Started By
Message
0
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:08 am to Buckeye06
quote:
But they aren't listing Hall as a DE in their database? He is on the Bama roster and is like a Soph right?
It's weird how they've separated them out. For instance, they have Chris Allen listed as DE for the roster outlook part, but have him ranked as an OLB.
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:14 am to TideSaint
I got bored and looked at our latest 2018 CBs.
We've only gotten some for two prospects since September, but they are good ones. Both of them are high 4-star cornerbacks:
Isaac Taylor-Stuart
Josh Jobe
Hopefully we load up on DBs in next year's class to make up for the lack of them in this class.
We've only gotten some for two prospects since September, but they are good ones. Both of them are high 4-star cornerbacks:
Isaac Taylor-Stuart
Josh Jobe
Hopefully we load up on DBs in next year's class to make up for the lack of them in this class.
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:16 am to TideSaint
Isaiah Buggs will be signing around 1 PM Central.
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:20 am to TideSaint
Hank South on who we finish with in his opinion:
quote:
My Crystal Ball currently reads:
LaBryan Ray
Phidarian Mathis
Elijah Conliffe (Not feeling as good on this pick as I was in October. Might be changing it soon.)
Devonta Smith
Henry Ruggs III
Jarez Parks
Getting close to putting in a pick for Deangelo Gibbs. I might swap Conliffe for Javon Kinlaw here soon.
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:24 am to TideSaint
quote:
SAN FRANCISCO — Alabama signee Elliot Baker is running through a burning building saving a child from the engulfing flames as the walls collapse around him from the intense fire.
Baker is also rushing to the scene of a terrible accident as a first responder. He needs to use the Jaws of Life to pry apart the wreckage of a burning vehicle to save the family trapped inside.
That was almost Baker’s life coming out of Archbishop Riordon High School in 2014. Now, he becomes the first official signee for Alabama’s Class of 2017 as he has signed his letter of intent to play football for the Crimson Tide.
Baker was set on becoming a firefighter in San Francisco until the day he took his senior high school pictures changed his life for good. It was arguably the biggest turning point in his life and the event that ultimately led to him becoming a future offensive lineman for the University of Alabama.
Smile for the camera
City College of San Francisco offensive line coach Eduardo Nuno walked across the street from his office and strolled into the gym at Archbishop Riordan. The high school is directly across the street from where Baker would become the nation’s No. 1 junior college offensive lineman.
Nuno was there to see his friend, Edgar Flores, who is the freshman coach at Riordan, the equipment manager and track and field coach. Once Nuno got to the gym, he spotted Baker in line about to take his senior pictures.
At the time, Baker was an unknown football recruit. He stood at 6-foot-6 and weighed close to 300 pounds. Based on his size alone, Baker should have received some interest from colleges, but he didn’t have a single opportunity to play college football until the day he was standing in that gym preparing to pose for the camera in his high school jersey.
“I looked over and I said to myself, ‘Who the heck is this guy and why don’t I know about him?’” Nuno told SEC Country.
The problem was no one knew anything about the Riordan football team outside of it being an easy victory for opposing teams. During Baker’s two years on the varsity squad, Riordan won a total of six games — zero in league play.
Apathy set in for Baker and the coaching staff at Riordan. The coaches did not show any effort when it came to helping kids get exposure for college for reasons that are unclear, according to Nuno and Baker.
One of the main problems was that Baker had four different head coaches during his time in high school and not one of them showed an interest in his future. That led to several personal issues between Baker and the staff.
“I was irritated with that coach at the time I went there for the pictures,” Nuno said. “Are you seriously sandbagging this kid? How could he not have any college interest? I went and saw Edgar and asked, ‘Who is 76?’ He said that was Elliot. I told him to introduce me. I told Elliot that I was very interested in having him come over to City and visit to check out the program. I told him we had a lot of success from guys at Riordan. I said he had the frame to play even though I knew nothing else about him. He came over and his mother did at one point, too. I don’t think he really bought into it at first.”
And why would he?
His coaches until that point couldn’t care what their players did after their time at the school, and Baker was going through the process of finding any college that would give him a chance.
When Baker first went and sat in the football offices at City College, Nuno told him how he could potentially be one of the next great offensive linemen to come out of the school. City College has produced over 50 offensive linemen who have transferred to a university to play football since 1996.
Nuno told Baker how he could potentially make it to the SEC one day. Baker thought his pitch was farfetched because he had messaged over 20 college coaches from schools like Sacramento State to the University of California, Davis on Facebook and not one coach responded back to him.
“It sounded like a bit of an exaggeration,” Baker told SEC Country. “It just seemed so far out of my league because I had only had interest in Sacramento State, and that was just because I messaged them and went to one of their camps. I remember finding one of their coaches on Facebook and I wrote him a little paragraph about myself and I linked him my Hudl highlight tape. The same goes for UC Davis. They weren’t even replying to me, so I just said screw it and whatever.
“When he was telling me about Division 1 schools and the SEC, I was just like, ‘Wow. Really, man? It’s crazy to look back at those Facebook messages now and see none of them ever replied back to me. It’s funny.”
There never was a doubt that Baker would attend City College — after all, it was his only opportunity to play football on the next level. The only doubt surrounding Baker was whether or not he’d buy into the program.
It was a challenge for him at first, Nuno and Baker admit. Baker doesn’t easily trust people. After his bad high school experience and his father not being in the picture, Baker just doesn’t easily trust male figures. Nuno, who’s been at City College for 24 years, recalls how the future Alabama offensive lineman was in desperate need of direction because he lacked any.
“If anybody needed any guidance and direction, it was Elliot at the time,” Nuno said. “He needed some male guidance. I think football is just a natural situation. I’ve been here so long that I have had kids who were great to coach and hard to coach, but you’ve got to coach them up. I don’t think you want to limit someone’s opportunities just because of some personal dislike which seemed to happen to him in high school. That’s pretty petty. We are here for second opportunities.”
It took some time for Baker to realize what kind of opportunity was in front of him. It didn’t immediately click.
Long article (next two posts are from it too)
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:25 am to TideSaint
quote:
Baker’s chance comes along
Before the 6-foot-7, 300-pound prospect suited up for City College, there still was only one thought on his mind — becoming a firefighter.
“When he first got here, all he cared about was being a firefighter,” Nuno said. “He didn’t understand the opportunities that were going to be available to him in football. Obviously, in the last year, his whole life has changed as far as how far he can go and where he can go beyond Alabama.”
One of the most respected and beloved jobs in the city of San Francisco is being a firefighter. Baker believes it dates back to the devastating 1906 earthquake in the city when more than 3,000 people died and most of the city was destroyed.
The thought of helping others in need is what’s most appealing about the job. It also happens to be one of the main reasons he likes playing on the offensive line. You may not get a lot of credit for doing your job, which is to make your quarterback stand upright and to create holes for your running back, but it’s a tough and gritty job, just like being a firefighter.
“I just like hard work, working on a team and just being around the guys all day,” Baker said. “You start out with a degree in the city making around $110,000 a year as a firefighter. With all of the benefits you get, that’s a good job to me. I just like the idea of it. It seems like a lot of fun getting to do all of that physical work and not just sit at a desk all day.”
He still wants to be a firefighter, but he hopes that’s after a long and prosperous NFL career comes to fruition.
The thought of just focusing on being a firefighter wore off once Baker got playing time for City College, but it took some time to see the field. He received a grayshirt in his first semester because the team had two talented offensive tackles the year Baker enrolled. That allowed him to keep four years of eligibility while he worked out and shaped his body. Nuno called Baker a “very, very raw” athlete when he arrived on campus.
In his freshman season, he was unleashed.
In game five of his freshman campaign, Baker established himself as a force on the offensive line in a 41-27 win over Modesto. According to a 2015 story from the Modesto Bee, one of the reasons City College won the game was because of its offensive line play led by Baker.
“Their offensive line was legit,” Modesto linebacker Justin VanFleet said. “Everyone we play is about as big as them, but none are as physical or technically sound as them.”
Baker’s highlight tape starts with a play from the Modesto game. Playing right tackle, Baker makes quick work of the Modesto linebacker who was blitzing by throwing him down with one arm before getting to the second level and leveling a defensive back.
Plays like that were a common occurrence for Baker that year, which ended with a national championship. Football was fun once again for him.
“Here we were — his freshman year in the national championship game — and our backup running back rushed for over 250 yards, and we were running behind Elliot the entire night,” Nuno said. “Something just clicked with him mentally, and I think that was the turning point.”
The following spring, he had the scholarship offers he had hoped to receive when he was a senior in high school.
“He went from one offer to three to seven to 15 — some prominent schools,” Nuno said. “He just realized that he could do something else and get an opportunity. You can always come back and be a firefighter after if that’s what you want to do. In San Francisco, it’s kind of a big deal for native born San Franciscans — firefighters and police officers — it’s one of the top jobs in the city.”
Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Missouri are all of the schools that offered Baker before he signed his letter of intent with the Crimson Tide on Wednesday.
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:26 am to TideSaint
quote:
The next chapter
Baker committed to Alabama, the school he grew up dreaming of playing for, in June. There really was no hesitation to join the Crimson Tide when he and Nuno visited for a camp, even though the two had talked prior to getting in Nick Saban’s office for a chat. Baker was supposed to tell Saban that he was going to think things over and take his time with his recruiting process because it still was new to him.
He didn’t take Nuno’s advice this time. The man who has become the most important male figure in his life didn’t get through to him. Baker committed in Saban’s office.
“I grew up watching SEC football and Alabama has always been that school that has always been really intriguing to me,” Baker said. “The amount of guys they send to the NFL is incredible. Coach Saban has had so many accomplishments and success in his eight years there. It’s a football factory.”
A few days after that summer trip to Alabama, Nuno and Baker were supposed to visit Auburn. Baker was strongly considering the Tigers at the time. They never made it because Baker decided to cancel every trip after committing until an official visit to Texas A&M in November. The cancellation of the Auburn trip was an exceptionally awkward situation for Nuno because he and Tigers offensive line coach Herb Hand are good friends. Nuno was going to stay at Hand’s house if they visited.
Nuno had to tell Hand that the reason why he wouldn’t be seeing him was because Baker decided to commit to Auburn’s biggest rival.
Even with that late visit to Texas A&M, Baker said he never seriously considered changing his commitment.
“From June until now, I never had a doubt in my mind that Alabama was going to be place for me,” Baker said. “I took one unofficial visit there and just knew from a gut-feeling that it was right.”
During that trip to Alabama in the summer, Baker had a chance to play alongside 5-star offensive tackle commit Alex Leatherwood. Nuno said if Baker and Leatherwood get the opportunity to play alongside each other in college, that offensive line would be hard to penetrate for opposing defenses.
“That’s (hall of fame offensive linemen) Art Shell and Gene Upshaw,” Nuno said. Leatherwood is lean, too, and he can move. You put those two guys together — and I don’t care where — you have some very athletic linemen. Elliot can play tackle or guard. He doesn’t care where he plays. He just wants to win, play, compete and have success. It’s something that’s eluded him until he came here.”
The success Alabama has had in the Saban era is one of the biggest reasons why he was sold on the Tide. Winning wasn’t a thought until he got to junior college. He now expects it all of the time.
Baker’s coach, Jimmy Collins, has seen Baker buy into his process at City College of San Francisco. He knows Baker has the drive to buy into Saban’s process.
“He always expects to win,” Collins said. “He epitomizes being a winner, and I think Alabama landed a gem. I know we at City College of San Francisco were very lucky to have him.”
Baker is tentatively scheduled to leave California for Alabama on Jan. 4. His time on the West Coast, where he’s spent all of his life is coming to an end. That means he’ll leave behind his mother Priscilla Harvey and the man who’s become his father figure, mentor, counselor and coach, Eduardo Nuno, on the other side of his country.
When Nuno was at Alabama this summer for the camp with Baker, several of the parents in attendance thought he was his father.
“We both have dark hair. That’s about it,” Nuno said with a laugh. “He’s got a full beard now, and he’s much hairier than me.”
The reason why the parents thought Nuno was Baker’s father was because he always looked at Nuno for guidance, coaching and approval during the drills as he’s grown accustomed to for the past two years.
“I just have tried to be a consistent presence in his life for the past two-and-a-half years and keep him on the path,” Nuno said. “If I can do that for him and he moves on to the next place and has some success there then I have done my job.”
Baker owes a lot of his success to Nuno — the main who helped change his life for the better and derailed his dreams of being a firefighter for another dream of playing for the University of Alabama.
“He’s made me such a better football player from where I was coming out of high school,” Baker said. “Off the field, he’s really helped me mature and grow up. He’s been a huge help with everything for the past few years of my life. All I can say to him is thank you.
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:33 am to Kcoyote
Baker signing his LOI:
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:34 am to TideSaint
Damn good story. 
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:36 am to jatebe
quote:
John Garcia, Jr. ?@JohnGarcia_Jr 1h1 hour ago No. 2 overall JUCO prospect & 5-star DL Isaiah Buggs (@BigPooh_91) tells Scout he has faxed in his NLI to #Alabama
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:41 am to jatebe
Two five stars signed, sealed and delivered before Christmas.
Feels good.
Feels good.
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:41 am to TideSaint
Tarik Black, WR from CT is committing at 12 CST. Definitely wants Bama but he looks to be behind Ruggs, Smith, and Collins currently. Likely going to Michigan. Wish he was coming here because he loves Bama and so we get one Michigan wants since they are probably getting Nico who we want. With that being said wherever he goes, good luck to him. He is a really good kid with his head on straight, but looks like numbers are going to get him this year.
This post was edited on 12/14/16 at 12:16 pm
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:44 am to Kcoyote
quote:
There won’t be a last-minute change of heart for 4-star Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs. The school announced that he has faxed in his national letter of intent to play football for the University of Alabama.
Buggs committed to Alabama over LSU, the longtime favorite in his recruitment, on Tuesday. The Louisiana native took an official visit to Alabama this past weekend and it ultimately made his decision easier to choose the Crimson Tide because heading into the trip, Alabama was viewed as the favorite.
Things changed tremendously in his recruitment over the past two weeks. It started with Alabama defensive line coach Karl Dunbar visiting Buggs’ family on Dec. 1. Dunbar did not visit with Buggs because the prospect was in class, but he did take the time to talk with his mother. Four days after Dunbar’s visit, Nick Saban met with Buggs himself and laid out everything the recruit needed to hear. The momentum from those two coaches visits combined with the official visit this weekend was too much to overcome for any school not named Alabama.
Now, Saban has one of his top defensive line targets officially on board in the Class of 2017. Buggs has two years of eligibility remaining and will enroll in school on Jan. 8. Expect Buggs to make an immediate impact for Alabama as he can play any position on the defensive line.
LINK
Posted on 12/14/16 at 11:45 am to TideSaint
Posted on 12/14/16 at 12:04 pm to Kcoyote
quote:
Let’s take a quick look comparing the top players from 2017 to 2018 now that we’ve finished both rankings releases. Today I’ll look at the offensive positions and tomorrow I will do the defense.
Pro-Style QB – Davis Mills vs. Trevor Lawrence: I’ll take Lawrence here seeing both at the same stage of development. He’s one of the most complete quarterbacks I’ve seen as a junior.
Dual-Threat QB – Kellen Mond vs. Emory Jones – A tough call here, but I’d take Mond. Both have some accuracy issues and both are excellent athletes with excellent arms, but Mond has that ability to lead his team from behind better.
All-Purpose RB – Stephen Carr vs. Jaelen Gill: Carr is the more complete and dangerous back to me.
RB – Najee Harris vs. Zamir White: I love White and think he can be special, but Harris is one of the top five running backs I’ve ever seen.
WR – Jerry Jeudy vs. Jalen Hall: Tough call here because they are so different, but I’ll go with Jeudy because he’s more polished despite giving up a few inches.
TE – Brock Wright vs. Zack Kuntz: Wright could be special at Notre Dame while Kuntz could be a star at Penn State, but I’ll go with Wright and his slight athleticism edge.
OT – Foster Sarell vs. Jackson Carman: The best battle on offense, I’ll take Carman slightly but both are elite, next-level guys.
OG – Wyatt Davis vs. Jamaree Salyer: Salyer has very good upside and could end up as a five-star down the line, but Davis just swallows people.
OC – Cesar Ruiz vs. Daniel Dawkins: The battle of New Jersey prospects isn’t close. Ruiz is a beast.
LINK
Farrell also predicted Isaiah Wilson to Michigan in the article.
Posted on 12/14/16 at 12:08 pm to Kcoyote
Posted on 12/14/16 at 12:08 pm to Kcoyote
10,800
Posted on 12/14/16 at 12:12 pm to Carlton
quote:
Tarik Black, WR from CT is committing at 12 CST. Definitely wants Bama but he looks to be behind Ruggs, Thomas, and Collins currently. Likely going to Michigan. Wish he was coming here because he loves Bama and so we get one Michigan wants since they are probably getting Nico who we want. With that being said wherever he goes, good luck to him. He is a really good kid with his head on straight, but looks like numbers are going to get him this year.
Agreed. Black is a stud.
Posted on 12/14/16 at 12:34 pm to RammerJammer91
I just looked at our commitment list. We have nine prospects who are ranked as a 5-star on at least one of the recruiting sites.
Page 540 of 864
Latest Alabama News
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News