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

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Four-star safety Todd Harris of Plaquemine (La.) is one of the DBs atop the Tide's list after the staff offered the elite prospect at camp in July.

Bama will get another crack at Harris on campus as it's both Alabama and Arizona State that will "for sure" get official visits, Harris told BamaOnLine on Wednesday night.

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Smith hasn’t heard from LSU in a month?

It was a surprise to see LSU, out of nowhere, become one of 4-star Amite (La.) High School wide receiver Devonta Smith’s finalists shortly before his commitment date that was originally set for Aug. 15.

He eventually postponed his decision until National Signing Day because of the tragic flooding that affected the state of Louisiana.

Smith was going to announce his decision between Alabama, LSU and Miami, but now he’s reopened his recruitment.

One of those schools looks to be quickly falling out of the race — LSU. According to a source close to Smith’s recruitment, the Tigers have not reached out to Louisiana’s No. 1 prospect in a month.

“They’re in his top 3,” the source said. “He’s been waiting on them to call, but they haven’t done so. They’re just not pursuing him.”

Why would the Tigers not get in touch with the state’s top prospect? Is it because they are consenting defeat to Alabama, which is considered the school to beat? That could be it, but the source said his decision is not set in stone.

Either way, one less school for Alabama to battle with is good news for the Crimson Tide. It’s going to take a lot for LSU to get back in the race, but the good news for the Tigers is that they do have until February. Smith will make his commitment on National Signing Day.

New schools such as Tennessee and Texas are getting in the mix, but Alabama still is the clear favorite to land the nation’s No. 10 wide receiver when he makes his commitment. The reasons for the overwhelming confidence have been well-documented on SEC Country. He’s good friends with Alabama freshman defensive back Shyheim Carter; close with defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, running backs coach Burton Burns and wide receivers coach Billy Napier; and assistant director of player personnel Sam Petitto served as a father figure in Smith’s life when he lived in Louisiana.

There are lot of obstacles in the way of schools not named Alabama, but it is puzzling how LSU seems content with just letting the state’s top player leave the Boot and likely attend one of its biggest rivals.

It could be because at one point during his recruitment, Smith had said that he was not a fan of the Tigers offense and had the desire to leave the state for college. He did eventually tone down those comments and ultimately did consider LSU as a contender leading up to that postponed decision.

If LSU is so sure that it has no chance of signing him, perhaps it is a good thing to not recruit him strongly. If he’s on campus, he would be able to persuade other top recruits to join him at Alabama. He’s very close with several elite prospects from Louisiana such as 2018 5-star LSU cornerback commit Kelvin Joseph, who is strongly considering Alabama, and 2019 5-star defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher.

But LSU being concerned with him visiting doesn’t necessarily add up because LSU is allowing Alabama linebacker commit VanDarius Cowan to take an official visit to the school. Cowan is by far the most vocal Tide commit in the Class of 2017. It would be shocking if he didn’t try to recruit other players while he’s on campus for Alabama. This, after all, is a recruit who showed up to Florida’s game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium wearing Florida State gear when he was a Seminoles commit. He openly bashed the Gators while on campus, too.

Smith will be back on Alabama’s campus multiple times this fall. It would be very surprising if the Tide did not land his signature come Feb. 1, 2017.

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It has been almost a month since Top 100 overall prospect Aubrey Solomon (Leesburg, Ga./Lee County) de-committed from Michigan and cleaned the slate on his recruitment. Georgia never stopped recruiting Solomon, and the Bulldogs have positioned themselves well to land the U.S. Army All-American defensive tackle. But as it often is with upper echelon defensive linemen, especially in a cycle lacking depth at the position, it will not be a stroll down easy street for Georgia in its pursuit to sign Solomon.

The latest on the 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive lineman is this - Alabama is making a push. The Crimson Tide are also in the mix with LaBryan Ray, Akial Byers, Elijah Conliffe, Isaiah Buggs, and Tyler Shelvin, but Solomon feels they are starting to recruit him just as hard as Georgia has been. Solomon likes the business-like approach at Alabama and their recent development on the defensive line as it pertains to the NFL. They are selling Solomon on potentially playing early.

Expect Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia to get official visits. Florida, Auburn, Ohio State, and Michigan are programs with a chance to land one of the final two official visits at this time.

Solomon was in Athens last weekend, and he was welcomed by the entire coaching staff and several players on the team. He continues to feel a close relationship with Tracy Rocker, the first coach to recruit him back in ninth grade. Solomon says that during his visit, Rocker was able to dispel the notion that Georgia is too deep on the defensive line for him to have an opportunity to play early, which Solomon said he has hear about Georgia from others. Georgia stands very high at the moment for Solomon, who has 25 tackles, seven tackles for loss and five sacks in three games.

But another factor that has changed is his timeline. Back in August, Solomon said he wanted to have a final decision in by the end of his senior season. Now, Solomon is not only heavily considering taking his recruitment past then, but now he feels it could go past signing day. Buckle up.

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Thanks TS, who was the photo shoot for?

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During a road trip late last week through the heart of Alabama, AuburnUndercover stopped by the schools of two Auburn commits and a major Tigers target and snapped several images of those players. The commits, 4-star corner Malcolm Askew of McCalla (Ala.) McAdory and 4-star linebacker Tadarian Moultry of Birmingham (Ala.) Jackson-Olin, pledged to Auburn earlier this year. The target, 2018 defensive tackle Coynis Miller of Jackson-Olin, already holds Auburn and Alabama offers. All three are expected to attend the upcoming Auburn-Clemson game Sept. 3 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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No. 1 Alabama travels to face No. 17 Ole Miss on Saturday in a 2:30 p.m. CBS game, but the recruiting battles are year-round.

Alabama hasn't had much success with top prospects out of Mississippi, but did land offensive tackles Scott Lashley and Matt Womack along with defensive tackle Raekwon Davis in the last two classes. Ole Miss signed five-star receiver A.J. Brown over Alabama in the past recruiting class.

Check out some prospects this year that Alabama and Ole Miss have battled on or are still in the mix with. This is not a complete list, but it's a quality list.

** LaBryan Ray, DE, Madison, Ala. - The state's top prospect has Alabama and Ole Miss in his top six and is planning to be in Oxford this weekend. Most feel Ray is an Alabama lean.

** Cam Akers, RB, Clinton, Miss. - Now the nation's No. 8 prospect, the five-star was committed to Alabama throughout his junior year. It looks like an Ole Miss-Ohio State battle.

** D.D. Bowie, WR, Morton, Miss. - He's kind of a forgotten recruit among Alabama circles, but Bowie was committed to Alabama for a few months prior to his junior season and flipped to Ole Miss midway through last fall. He's Mississippi's No. 2 prospect. Alabama should do fine at the receiver position this year.

** Trey Smith, OL, Jackson, Tenn. - The nation's No. 20 prospect and five-star offensive tackle, Smith has Alabama and Ole Miss in his top six but seems to be trending toward Tennessee.

** Willie Gay, LB, Starkville, Miss. - Gay was high on Alabama this spring, but those emotions tailed off and the four-star eventually committed to Ole Miss.

** Isaiah Buggs, DL, Perkinston, Miss. - The nation's No. 2 junior college prospect at Mississippi Gulf Coast, Buggs has Alabama and Ole Miss in his top four with Auburn and LSU. This seems like a close battle among all four.

** Jacob Phillips, LB, Nashville, Tenn. - The four-star linebacker is scheduled to officially visit Alabama for the Kent State game. Ole Miss has some 247Sports crystal ball predictions, but the Rebels aren't on his official visit list. Oregon, Oklahoma, Notre Dame (this weekend) and LSU are, along with Alabama.

** Todd Harris, DB, Plaquemine, La. - Remember when the four-star safety's coach called a commitment press conference when Harris committed to his high school? The three finalists were Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU. LSU has commitments from top safeties Grant Delpit and JaCoby Stevens, so this could end up an Alabama-Ole Miss battle.

** Elijah Conliffe, DL, Hampton, Va. - Alabama leads for the four-star defensive lineman, but Ole Miss won't go away quietly. He mentioned Ole Miss as one school that's recruiting him in a recent update.

** Aubrey Solomon, DL, Leesburg, Ga. - The four-star defensive tackle's recruitment seems wide open after his decommitment from Michigan. Most figure Solomon will end up at Georgia, but schools like Alabama, Ole Miss and Auburn are factors.

** Seth Williams, WR, Tuscaloosa, Ala. (2018) - Alabama looks to be the early favorite for the physical junior receiver, but Ole Miss has offered.

** Mac Jones, QB, Jacksonville, Fla. - The Alabama quarterback commit says Ole Miss has been in contact (they did offer) but he is only focused on visiting Alabama.

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