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

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BEAVERTON, Ore. – Before Jared Goff was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft and before Deshaun Watson became a Heisman frontrunner at Clemson, they were Elite 11 quarterbacks.

But they weren't Elite 11 MVPs.

Goff and Watson were both strikingly unremarkable in the Elite 11. I know because I was there. Don't get me wrong. They were good. But their performances at the Elite 11 Finals placed them squarely in the middle of the pack.

On the flip side of that, Jameis Winston was unbelievable at the Elite 11 and earned the camp MVP. He of course went on to his own No. 1 selection in the NFL Draft.

The camp isn't completely predictive but it sure is insightful. Based on what I observed at this year's Elite 11, here are a few immediate impressions.

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Tua Tagovailoa had his own workhorse for his championship team as well. Jerry Jeudy was the go-to man for Tagovailoa and while he's not a fellow Crimson Tide commit, he is one of Alabama's top targets and this weekend's chemistry with Tua could mean good news later for Nick Saban.

"That's a great quarterback right there," Jeudy told me on Sunday after winning a championship with Tua. "He was putting the ball on the spot. That excites me a lot. That gives Alabama a higher chance but right now all my college teams stay equal.

"That's the first time I've been around him. Tua is a great person. I love him. He just got a nice personality he treats everybody well and when you're down he brings you right back up. No matter what he's going to always be happy."

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If there are any lunatic Big Ten fans out there that are willing to take drastic measures to end the SEC's college football dominance, they missed an opportunity on Sunday. That evening, on a red-eye flight from Oregon to Atlanta, I had to be on the most talented non-chartered flight of all time.

If that plane had gone down, it would have taken with it LSU running back Leonard Fournette, Georgia running back Nick Chubb, Tennessee defensive end Derrick Barnett as well as future stars like Georgia quarterback commit Jake Fromm, Alabama tackle commit Alex Leatherwood and just about every other Southeastern prospect at The Opening.

On a flight like that, it's always interesting to see which prospects connect. During boarding, Jake Fromm was selling Alabama linebacker commit Vandarius Cowan on being the next Lorenzo Carter and Leonard Floyd. By the time they were seated, the two were exchanging phone numbers.

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24. WR Jerry Jeudy

High School: Deerfield Beach (Pompano Beach, Florida)

Size: 6'1", 177 lbs

Recruitment: Uncommitted; contenders include Alabama, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee and USC

Why He's on the List

Jerry Jeudy is a beast on both sides of the football at Deerfield Beach, bullying opponents as receiver and defensive back. He will ultimately make his money on offense, where quickness and agility guide his efforts and combine to translate into relentless downfield burst.

He gets out of breaks with tenacity and continues to do a better job of timing his routes, leaving defenders grabbing for air in his wake while quarterbacks find him in stride. Jeudy earned all-tournament honors at The Opening, where he proved to be a major force near the goal line despite tight coverage.

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18. Baron Browning

High School: Kennedale (Kennedale, Texas)

Size: 6'3", 230 lbs

Recruitment: Uncommitted; contenders include Alabama, Ohio State, Texas and TCU

Why He's on the List

Baron Browning brings grown-man size to linebacker nearly two months before his final high school season, and shows a firm understanding of how to engage offenses depending on formation and assignment. Though he could probably rely on athletic prowess at the prep level, he augments an impressive skill set with all-out effort and a willingness to compete in pass coverage.

He is a sideline-to-sideline defender likely slotted for an every-down role during the course of his college career, as strides likely lie ahead in his downfield efforts against tight ends and running backs. Browning, who recorded 74 tackles, four forced fumbles and two interceptions in 2015, also showed off some quality quickness for his size at The Opening with a 4.56-second 40-yard dash and 4.18 agility shuttle.

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10. Tua Tagovailoa

High School: St. Louis High School (Honolulu)

Size: 6'1", 215 lbs

Recruitment: Committed to Alabama

Why He's on the List

The Summer of Tua continued in Beaverton, where Tagovailoa shined en route to Elite 11 and seven-on-seven tournament MVP honors. This crescendo occurred less than two months after Elite 11 head coach and Super Bowl champion Trent Dilfer challenged him to embrace the intricacies and challenges of a pro-style setting.

Tagovailoa, who flourishes in a spread option attack at the same high school that produced 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, made amazing strides at Elite 11 finals June 3-5. He completed 14 of 15 pass attempts with seven scores during seven-on-seven action in Los Angeles, and registered the event's top "pro day" score.

Instead of taking a step back or plateauing, Tagovailoa further elevated his approach at The Opening, where he threw four first-half touchdowns in the tourney title game and became a beloved figure for teammates. The Hawaiian rallies a squad without screaming, presents a serious rushing threat in live action and threw the most consistent deep ball during Elite 11 phases, augmenting what we've witnessed during a high school career that has featured 57 touchdown tosses and just 10 interceptions since 2014, per MaxPreps.

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5. Marvin Wilson

High School: Episcopal (Bellaire, Texas)

Size: 6'4", 329 lbs

Recruitment: Uncommitted; contenders include Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas and USC

Why He's on the List

Overall, the 2017 defensive tackle class is a significant drop-off from the 2016 group led by No. 1 overall recruit Rashan Gary. Still, Marvin Wilson was a major silver lining among players at the position in Beaverton.

He's a world-class smack-talker and largely backs up the bravado by bulldozing his way into the backfield. Wilson fires off the snap with low center of gravity and explodes through the chest plate of an offensive lineman, routinely fighting off double-team blocking efforts at Episcopal with a blend of brute force and effective power moves.

Wilson is an absolute menace who can derail interior rushing efforts by clogging things up, and there's evidence he can be a disruptive pass-rusher inside. His emergence as a national recruit occurred early, as he tallied 34 tackles for loss and 19 sacks combined during his freshman and sophomore campaigns.

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1. Najee Harris

High School: Antioch (Antioch, California)

Size: 6'3", 226 lbs

Recruitment: Committed to Alabama

Why He's on the List

Another physical freak in this collection, Najee Harris doesn't need much room to make defenses look silly. His balance as a runner is on full display in a workhorse role at Antioch, where he plows past would-be tacklers and bursts through seams to split secondaries, finding daylight for huge gains and shouldering the load with high-volume rush attempts.

Those scintillating skills don't fully transition into a camp setting such as The Opening, where Harris dominated far more reps than he's surrendered during two appearances, but he physically looked more impressive than anytime we've laid eyes on him in the past. Harris' effectiveness as a pass target—his hands are more reliable than several blue-chip receivers—also sets him apart since it forces defenses to account for what he can do downfield without the ball in his hands.

Harris is already a physical beast out of the backfield, so it's tantalizing to imagine how he could progress during a few years in Alabama's training program. He gained 5,007 yards on the ground during the past two seasons, averaging 9.7 yards per carry and rushing for 59 scores.

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HOOVER, Ala. — Alabama’s buttoned-down, ultra-serious “Process” works. No one can argue with four national championships over the past seven seasons.

It’s fun to win, but it’s also fathomable that plenty of 18-year-olds aren’t jumping at the chance to be under Nick Saban’s watchful — and demanding — eye for four years.

Jonathan Allen was one of the players who made the leap, and now he’s an All-SEC defensive end and national champion who’s projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick next spring.

He often recruits high school players to Tuscaloosa, but his pitch doesn’t include much… dazzle.

“When you come to Alabama, you don’t come to Alabama for the parties,” Allen said Wednesday at SEC Media Days. “It’s hot. Humid. You don’t go there for the parties. You got there for football. So if your main focus is to party, then this might not be the school for you. We pride ourselves on our work ethic.”

He added that “the heat is probably the hardest thing you have to go through” during preseason workouts, with temperatures often soaring past 100 degrees.

It wasn’t like he expected anything else when he signed.

“The biggest thing Coach Saban says is, ‘I can’t promise you a starting spot. I can’t guarantee you anything. But I can guarantee if you work hard and do what you gotta do, you will have success,'” Allen said.

There was another recruiting job this past winter, as several Crimson Tide stars had to choose between the NFL and another year in T-Town.

Allen said each player made his own decision, with some (Derrick Henry and A’Shawn Robinson) leaving early and many (Allen, Eddie Jackson, O.J. Howard, Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams among them) staying put.

Williams, a pass-rushing outside linebacker, is projected by some outlets to be a Top-5 draft pick next year, provided he continues to pressure the quarterback at an efficient rate.

Allen had high praise for his teammate on Wednesday.

“One thing he’s not given enough credit for is stopping the run,” Allen said. “He’s very strong. He’s done a good job of coming in, working hard and busting his butt, and he’s starting to see some of the success from his hard work.”

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