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

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Alabama is on the hunt for its seventh straight recruiting championship. Join us here on SEC Country for a daily recap of Alabama recruiting news, insight on what’s happening behind the scenes, and for a glimpse at what’s coming next.

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Ruiz says Alabama did not leapfrog Michigan just yet

Cesar Ruiz, the nation’s top center, spoke with SEC Country at The Opening, Nike’s premier camp for the nation’s top high school football players. He supposedly told other reporters that Alabama was his lone leader, but he stopped short of doing that in our interview with him.

What he did say though was that Alabama has closed the gap with Michigan, the school many recruiting analysts believe he’ll end up at. Ruiz also mentioned that Oklahoma is in that top group with Alabama and Michigan, too. He said those three schools are the ones he’s most focused on.

So how did Alabama make up significant ground in his recruitment?

“You always hear that if you go to Alabama, you won’t play until you’re a junior, but I was looking at the depth chart and I have a good opportunity to play as a redshirt freshman or true sophomore,” Ruiz said.

Alabama’s projected starting center Ross Pierschbacher will be a redshirt sophomore this season, so Ruiz is somewhat right with saying he could have a chance to play in year two. Pierschbacher would be a redshirt senior but could be gone pending an NFL draft decision.

Ruiz said he is hoping to visit Alabama July 29-30. If he can’t make it then, he’ll return for an official visit.

With there being so many top offensive linemen on the board still uncommitted, it remains to be seen if Alabama would accept his commitment at this time.

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Don’t expect an announcement soon for 4-star safety

Montaric Brown was originally set to announce his commitment Aug. 24 before pushing it up to last week before then deciding to not go through with it. Now, a commitment may not come until he takes all of his official visits.

“I’m going to push it back, because I talked to my family and we decided to let me take all my official visits to see how I like all my top choices before I make a decision,” Brown told SEC Country’s Arkansas recruiting reporter Trent Shadid.

Brown is planning on taking official visits to Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Auburn and Oklahoma State. His recruitment is believed to be an Alabama vs. Arkansas race, but Brown did not want to say which school he was planning on committing to last week.

“I had one (school in mind) at the moment,” Brown said, “but I’m going to keep that to myself.”

As far as his interest in Alabama? Brown didn’t keep that answer to himself.

“They just won the national championship and they’ve got the greatest coach in Nick Saban.”

In addition to Brown, Alabama is recruiting 5-star athlete JaCoby Stevens and 4-star Hamsah Nasirildeen at safety. Three-star Kyriq McDonald is also on Alabama’s board, but he doesn’t have a set position in which he’s being recruited for. He could play anywhere in the defensive backfield.

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Alabama has extended an offer to Emmit Gooden. He was a 2016 DE committed to Miss. St. before failing to qualify. He's currently listed in the 2018 class at Independence C.C. and is rated the No. 1 overall JUCO player in the country.

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New Alabama commit Akial Byers is a first-contact guy.

When the ball is snapped, the 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive tackle is first to hit the line of scrimmage. So twitchy that oftentimes it seems like the Fayetteville (Ark.) High standout knows the snap count.

Byers committed to Alabama Sunday, choosing the Crimson Tide over Florida State, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio State, Ole Miss and of course the local Razorbacks.

With Byers in the fold Alabama inches closer to Georgia for the No. 2 recruiting class in the country per 247Sports, which would also be tops in the SEC.

The disruptive Byers had 69 tackles including 11 stops for loss, five quarterback hurries, three sacks and two forced fumbles as a junior.

The Crimson Tide offered in February and naturally things started rolling from there.

The combination of quickness, violent hands, the ability to torque his body and slither through blocks quickly leads Byers to posting residence in the oppositions backfield. Byers is a high-motor player, a run stuffer along with showing speed to catch running backs from behind. Byers gets offensive linemen off balance with his quickness, he has them opening up their stance giving them know shot against his speed. Then looking at his frame, you get the sense watching him he'll easily play at 295-300 on the next level and not lose a step of burst.

The 247Sports Composite ranks Byers as the nation’s No. 13 defensive tackle and No. 2 recruit in the state. Checking in at No. 228 overall, he is the ninth commit for Nick Saban’s staff to be ranked inside the industry-generated Top247 and that doesn’t include the nation’s No. 1 JUCO prospect overall in offensive tackle Elliot Baker or the country’s No. 3 JUCO recruit in linebacker Gary Johnson.

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