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

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Kyriq McDonald 6? ?@No_fly29 13h13 hours ago
Had a great night @CoachJPruitt stopped by. blessed to have this opportunity to be able to play for THE University of Alabama #RollTide

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Jedrick Wills
@JWills73
home visit was good today! olive garden to top it off #RollTide ??

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Harris wants to take all five trips?

Time is running out for other schools to flip 5-star running back and nation’s No. 1 overall recruit Najee Harris. It’s always been a tall task to flip Harris away from Alabama, but he still has listened to other schools’ pitches to him.

After spending four days in Antioch, Calif., Harris’ hometown, a few weeks back, Michigan is Alabama’s biggest competition, according to people closest to him. In an interview with Bleacher Report’s Tyler Donohue, Harris was very complimentary of Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh.

“He’s a legend in my area in a way,” Harris said. “What Harbaugh did— to go to the NFL and do that, then go to college at Michigan and do that again — that’s one of the best coaches.”

Harris is expected to take an official visit to Michigan on Dec. 10. He’s already taken an official visit to Alabama for the Iron Bowl and to UCLA on Nov.12, and now, he’s wanting to take all five of his trips before enrolling in school this January.

“I’m trying to take all my officials if I can,” Harris said.

It’s going to be extremely difficult for Harris to take two more visits because he needs to find a way to squeeze them in by Monday at midnight. The dead period goes into effect at that time and recruits are not allowed to take official visits.

Harris said because of the timing, he’d likely only be able to visit the in-state schools he’s still considering — California and Southern California. Is it likely that he somehow makes both of these trips? I don’t think so.

His mother, Tianna Hicks, has already told SEC Country that she’s not sure if her son will even enjoy the Michigan visit because there’s no football game to watch and he’s not one for the recruiting efforts that happen on these visits.

“That’s the part I am concerned about,” Hicks said last week. “I don’t want him to get out there and just shut down because he doesn’t do the whole recruiting thing. I’m not sure how he’s going to react when we get out there.”

Hicks will be with her son this weekend in Ann Arbor. The forecast calls for a high of 29 degrees on Saturday and 34 with a chance of snow on Sunday. Some fans have said the cold weather is going to turn Harris and Hicks away from Michigan, but that’s silly to think about. Weather is going to play zero factor in Harris’ recruitment as it does get pretty chilly in Northern California.

I still believe Harris’ desire to play with the best offensive linemen and go up against the best defense in the country on a day-to-day basis is going to be hard for Michigan to overcome. Harris is an early enrollee, and he’ll be in Tuscaloosa this January.

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Focus now shifts to Wilson after Smith’s commitment to Tennessee

Trey Smith, the nation’s No. 5 offensive tackle from Jackson, Tenn., decided to follow his heart and commit to the Volunteers on Tuesday. It was a major recruiting win for Butch Jones as he not only beat out Nick Saban but Urban Meyer, too.

Getting Smith on board was Tennessee’s No. 1 priority in the Class of 2017, and it got the job done, so you have to give credit to Jones here. Tennessee held a satellite camp at his school to show Smith how important he was to its program and Jones hired his sister, Ashley, to work in the recruiting office. Yes, before you ask, she’s well-qualified for the job and didn’t receive it just because her brother happens to be ESPN’s No. 1 overall player. She was Tennessee’s women’s basketball manager and she had a job with the NCAA.

For Alabama, losing out on Smith definitely stings because he is one of the best high school football players in the country, but the Tide aren’t just going to sign every 5-star player — even if fans think they will. But, Alabama does have five offensive linemen committed in the Class of 2017 in 5-star tackle Alex Leatherwood, the nation’s No. 1 junior college tackle Elliot Baker, top 10 tackle Jedrick Wills, 4-star guard Kendall Randolph and 3-star center Hunter Brannon.

It’s possible Alabama adds to that group, but there’s only one name out there that could potentially find his way among those recruits — 5-star tackle Isaiah Wilson. Wilson will make his commitment on Christmas Day, and the Tide are major players for his commitment.

There was one point this summer that Alabama looked like the prohibitive favorite to land his commitment, but Michigan ended up becoming the team to beat for the Under Armour All-American from Brooklyn, N.Y.

I still believe Alabama is trailing Michigan for his services, but make no mistake about it, the Crimson Tide are in the thick of the race. Wilson was back in Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl.

“What I got to see when I first got there was how big football was at Alabama,” Wilson said to Rivals’ Adam Friedman. “The whole town basically shut themselves down for the game. On game day there was a lot of people out there. Everybody was enthusiastic, having fun and yelling ‘Roll Tide!’ It was basically what I saw the last couple times I visited Alabama.”

If Alabama somehow landed Wilson, this offensive line class would have to be considered one of the best — if not — the best one on paper in recent college football history.

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Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa four-star running back Brian Robinson committed to Alabama during his junior year, and pitches from other schools weren't going to change his mind.

The 6-foot-1, 217-pound Robinson grew up an Alabama fan and committed about a month after receiving his offer.

He's in Montgomery this week for the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game, which will be at noon on Saturday at Cramton Bowl.

"Knowing all along that's the school where I wanted to play, I didn't want to gamble around my recruiting process anymore," Robinson said. "I felt I made the best decision to commit early so I wouldn't have to worry about stressing about the recruiting process later on."

Robinson will be an early enrollee. Alabama's roster right now would have four scholarship running backs returning along with the addition of Robinson and five-star Najee Harris, the nation's No. 1 overall recruit.

The competition hasn't swayed Robinson.

"I knew going to the University of Alabama would be a competitive decision anyway," Robinson said. "I look forward to competing against any more commitments. I look forward to competing every day.

"That really describes how competitive I really am. I look forward to competing against anybody because that's the school I want to play at and I want to play early. In order for me to have a chance to play early, I'm going to have to compete every day."

Georgia was one school that pitched early playing time, Robinson said Tuesday.

"Georgia was short on depth and they were telling me about the opportunity to play," Robinson said. "It's about work ethic. That (pitch) doesn't really stand out. I can go to whatever school I want in the nation and as long as I work hard, I'll have a chance to play early."

Robinson plans to enroll at Alabama in January.

One player he's been trying to help recruit to Alabama is Clay-Chalkville standout receiver Nico Collins.

"I just give him a 'Roll Tide.' I don't try and get on his nerves about it," Robinson said. "I give him a 'Roll Tide' to let him know where I stand on the subject."

And what does he get back?

"Roll Tide."

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The latest Rivals rankings are here, and while several players made moves in the Rivals100 and the Rivals250, there were plenty of players who earned bumps up to four-star status.

Here’s a breakdown of the defensive players who parlayed excellent seniors season into a move up in the rankings.

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Kyriq McDonald

McDonald, an Alabama commit, doesn’t have the length of some other top corners, but he carries a stout frame that allows him to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. He’s as versatile as he is physical and recovers well on the occasion that he gives up a step. – Rivals.com Southeast analyst Rob Cassidy

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ALABAMA

Recruiting Rundown: Henry Ruggs, who is considered an Alabama lean, had a nice first day of practice. He showed a surprising level of physicality and was not easily bumped of his routes. His strength remains his speed... Tide running back commit Brian Robinson continues to look explosive for a running back of his massive size.

On the field: Ruggs was one of the stars of the morning session before having a quiet afternoon practice. It was a relatively uneven day for the Crimson Tide commitments in attendance. Alabama commit Kendall Randolph was solid but less than dominant during one-on-ones.

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