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

quote:

---

On Sunday, Alabama received a huge commitment from Dylan Moses, the No. 1 outside linebacker and No. 4 overall player in the class of 2017, per the 247Sports Composite.

Big things are expected for Moses, but in a new video produced by Bleacher Report, the prized recruit appears to be keeping everything in perspective.

---

quote:

---

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.

---

quote:

---

Leatherwood comments on Michigan official visit

Alabama 5-star offensive tackle commit Alex Leatherwood took an official visit to Michigan this past weekend for the Wolverines’ game against Wisconsin. The visit for Michigan and Leatherwood could not have gone much better.

Leatherwood, the nation’s No. 5 overall player, told SEC Country that Michigan has him rethinking his commitment to Alabama.

“To be honest, they are,” Leatherwood said. “My dad even likes them a lot. We’re gonna do some very deep thinking on this.”

Now, if I was an Alabama fan, I’d take this with a grain of salt. For one, this was Leatherwood’s first and likely only trip to Ann Arbor, Mich. Two, recruits always love visits to other schools, and Leatherwood is no different.

He’s also Alabama’s best recruiter as far as commitments go. He helped the Tide land Moses and has been instrumental in many commits’ decision on choosing the Tide.

There are not many commitments who go above and beyond when it comes to recruiting other top players if they have intentions of de-committing from that school.

Leatherwood did say that the two schools are very comparable.

“Michigan stacks up very well to Alabama,” Leatherwood said. “Facilities and coaching are great at both schools, but what stood out most was the prestige of academics and how far the degree from Michigan can take you.”

Leatherwood said he’s 100 percent committed to Alabama. According to a source close to his recruitment, Michigan now is the No. 3 school in his recruitment behind Alabama and Florida.

I fully expect Leatherwood to be a part of Alabama’s signing class come February.

---

quote:

---

Someone go bump this thread on the L5URb

---

quote:

---

Good thing rivals is a joke. Yawn..... An Alabama grads site ranking him so low..... Can only tell me he really is not on the bama train and this LSU resurgence is legit. Rank him 3 stars rivals....please keep it up....

---

quote:

---

Akers sets official visit to Alabama

Moses committing to Alabama was shocking, but if 5-star running back Cam Akers recommits to the Tide, that would definitely be a bigger surprise.

Akers, the nation’s No. 2 running back, told SEC Country on Monday night that he has set an official visit to Alabama for the Texas A&M game on Oct. 22. It’s the only official visit he has set so far.

The former Alabama commit had always said after he de-committed from the Tide this spring that he would visit Tuscaloosa again, so it isn’t necessarily a surprise that Akers is following through with those plans.

Sources told SEC Country recently that Tennessee, LSU and Georgia were in the best position to sign Akers. Florida State and Ohio State are in the second tier of schools fighting for his commitment, according to the source.

Akers was in Athens this past weekend for the Tennessee-Georgia game.

I do not expect Alabama to get Akers’ signature come signing day.

---

quote:

---

Akers, the nation’s No. 2 running back, told SEC Country on Monday night that he has set an official visit to Alabama for the Texas A&M game on Oct. 22. It’s the only official visit he has set so far.

---

quote:

---

I do not expect Alabama to get Akers’ signature come signing day.

---

quote:

---

Moses is the truth, the dude has been a man amongst boys since pee wee, there's a reason hes as highly ranked for as long as he has been. Were talking nearly 6'3, 235, running 4.4 40s. And he did it in a class at u high that is not a bunch of powder puff teams. John Curtis was the main competition come playoffs, and if not for the LHSAA screwing up everything and devaluing the class system in LA, then hes still here defending the state title he won last year by beating Parkview, three times in a year, for those unaware, Parkview wouleve beaten my class at uhigh (05) 55 to nothing with ease when I was there, Parkview is a tradition rich football school, and lost three times to Moses in one year...that's how far the program came, because of guys like Moses. The thought he went to IMG to soften the him not going to LSU blow was half right, because he was truly undecided and maybe almost embarassed some. Couldn't hear the LSU stuff all senior season when its this big of a decision. Think its more solid now for him, but good for the kid for Getting somewhere he could breathe in this experience without GEAUX every second of the day.....other half was the strength of schedule and real national exposure to solidify his true talent. Think he didn't hear all the peaked too early, playing soft opponents?...never got in his head? And he did what other guys do in that situation, go to a primary football academy full of blue chips from all over the nation, in arguably the best high school football state in the U.S. and all hes done is dominate from jumpstreet. Kid could play running back, linebacker in any system and any spot inside or out, and strong safety legitimately at the elite college and possibly professional level and im underselling him...
No, he has not peaked friend. Hes just beginning.

---

quote:

---

Playing arguably the most pivotal position in sports, quarterbacks routinely prove capable of strengthening or sinking the postseason hopes of college football programs. Inconsistency or injuries under center can derail an offensive attack, establishing significant need for viable depth at quarterback.

The best way to address this department is on the recruiting trail, where premier passers rarely last late into a cycle and can serve as catalysts for their respective classes. Some programs have managed to emerge ahead of others when it comes to creating a competitive, star-studded environment at the position.

In football, the "next man up" philosophy reigns supreme, and it's perhaps best illustrated at quarterback. Eligibility is a ticking clock, putting pressure on young passers to earn starting reps early or risk costly years on the sideline that could eventually result in a transfer elsewhere.

This battle for snaps will be especially compelling on campuses that continue to attract elite quarterback talent. Here's a peek at several programs with positive outlooks at the position for next season and far beyond.

---

quote:

---

They’ve won national championships. They’ve put numerous players in the NFL.

And in the dog-eat-dog world of recruiting, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer are two of the best, landing five-stars almost every recruiting cycle and paving the way to success with some of the most elite players in recent memory.

Saban has corralled 40 five-star prospects through his time at LSU and now Alabama, where he has loaded up in a significant way especially in recent recruiting classes and those players have aided the Crimson Tide’s run to multiple national championships.

Alabama has won four of the last seven national titles. The Crimson Tide have also earned seven of the last nine Rivals.com recruiting rankings honors, finishing atop the team rankings that speaks to the phenomenal job Saban and his coaching staff do on the trail, not only on the field.

“Alabama is interesting because that was a disaster before Saban,” Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell said. “Saban came along right at the time, the perfect time, for a resurgence of talent in that state. You look at his first full class, which was headlined by Julio Jones, and there were other five-star prospects in the state that year.

“After that, every other year it seems to be three or four Alabama five-stars. That’s not Nick Saban. That’s the fact he arrived at the right time and he was able to keep all those kids in-state. That was the perfect storm for him at Alabama when it came to recruiting five-stars because under (Mike) Shula and the previous regimes, there wasn’t nearly as much talent there.”

That’s not to say Saban just got lucky. He has landed five-stars from a lot of locales – including top-rated recruit Najee Harris out of Antioch, Calif., this recruiting cycle. Northern California has been particularly fruitful for Alabama recently as it landed five-star offensive lineman Jonah Williams from Folsom, Calif., last recruiting cycle and JUCO five-star offensive lineman Elliot Baker in the 2017 class as well.

Saban landed a few five-stars during his time at LSU, but he’s really loaded up with the Crimson Tide. In 2008 it was Jones. The next recruiting cycle he signed D.J. Fluker and others. On and on, every single year, Saban landed five-star after five-star, many of them keys to all the national titles.

Meyer is not far behind. He was an almost instantaneous superstar when he arrived at Florida and in the 2006 class Meyer landed the No. 1 prospect Percy Harvin out of Virginia along with getting Tim Tebow (who was close to signing with Alabama) and five-star linebacker Brandon Spikes. It could easily be argued without those players, the Gators would have never sniffed the level of success they had in the following years.

Five-star defensive end Carlos Dunlap followed the next recruiting cycle along with five-star quarterback Cam Newton, although Newton’s Florida career is forgettable compared to what he accomplished at Auburn and now in the NFL.

Florida struck out on some five-star talent as well, guys that never reached their expected potential – as did Alabama – but Meyer’s 2010 class was off the charts led by another No. 1 prospect in defensive end Ronald Powell along with Sharrif Floyd and Dominique Easley on the defensive line and Matt Elam in the secondary.

Throughout his time at Florida and now Ohio State, Meyer has proven he can recruit anyone, anywhere at any time – going to Virginia for Harvin, Pennsylvania for Floyd, New York for Easley and the list goes on.

The same holds true for Meyer with Ohio State as he dipped back into the South for Raekwon McMillan or Vonn Bell out of Georgia, Trevon Grimes and Shaun Wade out of Florida or going to California for five-star offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, all three in the 2017 recruiting class.

In all, Meyer has landed 31 five-stars during his career.

“What he did such a good job of at Florida and what he does such a good job of at Ohio State is recruiting nationally,” Farrell said. “He went to California and got Ronald Powell and some other guys. He went to Pennsylvania and stole away Sharrif Floyd. He went to Virginia and North Carolina. He wasn’t a one-trick pony. He was going everywhere.

“When he got to Ohio State he knew what he needed to do so he used all his ties and his recruiting mojo to go down and win battles for Florida speed and Raekwon McMillan and Vonn Bell.

“Urban got it more than anybody that you need to balance in-state success with national recruiting and that’s what made him and guys like Pete Carroll successful. The two that have done that the best over the last 20 years are Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer when you’re talking about national recruiting from multiple states all across the country.”

Saban and Meyer have done it every way possible. Both have done incredibly well with local recruits. Both have had success reaching out nationally to land top talent.

That’s why they’re so good. That’s why their teams are so good. And that’s why recruiting continues to be such a success for both of them. Winning on the field immeasurably helps recruiting and both Saban and Meyer have done a whole lot of that, too.

“Urban has been more creative in his recruiting approach where Saban is very direct, ‘Hey you want to come here and win national championships and go to the NFL? Great.’” Farrell said. “Meyer is super creative. They are both just rock stars.”
OVER THE YEARS

NICK SABAN - 40 FIVE-STARS

LSU

2003 - Justin Vincent

2004 - Xavier Carter, Early Doucet

Alabama

2007 – None

2008 – Julio Jones, Burton Scott, Tyler Love

2009 – Dre Kirkpatrick, Nico Johnson, Trent Richardson, D.J. Fluker

2010 - DeMarcus Milliner

2011 – Cyrus Kouandjio, Dee Hart, Hasean Clinton-Dix

2012 – Landon Collins, T.J. Yeldon, Eddie Williams

2013 – A’Shawn Robinson, Reuben Foster, Jonathan Allen, O.J. Howard

2014 – Rashaan Evans, Marlon Humphrey, Tony Brown, Da’Shawn Hand, Cameron Robinson, Bo Scarbrough

2015 – Damien Harris, Daron Payne, Calvin Ridley, Minkah Fitzpatrick

2016 – Terrell Hall, Lyndell Wilson, Ben Davis, Charles Baldwin, Jonah Williams

2017 – Jerry Jeudy, Elliott Baker, Najee Harris, Alex Leatherwood

2018 - None

URBAN MEYER - 31 FIVE-STARS

Florida

2005 - None

2006 – Brandon Spikes, Percy Harvin, Tim Tebow, Carl Johnson

2007 – Carlos Dunlap, James Wilson, Cam Newton, Torrey Davis

2008 – Omar Hunter, Matt Patchan, Will Hill, Carl Moore

2009 – Jelani Jenkins, Andre Debose, Gary Brown

2010 – Ronald Powell, Matt Elam, Sharrif Floyd, Dominique Easley

Ohio State

2012 - Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington

2013 – Mike Mitchell, Vonn Bell

2014 – Raekwon McMillan

2015 – None

2016 – Keandre Jones, Nick Bosa

2017 – Trevon Grimes, Wyatt Davis, Josh Myers, Shaun Wade

2018 – Emory Jones

---

quote:

---

It's never too early to start recruiting players in the Southeast and while this list consists of players only halfway through their sophomore seasons, SEC programs have already locked on them as priority targets. Here's six names SEC fans need to get to know as the offers start pouring in over the next few months.

---