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

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They don't tend to give many Jucos 4* or more.

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It hurts our recruiting average and looking at Ohio State's class it's gonna be really hard to beat them for the #1 class this year.

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Saban is slipping, times are changing, and etc.

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Bama will be on the downslide, Saban is slipping, times are changing, and etc.

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BRADENTON, Fla. — Surprised, confused and out of nowhere were the popular takes from Dylan Moses’ teammates at IMG Academy after the linebacker committed to Alabama on Oct. 2.

Perhaps that’s why many believe the story is far from over as it pertains to Moses’ recruitment.

Moses, a 5-star linebacker and the No. 4 overall recruit in the 2017 class, was considered by most recruiting experts to be on the road back to his hometown of Baton Rouge when he committed later this year. Alabama, Ohio State and even Houston were expected to be in the mix, but LSU was the quiet frontrunner late in the spring and throughout the summer.

LSU parted ways with 12-year head coach Les Miles after the team’s last-second loss on the road at Auburn. Miles was fired when he returned to Baton Rouge that Sunday, and seven days later Moses opted to put a pin in his recruitment in Nick Saban’s house.

He is an Alabama commit.

That decision took LSU and Alabama fans by surprise — his teammates, too.

LSU wide receiver commit Jhamon Ausbon found out like everyone else — through social media — which was a head scratcher since he had a different understanding of Moses’ plans.

“I was confused because this was so out of the blue,” Ausbon told SEC Country. “Nowadays, guys commit using edits and all of that, so this came out of nowhere. We had talked about certain things, but something happened that he couldn’t be at that program (LSU). So, why wait? I can see him there, but it still surprised me.”

Something happened for sure.

Ausbon, of course, was referring to the departure of Miles, which completely altered the direction of Moses’ recruitment.

Keep in mind Miles was the first to offer Moses a scholarship when he was just an eighth-grader at LSU’s prospect camp. That offer carried significant weight because the 14-year-old Moses grew up in Baton Rouge and was set to attend high school at University Lab, which sits on the foot of the LSU campus.

Moses committed to Miles and the Tigers in September, 2013, only to re-open his recruitment 11 months later. When Miles was on the hot seat last November, he sent SEC Country a lengthy text in support of LSU’s then-head coach.

Moses’ relationship with Miles is well-documented, but the 5-star athlete made the decision to transfer to IMG Academy in January for his senior season. A source close to the situation said Moses wanted distance from his hometown because of the pressure he was receiving in Baton Rouge to attend LSU.

Even in Bradenton, Moses gravitated toward LSU.

Asa Martin, a Class of 2018 4-star running back, landed an offer from LSU on Sept. 9. Not surprisingly, Moses began to recruit Martin to LSU.

“I was real surprised,” Martin said of Moses’ pledge to Alabama. “I thought he was going to LSU. He was talking to me about going there and I was talking to him about going there. I thought he was real solid with LSU.

“I think it’s still up in the air. It’s home, and there’s nothing better than that. No matter what colleges or anything, it’s home, so I don’t think it’s over yet.”

National Signing Day is three months away, but Moses plans to enroll early.

That was the basis of Corey Raymond’s and Dameyune Craig’s visit to IMG Academy on Oct. 24. Raymond, LSU’s defensive backs coach and Florida area recruiter, also is Moses’ uncle. Craig was minted as the team’s recruiting coordinator when Ed Orgeron became the interim head coach.

Raymond and Craig tasked Ausbon and fellow 4-star LSU commit Grant Delpit with recruiting Moses back to the Tigers. That’ a daunting responsibility since the 5-star linebacker has played most of his decision-making close to the vest.

“I was so surprised. When I got off the plane, I saw Dylan committed to Alabama and I was like, ‘Damn, man,'” Delpit recalled. “Dylan is a quiet guy. He definitely loves Alabama, so trying to flip him to come to LSU — it’s on everyone. One of the reasons is he’s been around LSU so long, but he’s going to go wherever he wants to go and I respect that.”

“Dylan is kind of hard because he’s so quiet,” Ausbon added. “You’d think he talks a lot, but he’s so quiet, so you never know what he’s thinking. He’s committed to ‘Bama and it’s so hard to flip because what could you say? But we’ll see. It’s not over.”

With Delpit and Ausbon leading the charge, hope remains the Tigers can land their top target in 2017. Other linebacker options Jacob Phillips and Will Ignont committed elsewhere — to Oklahoma and Tennessee, respectively. LSU continues holding a spot in its class in case it can change Moses’ mind.

Like Moses, Delpit and Ausbon hail from Louisiana and that serves as the conversation starter and possibly the closer as they recruit their IMG teammate to join them at LSU. Moses visited LSU — out of the blue — for the Southern Miss game to gauge how the program was moving under Orgeron’s direction.

Another small step in the Tigers’ favor.

No one is surrendering hope that Moses returns home at the end of this story.

“I just play the home play. We all come from the area, so it’s not hard,” Ausbon said. “I told him that, ‘You know where home is,’ and he said, ‘I know.’ We talked about committing at the Under Armour Game in a certain way, but everyone has their own reasons. … He wanted to see the team and coach O leading the team in person. He loves coach O, so …”

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You'd know about that wouldn't you Francis? Your a-hole is so worn out from Alabama arse rapings you've hidden over here from the SEC Rant due to the embarrassment. Here comes number six boy.

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