re: Class of 2017 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: Say Your Goodbyes Edition

Interesting list. A good one, though.

A talent evaluator that I have a lot of respect for thinks Jacoby Stevens is very overrated. I don't know that this is necessarily the opinion of our staff, as Lane seems to have made him a priority recently. But it's interesting to me nonetheless. He doesn't see him as being anywhere close to a 5*.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see Aubrey Solomon in our class (or UGa's). Difficult to see him sticking with Michigan. That commitment out of the blue was one of the more unusual ones in a long time.

We may not be pursuing him based on his lack of interest in Alabama. We realize that not everyone wants to come to Bama, and with OSU only taking a few OL, it's a better fit for him.

Davis was/is high on the board, but the lack of him trying to visit our campus led our staff to believe they needed to invest time in others who seemed more interested (Randolph, Smith, Wilson). Would take him in a heartbeat, but his interest just isn't there for whatever his reasons are. Will be a great pickup for the Buckeyes.

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A Top247 offensive tackle from Alabama still has plenty of interest in Tennessee.

Kendall Randolph, a four-star prospect from Bob Jones High School in Madison, Ala., tweeted a top-five list on Thursday night.

Randolph listed Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida and Michigan as his top five, and he said he emphasized that those five were “not in any order.”

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ETA: 24,000

22. Tennessee
19. L5U
17. Texas A&M
16. Ole Miss
11. Florida
9. Auburn
8. Georgia

ETA: You better believe I'm bringing this to tRant's attention.

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TideSaint

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Getting back to you on #1 overall class possibilities I put the following names and added them to 247 based only on guys who OSU heavily leads the CBs for (not factual of course:

1. Wyatt Davis
2. Jeffrey Okudah (53% of CBs but highest after is 13% and he has called us favorite)
3. Grimes (97% of CBs)
4. Lindsey (68%)
5. Amir Riep (95%)

Just adding those 5 to OSU's class puts them at 304.8, which would have been good for #1 last year, with 18 commits

Okudah has been getting CB'd to Oklahoma lately. What's the word on him?

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Alabama has landed another prospect rated No. 1 overall at his position, but this time, it’s not at quarterback, running back or wide receiver.

Thomas Fletcher, the top long snapper in the country, has committed to the Crimson Tide.

Fletcher, who attends powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., told SEC Country that Florida State was his runner-up. He did not decide on Alabama until last week.

The U.S. Army All-American hails from Vancouver, Wash. He ended up moving to Georgetown, Texas, before he moved to Florida for his senior year of high school. The main reason why he chose Alabama was because of how much Tuscaloosa reminded him of Vancouver.

“Honestly, it reminds me so much of the Northwest,” Fletcher said. “Obviously, they are completely different cultures. Trust me, it could not be any more different, culture-wise. But the greenery, the mountains in Alabama, the water just reminded me so much of home. Then you combine that with Alabama being an SEC school and the Southern culture, it’s a killer combination.”

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound recruit grew up fishing, hunting and going to the lake, which he says are a lot of the same activities that many Crimson Tide players enjoy doing — another way in which Tuscaloosa reminded him of Vancouver.

“It’s a school — and a lot of schools are like this — I can see myself going there if I wasn’t playing football,” Fletcher said. “I believe I could definitely enjoy myself both with school and football at Alabama.”

How does a long snapper end up on scholarship for the reigning national champions? Let his snapping coach Chris Rubio tell you how good Fletcher is.

“I am tempted to say I have never had a long snapper this polished at this age,” Rubio said, according to his website. “Any school that doesn’t offer him is just wrong. Plain and simple. You will not find a better 2017 long snapper in the country. He has it all — speed, accuracy, consistency. He can block and he handles pressure better than anyone I have ever had. He is the epitome of a no-brainer.”

Alabama didn’t offer Fletcher, the son of Tom Fletcher, who played for the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks, the first time it saw him. He attended the team’s special teams camp in 2015 and left without an offer. Nick Saban told him at the time that he needed to gain more weight. That’s exactly what Fletcher did. When he attended the team’s camp earlier this month, he showed up 55 pounds heavier, which led to the Crimson Tide offering him.

Fletcher was rated the No. 1 snapper in the country at the time he showed up to Alabama’s camp last year, but what motivated him to get better was the opportunity for what came on June 6 — the scholarship offer from Saban.

“He told me this time last year that I wasn’t big enough to block SEC guys,” Fletcher said. “That was just the reality. He was very consistent throughout the whole process with what he needed to see out of me. People ask me who I’m supposed to compare myself to when I’ve been the No. 1 snapper in the country for two years. I’m always competing against the guy I haven’t met who is better than me. It would be devastating to me to lose that No. 1 ranking.”

Fletcher knows that once he gets to college, he may become virtually unknown because of the position he plays. He’s perfectly OK with that reality. In fact, he would prefer that.

“Mistakes are no more drastic than when they are made by a specialist,” Fletcher said. “There are people all over Twitter, and I hear about it every single day, ‘Why would you waste an offer on a long snapper?’ Would you rather feel comfortable punting out of your own end zone in a national championship game or would you rather the ball go out of the back of the end zone for a safety?

“Hopefully, no one hears my name for four years because that means I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. The only reason why someone knows the name of a long snapper is when they mess up, and it usually upsets a lot of people.”

Fletcher becomes Alabama’s 15th commitment in the Class of 2017. The Crimson Tide is still ranked No. 2 in the team rankings, behind the Ohio State Buckeyes.

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LINK

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Just adding those 5 to OSU's class puts them at 304.8, which would have been good for #1 last year, with 18 commits

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Did you keep Wade in there? What would your class score be if he flipped to us?

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Rivals100 wide receiver Devonta Smith stole the show and was in a league of his own when it came time for one-on-ones, going against and easily beating pretty much anyone that lined up against him. Smith is clearly a special talent and while he’s rather soft spoken off the field, his game speaks volumes on it. Smith is set to visit Florida State this week.

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LINK

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D'Andre Swift

The Situation: St. Joe’s Prep churns out major prospects on a consistent basis, but Swift may be their biggest one yet. At various points early in his recruitment, Swift was considered a lean to either Penn State or Alabama.

The Frontrunner: Georgia

The Bulldogs have hosted Swift a handful of times over the past month and, even though he won’t admit it, Georgia is the clear favorite to land his commitment. He really likes the environment in Athens and has built a strong relationship with the coaches, players, and commits.

The Other Option: Florida State

The Seminoles and assistant coach Tim Brewster have been working on Swift for a long time and they will get their chance to host him before the end of the summer. Swift is good friends with 2016 Florida State signee Naseir Upshur, who has been working on Swift for a long time.

But Don’t Count Out: Alabama

Five-star Najee Harris has been committed to Alabama since April of last year, but many teams are pushing him to decommit and he has taken a handful of visits. If the Tide lose Harris, Nick Saban could turn up the heat on Swift.

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