re: Class of 2016 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: Waiting On Demetris Robertson Edition

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OLB Ben Jones

Top Schools: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss and USC

Crystal Ball Leader: Alabama (100 percent)

Like Davidson, Davis is another Alabama 5-star prospect with a family tie to an in-state powerhouse. Davis' father, Wayne, is Alabama's all-time leader in career tackles.

But Davis is also trying to keep his options open to a wide variety of schools. While his top-seven list includes a handful of SEC teams and USC, a recent visit to Florida State and offers from Michigan and Notre Dame make the race for Davis' signature one of the biggest in the country.

"It's a whole new ballgame right now," Davis told Bleacher Report's Tyler Donohue last month. "I'm ready to consider everybody that's interested in me. That top-seven list was how I felt at that point, but with all the offers coming in, I'm wide-open."

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DT Rashard Lawrence

Top Schools: Alabama and LSU

Crystal Ball Leader: LSU (100 percent)

Getting 5-star talent to leave the state of Louisiana is not easy, and that's why LSU has a commanding lead in the predictions for Lawrence.

LSU's biggest competition for Lawrence is Alabama, which has been able to snag several blue-chip stars from Louisiana during Nick Saban's tenure in Tuscaloosa. Lawrence made an unofficial visit to Alabama in April and followed it up with a trip to LSU earlier this month.

Lawrence's recruitment has all the makings of another head-to-head battle between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers. Whoever wins will get a highly athletic defensive tackle and one of the fastest-rising players in the class of 2016.

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DE Shavar Manuel

Top Schools: Florida State, Alabama and Florida

Crystal Ball Leader: Florida State (94 percent)

The No. 1 defensive end in the country named Florida State his leader last month, shortly after visiting the Seminoles for their annual spring game.

While coaches from Miami and Ohio State have visited Manuel at IMG Academy in Florida, the top two schools outside of Florida State in his recruitment are Alabama and Florida. Manuel visited Florida after his trip to Tallahassee and has a growing relationship with Gators assistant Chris Rumph.

As always, the Crimson Tide are never out of the question when it comes to a 5-star player from the South. But, as of right now, Manuel is leaning toward Florida State in a growing battle between the two Sunshine State rivals.

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DT Rashan Gary

Top Schools: Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Rutgers and Virginia Tech

Crystal Ball Leader: Alabama (48 percent)

The top-rated player in the country continues to keep his options open, and his Crystal Ball predictions reflect that sense of mystery around where Gary will land.

Alabama leads with 48 percent, followed by Michigan at 32 percent, in-state Rutgers at 10 percent, and the trio of Clemson, Ohio State and Penn State all receiving one prediction for Gary's commitment. He told Bleacher Report's Tyler Donohue last month that a handful of additional SEC schools, including Georgia and Tennessee, have also grabbed his attention.

While the No. 1 recruiting school in the country looks to be the leader for the No. 1 player in the country, Gary's recruitment seems to be anyone's ballgame as we enter the summer months.

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Alabama at Auburn

It goes without saying that Alabama-Auburn is always an important game, especially within SEC circles. In the state of Alabama, shopping centers all but shut down and life grinds to a halt when Alabama and Auburn get together for the Iron Bowl. It is a contest that, more often than not, has a huge influence on the winner of the SEC West, one of college football’s most powerful divisions.

Inside Alabama’s borders, Iron Bowl talk is a 365-day-per-year affair, slowing down only when the game kicks off and firing back up for the next year at the game’s conclusion. Following a six-game Auburn winning streak from 2002-07, Alabama has won four of the last six, but Auburn’s recent wins have both been significant. In 2010, Auburn overcame a 24-0 deficit in Tuscaloosa to beat Alabama 28-27, and in 2013 the Tigers pulled off the famous “Kick Six,” returning an Alabama missed field goal 100-plus yards to win on the game’s final play.

Both games propelled Auburn to the BCS National Championship Game, and this season’s matchup, set for Nov. 28, has the potential to be just as important. AL.com's Brandon Marcello notes that Alabama is a slight early favorite.

While both the Tigers and Tide have holes to fill, both should be serious contenders in the rugged SEC West. If they can survive difficult slates, this game could have a huge impact on the division title and a potential College Football Playoff berth.

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Alabama at Georgia

Despite sharing a border and recruiting territory, Alabama and Georgia don’t get together very often. Since the SEC went to a two-division setup, the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have met only seven times, which includes Alabama’s wild 32-28 victory in the 2012 SEC Championship Game.

This week, scheduling isn't on the table at the SEC spring meetings. Alabama coach Nick Saban, at least for now, is more worried about a "level playing field" for all leagues, per USA Today's Dan Wolken:

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Let me say this in general about all rules, whether it's transfer rules or camp rules or any rules: We need to have the same rules in the big five in all the leagues. If we're going to compete for the championship and everybody is going to play in the playoff system and everybody's going to compete for that, we need to get our rules in alignment so we're all on a level playing field. These things need to be global, otherwise we're going to become a farm system for all the other leagues.
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The SEC's schedule plans don't appear to be changing anytime soon, so meetings like Alabama’s visit to Sanford Stadium on Oct. 3 are worth savoring. The Tide hasn’t visited Athens since 2008, when they blocked out a Georgia “Black Out” effort for a 41-30 victory. This meeting promises to be meaningful. Georgia will return 13 starters, led by standout tailback Nick Chubb, from a 10-3 team that finished short of its goals in 2014.

Alabama is the defending SEC champion and a College Football Playoff qualifier, but must replace 13 starters. The Tide must find replacements for Biletnikoff Award-winning receiver Amari Cooper, quarterback Blake Sims and safety Landon Collins, among others, but Saban has a talented roster. The trip to Georgia will be the first road test in a grueling schedule and it could be a preview of the SEC title game, or a springboard for an ascendant Bulldog program.

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Winner: Alabama

Don't look now, but here comes 'Bama.

Coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide began the 2016 cycle in uncharacteristically slow fashion. However, the program is primed to enter June with a top-10 recruiting class.

Alabama, fresh off an unprecedented fifth straight No. 1 class on signing day, leapfrogged the likes of USC, Tennessee and Clemson in May. The rise was spearheaded by a pair of defensive pledges.

Physical safety Joshua Perry joined the class May 11. He teams up with fellow Louisiana defensive back Shyheim Carter, a longtime 4-star Crimson Tide commit.

Texas defensive tackle Kendell Jones pledged 11 days later. The explosive lineman stands 6'4 ½", 361 pounds, earning a nickname that suits him well—"Hulk."

He chose Alabama over the Longhorns, continuing a successful trend for out-of-state recruiting efforts. The Crimson Tide already claim nine players from six different states in this cycle, ranging from California to Missouri.

Saban may have provided some other programs a head start in the race for America's top-rated recruiting class, but Alabama appears to be making a move to the level we're accustomed to with this class.

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We have already offered 5 Class of 2018 CBs.

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