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

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Dick Butkus has high praise for Alabama LB commit Dylan Moses

Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus knows a thing or two about linebackers. After all, he’s considered by many to be the greatest to play the position. So, what he said about Alabama linebacker commit Dylan Moses should excite Crimson Tide fans about his potential on the next level.

Butkus, a Pro Football Hall of Fame honoree in 1979, presented Moses the Dick Butkus Award on Monday, which is given to the nation’s best high school linebacker. Butkus spoke with the SEC Country Alabama podcast, and he compared Moses to current Tide linebacker and college Butkus Award winner Reuben Foster.

“He’s like a spitting image of Reuben,” Butkus said. “This guy is an unbelievable athlete.”

Fittingly, Moses considers Foster to be a “big brother.” Shortly after Moses committed to Alabama, he told SEC Country that Foster helped him make his decision to go ahead and commit to the Tide.

“When Reuben came to me and told me he wanted me there, that right there just clicked in my mind,” Moses said at the time. “He told me that the night before. When your idol football player comes and tells you that, that just sealed the deal.

“When he said that, it made me so happy inside. It made me just want to commit off of that. On top of that, I was thinking about once I finally got there, wearing his number and honoring him. That was one of my thoughts, but I’m still thinking about it. At the same time, just being in the same presence as him was great.”

A selection committee of 51 members chose Moses to be the recipient of the prestigious award over Ohio State 5-star commit Baron Browning, 4-star Texas A&M commit Anthony Hines, Oklahoma commit Levi Draper and 4-star prospect Nate McBride. The head of the selection committee told Butkus before Moses was awarded the trophy that he should start to familiarize himself with the future Tide linebacker.

“Our selection committee head guy told us the other day when he had won the award to get ready because you’ll probably be going fairly shortly to give this guy the college award because he’s that good,” Butkus said. “There’s a story that I guess everyone knows about now, but after one of his eighth-grade games, Les Miles offered him a scholarship to LSU and Nick Saban offered him one to Alabama. When Les Miles left LSU, he committed to Alabama.”

Moses had 147 tackles in his senior season at IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and helped lead the Ascenders to an undefeated season. The Under Armour All-American has all of the tools needed to be an elite player on the next level. At Nike’s The Opening camp, which is a competition for the top high school players in the country, Moses posted the best numbers for a linebacker — running a 4.56-second 40-yard dash and a 4.09-second agility shuttle, and posting a 37.1-inch vertical.

Butkus joked with Moses after the award ceremony that the 5-star prospect should’ve considered attending his alma mater.

“I asked him, ‘Man, didn’t you think about Illinois at all?'” “He said they never called, so I said, ‘Oh, for crying out loud. I have to get on (Illinois coach) Lovie Smith,'” Butkus said.

Moses will be an early enrollee, which means he’ll be on Alabama’s campus in January.

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Alex Leatherwood taking his last trips

Unlike Randolph, Alabama 5-star offensive-tackle commit Alex Leatherwood has scared several Tide fans during the past several months with his commitment despite him being the team’s best recruiter when it comes to the commitments.

Leatherwood, the nation’s No. 2 tackle, is in Auburn for an official visit, and then he’ll travel to Florida to end his weekend. The Gators are viewed as the team with the best chance — albeit a microscopic one — at flipping his commitment from the Tide.

There’s really only one way to get Leatherwood away from Alabama, and that’s if OL coach Mario Cristobal takes a job elsewhere. He’s been linked to the Florida Atlantic head-coaching opening and should get some looks for the South Florida job. There may not be a coach in the country who recruits South Florida better than Cristobal.

Leatherwood is an early enrollee, so Cristobal would have to leave before January for other schools to have a realistic chance at changing his mind. If Cristobal remains at Alabama, Leatherwood will, too.

There’s a good chance the Under Armour All-American will be firmly entrenched in the competition to fill Cam Robinson’s spot on Alabama’s offensive line if he declares for the NFL draft early, which he likely will.

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