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

quote:

---

Harris says Alabama is hoping he commits

When Xavier McKinney de-committed from Alabama in July, the Crimson Tide were left with zero commitments at safety. Since then, Alabama still hasn’t found a safety commitment in the Class of 2017.

Todd Harris, a 4-star prospect from Plaquemine (La.) High School, could be that guy for Alabama. In the past couple of weeks, Alabama, along with Ole Miss and Arkansas, have been the teams with the most contact with the Under Armour All-American.

“(Alabama) said I’m the top guy on the board at safety,” Harris told SEC Country’s Sam Spiegelman. “They don’t have any safeties committed in 2017, so they are trying to get me to commit. I guess that’s why they are recruiting me so hard.”

LSU is most notably excluded from those three schools Harris named above. The Tigers looked like a sure lock to land his commitment this summer, but things have changed since then. Grant Delpit, a 4-star prospect, committed to LSU in July and 5-star player JaCoby Stevens decided to re-commit to LSU last month.

The Tigers are not only stacked with two top recruits at the safety position in 2017, but they also have a couple of young studs currently on the roster. That could ultimately help Alabama’s chances of pulling Harris out of Louisiana.

“It doesn’t wipe them out of the picture, but I put it in consideration,” Harris said. “They have a lot of safeties. Cam Lewis, Eric Monroe and guys that can play safety, so I don’t want to get there and be dead last on the depth chart.”

It should be noted that Harris and Delpit are very good friends. As mentioned before, it looked like those two guys were going to end up as LSU’s safety commits, but Stevens decided that the Tigers were the right team for him.

Both of LSU’s safety commits are working on getting Harris on board.

“Grant and I were talking it up a bit about committing to LSU. JaCoby asked me when he was coming down to hang out with him and come to LSU. Grant even texted me before this game and told me to win,” Harris said. “Grant and I have a real good relationship. That’s the thing to keep in mind. We’re close friends and we want to ball together, but I got to go somewhere where I’m comfortable, not just because he’s there.”

A commitment for Harris was supposed to come before his season began, but now it’s looking like a decision won’t come until after the season, possibly at the Under Armour All-American game in January.

“I just want to take my time with it. I’m trying not to rush anything,” Harris said. “I want to focus on my team right now and winning a state championship, so there’s no telling when I’m going to commit. I have a few things in mind, but as of right now, I’m holding off to focus on my team.”

---

quote:

---

Wade visits Florida

Shaun Wade, a 5-star Ohio State cornerback commit, took in Florida’s season opener against Massachusetts over the weekend and came away impressed with what he saw.

Wade is one of Alabama’s top cornerback targets in the Class of 2017 despite his commitment to the Buckeyes. The Crimson Tide still are in good position at flipping him down the road, but the Gators not only impressed Wade but also his parents.

“They liked the atmosphere,” Wade told SECCountry.com’s Zach Abolverdi. “They’ve never seen anything like this on the first game of the season. They’ve never been to a Florida game (together). My mom has, but this is my dad’s first time coming up here.”

Florida’s primary selling point is depth.

“They’re thin on cornerbacks. That’s the word,” Wade said. “It means a lot to me. That means I can get on the field right away if I work hard and do what I got to do.”

According to sources close to Wade’s recruitment, this is still a two-team race — Alabama and Ohio State. He is expected to take an official visit to Alabama this fall.

---

quote:

---

Jacob Phillips

The situation: Phillips is currently in the middle of a stretch that will see him take official visits to Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU and Notre Dame before he announces a decision in mid-October.

The frontrunner: Oklahoma

The Sooners have been on Phillips for more than a year and that loyalty means a lot to him and his family at this point in the process. He's already visited Oklahoma once, nearly committing on that trip, and he's headed back to Norman for a visit this weekend. His comments out of that trip will be very telling about his future.

The other option: Oregon

The Ducks hosted Phillips last weekend and he raved about the trip, calling Oregon "amazing" and saying it helped open his eyes to the possibilities of going that far from home. The Ducks are still fighting an uphill battle but are clearly more than just a bit player following the visit.

But don't count out: Alabama

The Tide are always a factor and of course this case is no different. Phillips received a ton of attention from Alabama over the last month of the summer and he was very receptive to the Tide's overtures. The question now is: Will Phillips go to a place with a crowded depth chart, or does he prefer a program with a quicker path to the field?

---

quote:

---

Devonta Smith

The situation: Smith was set to announce a college decision last month, but flooding in Louisiana combined with some indecision on his part led to him postponing his plans. Now he's set to take several visits during the fall before he's ready to plan another announcement.

The frontrunner: Alabama

All signs pointed to Smith committing to the Tide when he was set to announce last month and even though he delayed his decision, Alabama is still in a great position. Smith has been a priority for the Tide at the position for months and he will continue to be heading into the heart of the fall.

The other option: LSU

The Tigers are often viewed as Smith's "hometown" option and while he's not from Baton Rouge, he has spent plenty of time on campus there. It once looked like the ship had sailed for the Tigers, but now they're very much back in the mix.

But don't count out: Miami

The current Miami staff once had Smith committed while working at Georgia. Now Mark Richt and Co., worked their way back into the mix for Smith once again. Would Smith really spurn the Tide and Tigers to go to Miami? A big season on the field for the Hurricanes could work in their favor.

---

quote:

---

My latest Recruiting Board, not based on stars, but on who from reading various boards, I think is most likely to committing by NSD............

---

quote:

---

Rusty Mansell and Kipp Adams CB'd Nico Collins to Georgia.

---