he does his work, he always wants me to help him. I don't know why. He may not need my help but he always wants me to be there and go over stuff with him and help him out like that."
He plans to major in health science and study radiology once he steps foot on campus full-time at Alabama. He also intends to intern at a Tuscaloosa area hospital.
"Well, I know that football is going to end some day and I want to have something to fall back on," he said. "I also want to have a big salary."
While football's still an option, he plans to take full advantage of the opportunities it might avail.
When announcing his commitment, Kennedy noted: "For the next three to four years," referencing the possibility of leaving his junior year to enter the NFL Draft, "I'll be taking my talents to the University of Alabama."
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Posted on 7/20/14 at 10:47 pm to chattabama
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A-List No. 15: Alabama commit, long-haired linebacker Keaton Anderson an 'animal' for Florence
This story is the first installment of the 2015 edition of the AL.com A-List, our list of the top 15 senior football players in the state of Alabama.
FLORENCE, Alabama - Florence head coach J.B. Wallace can easily remember the first time he met Keaton Anderson.
It was in the spring of 2012. Wallace, then an assistant, came over from Prattville with new head coach Jamey DuBose and Anderson was a budding sophomore linebacker with a crew cut.
"I really didn't know who he was and he came back and told me I'm going to be one of the best players you've ever coached," Wallace said. "He didn't smile. That's how he introduced himself."
Anderson, an Alabama commitment, is an A-List selection.
Some things have changed at Florence since then. Wallace, who coached the linebackers, was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach this spring after DuBose left to coach another state school. Anderson grew his hair out to shoulder length after a challenge with his older brother.
But the promise has been kept. Anderson emerged into a top prospect not only in the state, but nationally. He committed to Alabama in May and opens the season ranked No. 15 on AL.com's A-List of the state's top football prospects in the Class of 2015.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Anderson had 191 tackles last year as Florence's weakside linebacker. At the position, he makes the calls for the back line of the Falcons' defense.
"He plays at a different speed than everybody else," Wallace said. "He understands our schemes and he understands what the offense is doing. He has to be a leader of the defense, for one. He has done that, and we're expecting him to make big plays for us.
"He's a leader. What you see is what you get. He's going to be first in running sprints, he's going to be first in the weight room and he's going to be first in whatever he does."
The word that describes Anderson best between the lines is 'Animal.'
Anderson is relentless, teammates say, and he looks the part with the long hair.
"He's a freak," Florence senior safety B.J. Oakley said. "When you see Keaton and see him work out and do drills, everything is aggressive. He's got his heart in it.
"Anything that's football-wise, he's a completely different person. It feeds the team."
The long hair came from a challenge with older brother Carson, who was an offensive lineman at Tennessee. Two years ago, the brothers made a promise to let it grow long.
Since then, Keaton has kept the promise, but cuts it to where it remains shoulder-length. Carson, now 24, had to cut his hair "for business attire." Carson now works in Dallas.
"I don't know about intimidating, but Coach Wallace says it gives me some secret powers, my Thor powers, so I can't cut it," Anderson said.
Long before he grew out his hair, Keaton Anderson was destined to be a football player. His father Terry and uncle Charlie played at Tennessee.
"Dad always had a ball in my hand," Anderson said.
But league football didn't start until he was eight. From there, he said his teams won five straight championships and lost just one game in five years. Florence running back Roland Adams, hearing that claim off to the side, noted that Anderson's teams were stacked with all-stars. Much like the NBA's Miami Heat of the past four seasons.
If so, Anderson still stood out. He played defensive back and running back and starred at running back in middle school before focusing on defense in high school. He did get to run the ball on a fake punt last season, but his best chance to touch the ball will come on interceptions and fumble recoveries.
Anderson had offers from Tennessee, LSU, Duke and Miami, but chose Alabama. Naturally, people were surprised that he didn't follow his family to Tennessee, but now his support system is all crimson and white.
"He's all for where I want to go," Anderson said of his brother. "Once I told him I was going to go to Alabama, he was probably one of the most excited people. He's happy for me. It's the right decision and I'm proud he's got my back. I knew he would.
"While I'm there, he'll wear crimson for me. He'll wear my number and he won't think twice about it."
Anderson, who is calm off the field and spends his free time at the lake with friends and countless hours watching film, didn't remember telling Wallace that he'd be one of the best he'd ever coached, but he credited his head coach for teaching him how to play the game at a high level.
"From day one, we've had a great relationship," Anderson said. "I didn't know what pulling guards were and stuff like that. He's coached some really good linebackers and if I can be in that group, then I'm doing something right."
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Posted on 7/20/14 at 10:51 pm to chattabama
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After positive Alabama visit, Georgia 4-star linebacker Adonis Thomas nears commitment date
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Lawrenceville, Ga., linebacker Adonis Thomas had the "best visit" he's been on when he recently went to Alabama.
Perhaps that has helped the Crimson Tide's momentum heading into his Aug. 1 commitment date. Thomas, a 4-star recruit at Central Gwinnett High School, will choose between Alabama and Florida.
"He had a good time," Central Gwinnett head coach Todd Wofford said. "His parents had a good time. He loved Alabama and loved Coach Saban."
Wofford said that Thomas spent most of his time with defensive coordinator Kirby Smart and Tide linebackers Shaun Dion Hamilton and Reggie Ragland. It's likely the last visit Thomas will take prior to his commitment date, Wofford said, though he added that LSU was trying to get him to make a trip.
Thomas is being recruited by Alabama to play the SAM linebacker position, Wofford said.
"He said (the players) treated him like he was already on the team," Wofford said. "In his meeting with Coach Saban, he said Coach Saban laid out the depth chart and showed him where it was and where it would be when he got here. He let him know that whether he commits to Florida or what-not, they were going to recruit him all the way up to the end. He had a good time and a good feeling."
Thomas is the middle linebacker in Wofford's system, and plays receiver on offense. Florida has offered him at every linebacker spot, Oregon has offered Thomas as a tight end and several schools offered him as a receiver early in the recruiting process. He plays receiver for Central Gwinnett.
"He's a consistent mid 4.5 (40-yard dash) guy at 6-4, 220," Wofford said. "In high school, it's hard to match up with him. He's gotten offers everywhere. He's smart and makes all the calls for us (on defense)."
But of at least 30 offers, Thomas is now down to Alabama and Florida. Wofford said he narrowed it down to certain things - major (business or accounting), school's conference, relationship with coaches, how he felt about the school if he wasn't playing football and life after football.
Thomas will announce his commitment after practice on Aug. 1, around 6 p.m. Eastern, Wofford said. Of the 24 predictions in the 247Sports Crystal Ball, 96 percent have picked Florida. The recruitment of Thomas seems far from over.
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Posted on 7/20/14 at 10:53 pm to chattabama
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Ole Miss still on top for DL Fletcher Adams, but he had enjoyable visit to Alabama last weekend.
HOOVER -- Don't worry, you don't need to get your eyes checked. That really is four-star defensive tackle Fletcher Adams running routes as a tight end during 7-on-7 competition.
Brandon (Miss.) coach Brad Peterson plans to use Adams as a third-down tight end next year and unveiled the offensive wrinkle during 7-on-7 competition this summer. Adams, who was one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the state of Mississippi last year, moves well for a 6-foot-3, 255-pound player.
"It's a little different because I'm out there running routes," Adams said Friday at the National Select 7-on-7 tournament. "I've had to adjust the last few weeks."
Adams helped his team out to a perfect record on the first day of the tournament. But the reason most of the Southeastern Conference wants him is what he does on the defensive line. Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are all hard after the talented defensive tackle.
Adams visited Alabama's campus last weekend to participate in a summer camp. He had previously visited the school for its "A-Day" spring game. He spent time with defensive line coach Bo Davis and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. Alabama has primarily recruited him as a three-technique defensive lineman.
"I had a great visit up there," he said. "The state of Alabama is nice.
"I took a visit to see the guys, spend time with the coaching staff and spend time at camp for a minute."
Adams' older brother, Nelson, is a defensive lineman at Mississippi State. The family connection has led many to assume Fletcher will end up in Starkville too, but the Brandon defensive tackle made news earlier this summer when he said he actually preferred Ole Miss, the MSU's in-state SEC rival.
Asked about it on Friday, Adams said Ole Miss was still the top school, but that MSU had recently upped its recruiting efforts.
"They've hit me up a lot more," he said. "(Mississippi) State is still top three. They are always going to be in the mix, it's an in-state school. It's always good to go up there; I know all the guys. Everything is going pretty (well) with them."
Breaking family lines to go to Ole Miss would certainly create headlines. It'd generate some Adams family trash talk, too.
"If you've got a brother and he's at a school in that state, and I go to another school in that state, of course there is going to be a lot of trash talking," he said. "He tells me where I need to be, but it's my decision."
Adams plans to visit Florida on July 25 and then Ole Miss on Aug. 8. He expects to make a decision in August, but said he could move it back, if necessary.
LINK
Posted on 7/21/14 at 9:30 am to chattabama
Well, this has been an eventful weekend in recruiting. 
Posted on 7/21/14 at 9:56 am to Alabamya
I'm a little surprised that it wasn't more eventful. Was expecting Ledbetter to pull the trigger for UGA.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 10:58 am to chattabama
quote:hopefully we hang on to him then
I'm a little surprised that it wasn't more eventful. Was expecting Ledbetter to pull the trigger for UGA.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 11:44 am to chattabama
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I'm a little surprised that it wasn't more eventful. Was expecting Ledbetter to pull the trigger for UGA.
It all depends on if his brother gets accepted to UGA as a preferred walk-on
Posted on 7/21/14 at 1:20 pm to Crowknowsbest
They will make a way as well as we should.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 1:25 pm to BIGJLAW
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They will make a way as well as we should.
We already have. That video a couple pages back on the AJC website was actually informative. He seemed like he was going to stay with Bama, but who knows.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 5:45 pm to I Like FBall
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John Garcia Jr. ?@JohnGarcia_Jr 6h
Top #Alabama target, who decides next week, to take official visit to Tuscaloosa for Iron Bowl. LINK via @PatrickBurnham5
Who is this? My mind is drawing a blank and i don't subscribe to Scout. Does anyone here?
Posted on 7/21/14 at 5:49 pm to chattabama
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THE OPENING: MONTRELL CUSTIS
John Garcia Jr.
Recruiting Analyst
The “cornerback or safety” dilemma is becoming a more popular one in the college football recruiting world, especially with the advancement of the passing game offensively, and Alabama commitment Montrell Custis is in that mix as well. He breaks down what Nick Saban and company think of his projection, who he spent time with at The Opening and much more inside.
A one-time commitment to Kentucky, Montrell Custis backed off of his pledge and gave it to Nick Saban and Alabama after one of several visits to Tuscaloosa this spring. He hasn’t been to another campus ever since.
Unless you count Nike’s world hedquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, where he participated in The Opening earlier this month.
“I’m fully committed to Alabama, I haven’t taken any other visits. I was just up there trying to grind,” he said of his time out west. “It’s a beautiful place out there. All the free gear, competing against the best, and I performed up to par even though I got hurt.”
Despite what Custis called a minor hamstring injury, the four-star Lovejoy (Ga.) defensive back took plenty in from the NFL coaching staff and players.
“I learned a whole lot. One thing, there’s always going to be somebody bigger, stronger and faster than you,” he said. “But you’ve got to take that into consideration when you’re working on your game. It’s about the smartest player working on the field, not the biggest or the fastest.”
Labeled a tweener between cornerback and safety for most of his prep career, the rising-senior resonates with working hard no matter his role. He was once rated as a cornerback by Scout, a three-star at that, though he’s now a four-star safety projection and the No. 22 prospect at the position nationally.
Alabama likes him as a defensive back, without a defined spot for now.
“One day it’s one position and one day it’s the other,” he said laughing. “They say whichever I feel better at or more comfortable on the field, I can play. But they say don’t rule out anything because with my size and athleticism, I can play both.”
Custis was one of 10 Crimson Tide-bound prospects taking part in the week’s festivities, and part of the group returned to Tuscaloosa after the event for another look at the future digs. Weeks like that allow for plenty of bonding between future teammates.
“Everybody has a great friendship with each other and everyone got to know each other,” he said. “One of my roommates is a commitment, Shawn Burgess-Becker, and we talk Alabama every night. We talk about what we’re going to do when we get there, how many rings we’re going to win, stuff like that. But we try to humble ourselves until that time. Until then, we’re going to keep grinding.
“I was watching some other commits…(Calvin) Ridley’s got excellent speed, Deionte (Thompson), the safety, he’s a great safety. He’s a great athlete, when I first met him, I thought he was a cool kid but he’s hard-nosed. I knew he could hit, but he’s wanted to hit even though it’s a passing league.”
In between the bonding, it was safe to say that there was some recruiting going on by both Custis and the group itself.
“We’ve been trying to recruit anybody I’ve seen. All 162 (invitees),” he said. “You know I’m on my boy (five-star Tennessee wide receiver commitment) Preston Williams, he goes to Lovejoy with me. We’re trying to get (Three-star cornerback) Duke Shelley up here, there was a whole bunch of guys.”
Admitting he was sitting out the latter half of the event as a precaution, Custis was also focusing on a big decision he has coming up over the next month or so. He will try and determine whether or not he’ll be an early enrollee at Alabama, in which he would graduate from Lovejoy in December.
“We’re worried about graduating early,” he said. “ It’s under high consideration. But if I don’t, I want to visit Alabama like I’m already going there. With other schools, visits could happen, but I don’t know…
“Everybody who’s at Alabama right now, they got a head start. From Tony Brown to Marlon Humphrey. So if you want to play, get there early, learn and sit back.”
LINK
Posted on 7/21/14 at 5:51 pm to chattabama
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Who is this? My mind is drawing a blank and i don't subscribe to Scout. Does anyone here?
I guess it's Ronnie Harrison
Posted on 7/21/14 at 5:55 pm to Rizzy
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Tom VanHaaren ?@TomVH 5h
ESPN 300 LB Joshua McMillon (Memphis, Tenn.) says he won't be at Michigan's BBQ this weekend.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 6:13 pm to chattabama
Drew D. TIFWIW. Again, TIFWIW
LINK
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Alabama lost a big piece of their 2015 class also on Friday night when Leo Lewis, the star middle linebacker in Brookhaven, Mississippi, de-committed after attending the MSU Big Dawg Camp. He then tripped to Oxford this weekend. Lewis told AlabamaiNTEL he would continue to take to visit other schools and had been to MSU and Oxford many times. In addition, the nation’s top inside linebacker had taken trips to LSU and Florida State.
But to show you how difficult recruiting is in the Magnolia state, the pro-in-state faction around Lewis waited for his good friend and mentor, Jimmy Johns, the former UA RB/LB (and star at Brookhaven HS), to get married and go on his honeymoon to really ramp up the pressure and take him to the in-state schools without Jimmy present. Johns has served as a mentor to Lewis, whose father is in prison, and accompanies him on many visits. He has always advised Lewis that he could go to any school and then play in the NFL, but Nick Saban and the Alabama program is the only place he will truly become a man. The pro-Mississippi faction has been telling him his father will never have the opportunity to see him play outside of his home-state once he is released from prison. Johns returned from his honeymoon this weekend and it was a good sign for UA he did not flip to MSU right away when the Bulldogs picked up 8 commitments this past weekend, several from Alabama who did not have offers from the Crimson Tide. The recruitment of Lewis will be a dogfight from this point forward, but Alabama will be in it for the duration.
It will be interesting to see how the recruitment of Memphis, Tennessee, inside linebacker Joshua McMillon turns out. If UA feels they still have a good shot at Lewis when McMillon is set to announce on August 22nd,I could see the Middle Linebacker choose the Ole Miss Rebels, but if not, he could join the UA class. He has liked Alabama for much of the process but is not the caliber of prospect that Lewis is. Georgia native Adonis Thomas, of North Gwinnett HS in Lawrenceville,GA, is a definite take and will choose between the Crimson Tide and the Gators on August 1st. Florida had been in the lead solidly but UA and Nick Saban made a huge push on his last visit. Thomas is very athletic and can play all four linebacker positions in the Tide scheme…stay tuned…RTR!
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Posted on 7/21/14 at 6:21 pm to chattabama
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Alabama’s Nick Saban honors scholarship offer to injured Tucker football star
One of the feel-good stories from this past year’s signing day was finalized on Monday.
Alabama officially got clearance from the NCAA to award a non-football scholarship to Elisha Shaw, the former Tucker High School standout who suffered a career-ending neck injury at the beginning of his senior season.
Before the injury, Shaw was rated as one of the state’s top 10 overall college football prospects for 2014. He had around 20 scholarship offers, and listed Alabama, UGA and Ole Miss as his leaders.
“We’ve always done this kind of stuff for our players,” Alabama coach Nick Saban told the AJC on Monday. “We’ve had players that had Hodgkin’s disease and couldn’t play. We had a guy last year who … couldn’t pass his physical and is still going to school here. So whenever it’s allowed by NCAA rules, we always try to do the best we can for the player.
“Elisha Shaw was committed to us for a long time. We thought he was a good player. Certainly, it wasn’t his fault that he got hurt. We’re all about trying to create opportunities for guys, and give them opportunities. Elisha was a guy, since he was committed to us, we wanted to see if there was anything we could do to give him the opportunity to get education here even though he was medically disqualified to play.
“We were really just trying to take care of our own.”
Before last February’s signing day, Shaw never publicly committed to Alabama, nor was he ever listed as a Crimson Tide commit on any recruiting websites. However, Saban said Monday that Shaw had privately given him a pre-injury pledge to sign with Alabama, and that was good enough to honor the scholarship offer.
“He had committed to me,” Saban said. “But maybe that wouldn’t have stuck? I don’t know. We had a good relationship with him. We liked him as a player. We liked him as a person. We were committed to him after he told me he wanted to come to Alabama. As soon as all of this occurred, we told him that we were going to do everything we could to see if we could still give him the opportunity to get him an education here at the University of Alabama.”
Alabama’s special deal was first revealed by Shaw and his coaches at Tucker as a surprise on signing day and quickly became a national story. However, it took nearly six months to get through all of the paperwork and red tape to gain official clearance on Monday.
Saban thanked the NCAA for allowing it to happen.
“Our compliance people handled it with NCAA, and I’m just really pleased and happy that the NCAA is making more and more decisions in favor of the student-athlete — I think that’s really a good thing,” Saban said. “I think these guys (players) really work hard. The value of getting an education is certainly important, but the value of what they do for the institutions is pretty special, too. I’m glad more and more things are being done on behalf of the student-athlete and the player.
“I think the coaches in our league have all been advocates of doing as much as we can for the players. Of course, you always have to worry about making sure they’re amateurs. We can’t lose the spirit of college football, but I think in this case, Elisha Shaw was a good thing that the NCAA did. This is going to change this young man’s life in a positive way. I’m sure he will be an asset to our organization here, even though he can’t play football.”
2015 Tucker DL Jonathan Ledbetter (right) committed to Alabama on the same weekend as Elisha Shaw’s official visit
Shaw won’t count as a football scholarship, or against Alabama’s 85-man roster. Shaw will officially start classes next month, along with members of Alabama’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class. Shaw has the option of being part of the football program in a role that has yet to be determined, providing he maintains good grades.
“The first and foremost thing we want Elisha to do here is to be a good student,” Saban said. “We try to help our players continue to develop as people and to make good choices and decision to be successful in the future. Of course, a big part of that is making sure they get an education. That’s the No. 1 thing.
“If Elisha wants to be involved in the football program in some way, whether it’s be a student assistant of some sort, we would certainly welcome him to do that. That might lead to him developing a career as a coach or a trainer, or something like that. If that what he’s wants to do, we’d love for him to do it.”
The state of Georgia is traditionally one of Alabama’s primary recruiting areas, although only two out of 26 signees from this past year were from Georgia. For 2015, Alabama has 19 commitments, including four from Georgia. One of those is Tucker defensive tackle Jonathan Ledbetter, who is close friends with Shaw. Ledbetter committed while visiting Alabama with Shaw last January
AJC Link. Click at your own risk.
Didn't know that Shaw was a silent commit. Sounds like silent commits actually do exist.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 6:23 pm to chattabama
quote:
NITRO ?@NitroNate9 2m
I will be committing very soon! #staytuned
2016 WR Nate Craig. He was the one in the picture Ridley posted a week ago.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 6:44 pm to chattabama
quote:
Andrew Bone ?@AndrewJBone 5m
Nate Craig is one of the best receivers in the country for 2016. He's about to make someone very happy. Spent 5 days at #Alabama last week.
Does Bone know something? I wish.
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