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

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No. 1 Clinton 54, Murrah 0: The top-ranked Arrows improved to 7-0 on the season with a blowout win against Murrah. Running back Darius Maberry had three touchdowns, and quarterback Cam Akers threw for one and ran for another.

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A handful of recruits weighed in on how they think Alabama and Arkansas will play out on Saturday night.

The unanimous pick was the Tide.

Cam Akers, 5-star RB, Clinton (Miss.) -- "Bama wins."

Kendall Randolph, 4-star OT and Bama commit, Madison (Ala.) Bob Jones -- 48-14

VanDarius Cowan, 4-star LB and Bama commit, Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) -- "We win by three or four TDs."

Hunter Brannon, 3-star OT and Bama commit, Cullman (Ala.) -- 35-17

Kedrick James, 3-star TE and Bama commit, Waco (Texas) La Vega -- 49-21

Chadarius Townsend, 4-star ATH and Bama commit, Tanner (Ala.) -- 42-14

Tyrell Shavers, 4-star WR and Bama commit, Lewisville (Texas) -- 38-14

Thomas Fletcher, LS and Bama commit, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy -- 38-24

Malcolm Epps, 2018 4-star TE and Bama commit, Spring (Texas) Dekaney -- 42-28

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Defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon (Leesburg, Ga./Lee County) said Georgia 'sticks out.'

"I hear from them every day," Solomon said of Georgia. "I talk with coach (Kirby) Smart and (Bulldogs defensive line coach Tracy Rocker) once a week. They are recruiting me the hardest along with Alabama."

Solomon said he's still hearing from Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Auburn and Michigan.

"I talk to everybody on Alabama's staff," Solomon said. "They have a defensive line pipeline. They are always good on the defensive line and I have a good relationship with them. I haven't heard from Auburn as much. It seems I fell off their radar."

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Here's how Alabama's commitments fared over the weekend:

2017:

Najee Harris, RB, Antioch (Calif.) -- The Panthers lost at Freedom 65-28 dropping to 3-4 on the season. Harris rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns. The star of the game was Freedom running back Ronnie Rivers who ran for 381 yards and seven touchdowns.

Dylan Moses, LB, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy -- The 5-0 Ascenders' game against Southern Lab (La.) was cancelled.

Alex Leatherwood, OT, Pensacola (Fla.) Washington -- The 1-5 Wildcats were on a bye-week.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis -- The Crusaders defeated Kamehameha on Friday 21-7 to move to 6-1 on the season. Tagovailoa was 10 of 18 passing for 138 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. He also rushed for 99 yards and a score on 13 carries.

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Jerry Jeudy, WR, Deerfield Beach (Fla.) -- The 4-1 Bucks' game against St. Thomas Aquinas was cancelled.

VanDarius Cowan, LB, Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) -- The 3-3 Gators' game against West Boca Raton was cancelled.

Markail Benton, LB, Phenix City (Ala.) Central -- The Red Devils moved to 6-1 on the season defeating Jefferson Davis 35-20 on the road. Central sacked the Vols four times in the win.

Elliot Baker, OT, City College of San Francisco (Calif.) -- The 3-2 Rams were on a bye-week.

Tyrell Shavers, WR, Lewisville (Texas) -- The Farmers lost to Southlake Carroll 49-7 falling to 3-3. Shavers caught six passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.

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Brian Robinson, RB, Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Hillcrest -- The 7-0 Patriots were on a bye-week.

Akial Byers, DT, Fayetteville (Ark.) -- The 5-1 Bulldogs won at Rogers 54-17 with the Alabama staff in attendance.

Gary Johnson, LB, Dodge City C.C. (Kan.) -- The Conquistadors lost to Iowa Western 34-29 on Saturday falling to 5-2 on the season. Johnson tallied eight tackles and a 10-yard fumble recovery.

Chadarius Townsend, ATH, Tanner (Ala.) -- The Rattlers won at Tarrant 49-26. Townsend blocked a punt, made an interception and rushed for 95 yards and a score.

Kendall Randolph, OT, Madison (Ala.) Bob Jones -- The Patriots lost to Gadsden City 46-41 on Friday falling to 5-3. Three-star GC back Damon Williams was the star of the game rushing for 220 yards and two touchdowns.

Mac Jones, QB, Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles -- The 5-0 Bulldogs' game at Columbia was cancelled.

Kedrick James, TE, Waco (Texas) La Vega -- The 6-0 Pirates beat Liberty Hill 34-20. The Pirates offense rushed for 210 yards and passed for 179 yards in the win.

Jhavonte Dean, CB, Blinn College (Texas) -- The Buccaneers beat Arkansas Baptist College on Saturday 36-26. Dean tallied three tackles and a pass breakup in the win.

Kyriq McDonald, CB, Madison (Ala.) James Clemens -- The Jets beat Huntsville 55-8 on Thursday night moving to 5-2. McDonald had a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Brandon Ruiz, K, Gilbert (Ariz.) Williams Field -- The Black Hawks moved to 8-0 on the season with a 52-0 shutout over Vista Grande. Ruiz was seven for seven on extra points and kicked a 35-yard field goal.

Hunter Brannon, OT, Cullman (Ala.) -- The 4-3 Bearcats were on a bye-week.

Thomas Fletcher, LS, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy -- The 5-0 Ascenders' game against Southern Lab (La.) was cancelled.

2018:

Dameon Pierce, RB, Bainbridge (Ga.) -- The Bearcats moved to 2-4 on the season with a 31-6 victory over Veterans. Pierce rushed for 305 yards on 23 carries for four touchdowns.

Malcolm Epps, TE, Spring (Texas) Dekaney -- The Wildcats won at Eisenhower 43-7 to move to 2-4 on the season.

2019:

Trey Sanders, ATH, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy -- The 5-0 Ascenders' game against Southern Lab (La.) was cancelled.

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Harris isn’t 100 percent committed anymore? 

Najee Harris, the nation’s No. 1 player from Antioch (Calif.) High School who has been committed to Alabama for more than a year now, told SEC Country this summer that he was 100 percent committed to the Tide. That may not be the case anymore, according to a recent interview.

Harris was presented his Army All-American jersey a few days ago, and he told reporters in attendance that he plans on taking all five official visits before he enrolls in college this January because he plans to enroll early. Those official visit destinations have not been set yet, but what he said next is a bit concerning for Tide fans.

“Let’s say this: My mind isn’t set on Alabama. I’m not 100 percent set on Alabama,” Harris said, according to USA Today. “I’m trying to see what else is out there for me.”

The 5-star running back is a straight-shooter in interviews, so it’s surely an interesting thing for him to say. When he visited Tuscaloosa this summer for one of Alabama’s camps, he told coaches that he was 100 percent committed. One source close to the team told SEC Country recently, though, that he had no idea what Harris was ultimately going to do with his recruitment.

On the Harris side of things, one source close to him told SEC Country that “Obama couldn’t change this kid’s mind,” when asked about his commitment to Alabama.

So, to sum up, no one truly knows where things stand when it comes to Harris’ recruitment. Alabama is still recruiting Harris as if he’s an uncommitted prospect because the staff knows it’s going to be a battle until January when his recruitment comes to an end.

Do I expect Alabama to lose Harris’ commitment? I really don’t. The Tide have only positives to offer Harris. They have arguably the nation’s top strength coach in Scott Cochran. That’s a big deal because Harris is a workout warrior.

“Najee’s only downfall is he works out too much,” a source close to Harris said. “I am trying to have him enjoy his senior year.”

He usually works out twice a day — sometimes three times. The only days where he doesn’t exert all of his energy in the weight room is on game days and on Sundays.

Another positive Alabama has going for it is Harris’ relationship with outside linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi, who is the running back’s primary recruiter. Lupoi has had a standing relationship with Harris since the recruit’s eighth-grade year when the coach was an assistant at the University of Washington. Lupoi, according to the source close to Harris, was one of the first college coaches to see Harris’ potential.

“Tosh believed in me when I told him about Najee as an eighth-grader,” the source said. “I told him that Najee Harris was going to be the next great athlete to come out of the Bay.”

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