Started By
Message
re: Class of 2017 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: Say Your Goodbyes Edition
Posted on 12/26/16 at 11:32 am to TideSaint
Posted on 12/26/16 at 11:32 am to TideSaint
quote:
Who will earn 5th stars?
Each cycle, 247Sports names 32 five-stars. The current tally of five-stars by 247Sports sits at 22 at this late juncture in the cycle. There are a handful of prospects at the Under Armour All-America Game under heavy consideration to receive that final star.
LSU safety commits JaCoby Stevens and Grant Delpit, along with Alabama wide receiver commit Jerry Jeudy, currently rank within that top 32, but none has that fifth star just yet. With good showings this week, all could add a star shortly after the new year.
Two Florida State commits, defensive end Joshua Kaindoh and cornerback Stanford Samuels, are on the cusp of the top 32. Both have physical traits, however, that could see them climb the rankings and earn a fifth star. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Kaindoh has an extremely high ceiling with his freaky measurements. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Samuels is one of the more technically sound cover corners in the country who also brings great length to the secondary.
Perhaps the most intriguing prospect we feel has a chance to earn a five-star rating is Madison (Ala.) James Clemens defensive lineman LaBryan Ray. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound prospect has the versatility to line up on the edge or slide inside as a three-technique. This week will determine if 247Sports feels he is five-star-worthy.
Two prospects committing at the game, Xavier McKinney and Deangelo Gibbs, are also in the hunt for that final star as well.
Posted on 12/26/16 at 11:34 am to TideSaint
quote:
Most Anticipated Practice Matchups
The three practices leading up to the game will feature plenty of 1-on-1, 7-on-7, 9-on-7 inside run drills and live scrimmage action. That will provide an abundance of talented matchups throughout the week of practice. A few of those battles, however, could stand out above the rest.
For Team Highlight, the prospects of seeing five-star offensive tackle Calvin Ashley, an Auburn commit, face off against potential five-star defensive end Joshua Kaindoh, a Florida State commit, is certainly one we look forward to. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Ashley put together a strong season this fall, while Kaindoh flashed elite pass-rushing ability.
Also, look for the matchup between wide receiver Jhamon Ausbon, a Texas A&M pledge, and cornerback Stanford Samuels during Team Highlight practices. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Ausbon has the size to be a brute running routes but has finesse to his game, as well, that makes him a tough combination for defensive backs. Samuels has yet to back down from competition, and his latest test against Ausbon will be a joy to watch.
Heading over to Team Armour practice, seeing how Miami offensive guard commit Navaughn Donaldson fares against five-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson will be a sight. The 6-foot-5, 335-pound Donaldson is a prospect 247Sports has been high on from the start, and holding his own against the talented Wilson could see him continue to climb the rankings.
247Sports is also very high on Sacramento (Calif.) Inderkum tight end Josh Falo. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound prospect is in the discussion to be the top overall tight end in the nation. Seeing how he fares with the super-athletic five-star linebacker Dylan Moses, an Alabama commit, in coverage will be another battle to watch on Team Armour. Is Moses’ athleticism enough to overcome Falo’s size advantage?
Posted on 12/26/16 at 11:49 am to TideSaint
As of last night the team was in Atlanta for the playoffs. One of my friends works for the team and his snapchat was filled with a bunch of Atlanta stuff, including one with the team on a bus.
This post was edited on 12/26/16 at 11:50 am
Posted on 12/26/16 at 11:54 am to UhOhOreo
Oh. Well disregard what I said earlier. 
Posted on 12/26/16 at 11:56 am to TideSaint
quote:
ORLANDO, Fla. — SEC Country is live in the heart of “The Happiest Place on Earth,” as some of the top high school football players in the nation will converge on ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex for the Under Armour All-America Game.
As is standard, Alabama will be well-represented in the game, with eight commitments, the most of any school. The Crimson Tide also have numerous uncommitted targets in the event, which takes place a few miles from Walt Disney World. Those recruits most likely will be courted by the Alabama commitments.
That’s important because a few of those players are expected to announce where they’ll play college football at the game.
Here is a breakdown of the current ‘Bama commits and targets who fans should be paying attention to on New Year’s Day at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN:
LINK
Posted on 12/26/16 at 11:59 am to TideSaint
quote:
Alabama commits
Dylan Moses, 5-star LB (Baton Rouge, La.) | Team Armour — Moses recently announced that his recruitment was finally over. He has signed his financial aid agreement and will be in Tuscaloosa this January.
Alex Leatherwood, 5-star OT (Pensacola, Fla.) | Team Armour — Like Moses, Leatherwood announced that he was done entertaining other schools by saying he could only see himself at one college. Alabama will be home for him for the next three to four years. He had taken multiple visits elsewhere, but they were, in the end, just free trips. Leatherwood will be in Tuscaloosa next month.
Jerry Jeudy, 5-star WR (Pompano Beach, Fla.) | Team Armour — Jeudy tried to keep a recent Miami official visit under wraps, but he failed in that plan. It didn’t matter, though, announcing that his recruitment was over. Jeudy will be an early enrollee.
Christopher Allen, 4-star LB (Baton Rouge, La.) | Team Highlight — Allen committed to Alabama shortly after the Iron Bowl. He won’t be an early enrollee, but he’s 100 percent committed to the Crimson Tide despite LSU doing everything it can to change his mind.
Markail Benton, 4-star LB (Phenix City, La.) | Team Armour — Since committing in June, Benton has not visited any other school besides Alabama. He has no plans to take any official visits elsewhere in January. He’s locked in with the Tide.
Akial Byers, 4-star DT (Fayetteville, Ark.) | Team Armour — Byers is somewhat of a mystery. He doesn’t talk to the media, so this event will be our best shot to interact with him. He hasn’t visited any other school since committing. There are some concerns on whether he’ll be able to qualify as he has some academic work to do before making it to college.
Jedrick Wills, 4-star OT (Lexington, Ky.) | Team Highlight — Wills has visited Kentucky since committing to Alabama in November, but it’s nothing to worry about. His high school is just a few miles away from Kentucky. He will start his college career this summer.
Daniel Wright, 4-star S (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) | Team Highlight — Wright flipped his commitment from Florida State to Alabama earlier this month. It came as no surprise. He was on flip watch since mid-November before making the final decision this month. Wright will be in Tuscaloosa next month.
Posted on 12/26/16 at 12:03 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Alabama targets
DeAngelo Gibbs, 4-star S (Loganville, Ga.) | Team Highlight — Gibbs will announce his commitment Sunday. His decision is expected to come down to Alabama and Georgia. The Crimson Tide have liked where they stood with Gibbs ever since his official visit to Tuscaloosa on Oct. 22 for the Texas A&M game. This recruitment is too close right now to offer a prediction.
Todd Harris, 4-star S (Plaquemine, La.) | Team Armour — Harris was viewed as one of Alabama’s top safety targets, but he got passed by Wright and Gibbs. Could he become the team’s main focus at safety if Gibbs chooses Georgia? It’s possible.
Chris Henderson, 4-star CB (Miami) | Team Armour — Henderson has emerged over the past few weeks as a possible addition to Alabama’s class. The Tide have ramped up their recruitment of him, but it still remains to be seen if the Tide will decide to add a corner. Henderson is thought to be leaning toward Florida at this time. He will visit Tuscaloosa on Jan. 13.
Ryan Johnson, 4-star DE (Mobile, Ala.) | Team Armour — Johnson looked like a likely addition to the Tide’s class over the summer, but other defensive line targets have emerged. He is likely a backup option at this point as other targets are viewed as being higher on the big board.
Joshua Kaindoh, 5-star DE (Bradenton, Fla.) | Team Highlight — Kaindoh took an official visit to Tuscaloosa a few weeks ago, but Florida State and Penn State are viewed as the favorites. He’s expected to announce his commitment on Sunday. I don’t think Alabama will be his choice.
Phidarian Mathis, 4-star DE (Monroe, La.) | Team Highlight — Mathis’ recruitment is still viewed as an LSU-Alabama race for the Louisiana prospect. Sources close to his recruitment have said that he has been close to committing to both schools. Even with the Tide’s signing of Isaiah Buggs, Mathis remains a “take” for Alabama.
Anthony McFarland, 4-star RB (Hyattsville, Md.) | Team Highlight — The only way McFarland joins the class is if 5-star running back Najee Harris flips his commitment. He’s down to Alabama, Miami and Maryland but expect him to choose somewhere else if Harris sticks with his commitment.
Xavier McKinney, 4-star S (Roswell, Ga.) | Team Highlight — McKinney was once committed to Alabama. He decided to de-commit to make sure he was making the right decision. Some Crimson Tide fans on Twitter sent him some very negative messages. He hasn’t forgotten about them. It’s hard seeing him back in this class, but the coaching staff has continued to recruit him.
LaBryan Ray, 4-star DE (Madison, Ala.) | Team Highlight — It would be shocking to see Ray in any other jersey but an Alabama one come 2017. He is arguably the most important recruit the Tide need to get before signing day.
JaCoby Stevens, 5-star S (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) | Team Armour — LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond was given an extension by the Tigers on Dec. 19. Stevens likely will stick with his commitment to LSU.
Posted on 12/26/16 at 12:13 pm to TideSaint
quote:
The Under Armour All-America Game is full of its usual intrigue, with some of the nation’s top players expected to announce their commitments during the New Year’s Day game. But even though some prospects are holding out until later to announce, their comments this week can often mean a lot. We take a look at 10 prospects we’ll be watching very closely throughout the week.
LINK
Posted on 12/26/16 at 12:15 pm to TideSaint
quote:
S Xavier McKinney
Still in the mix: Clemson, Alabama
The latest: McKinney is very close with Clemson commits A.J. Terrell and LeAnthony Williams, but was also once committed to Alabama. Can the Tide get him back in the fold or will he join his buddies in Clemson? McKinney is set to announce during the Jan. 1 game.
Posted on 12/26/16 at 12:16 pm to TideSaint
quote:
DE LaBryan Ray
Still in the mix: Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, Ole Miss
The latest: It always seemed like it would be an in-state battle for Ray, but he’s taken long looks at Tennessee, Florida and Ole Miss. He even officially visited the Rebels earlier this month and has been rather quiet since that trip. He’s still a priority target for the Tide, who rarely miss on in-state prospects, but the potential to leave the state and play earlier is clearly still on the table.
Posted on 12/26/16 at 12:17 pm to TideSaint
quote:
S Deangelo Gibbs
Still in the mix: Alabama, Georgia
The latest: Gibbs has been on the national recruiting scene for almost his entire high school career and with an announcement expected during the game, it’s about to come to an end. Alabama has recently turned up the heat on Gibbs, but Georgia has been the presumed leader for a while. It will be interesting to see if Gibbs let anything slip that might tip off his decision.
Posted on 12/26/16 at 12:18 pm to TideSaint
quote:
All-Star games have become a rite of passage for the next crop of college stars. Most of today’s draft hopefuls were high school All-Americans not long ago, and the 2017 Under Armour All-America Game will keep with that tradition. Plenty of top-level colleges will have their eye on the contest (Jan. 1, 1 p.m., ESPN) as they look to the future.
Below, Rivals.com outlines five colleges that should pay close attention to the events of the week in Orlando.
LINK
Posted on 12/26/16 at 12:19 pm to TideSaint
quote:
ALABAMA
Alabama makes this list every year and that fact is correlated with the program’s recruiting success. This time around, the Tide have more committed prospects participating in the event (six) than any other school.
The Bama constituency is led by five-star prospects Jerry Jeudy, Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills. One of the country’s highest-rated four-star players, Dylan Moses, will also represent Nick Saban’s dynasty in the game. Jeudy will use the game to solidify himself as the top wide receiver in this year’s class, while Moses could earn a fifth star with a dominant performance against all-star-level competition.
Alabama is also in the mix to land a pair of players announcing their commitments at the game in four-star athlete Deangelo Gibbs and four-star defensive back Xavier McKinney.
Posted on 12/26/16 at 12:21 pm to TideSaint
Three different recruiting sites (BOL, SEC Country and Rivals) have listed us as being in the mix for Xavier McKinney today.
I wish we could bring him back into the fold. He's a beast.
I wish we could bring him back into the fold. He's a beast.
Posted on 12/26/16 at 12:57 pm to TideSaint
Posted on 12/26/16 at 2:08 pm to My2Bits
Now it's letting me see it. Weird.
This post was edited on 12/26/16 at 5:00 pm
Posted on 12/26/16 at 3:07 pm to TideSaint
It was not premium when I read it,I am not a subscriber to Scout. Dont know why they would suddenly make it premium.
Posted on 12/26/16 at 3:48 pm to My2Bits
Posted on 12/26/16 at 4:44 pm to My2Bits
quote:
Michigan got Aubrey Solomon on campus in June and he committed to the Wolverines before he left, but on Aug. 22, he backed off that pledge. Georgia has been trending behind the scenes here with Alabama, Oregon, USC and a few others right in there as well. He now plans to take all five official visits before making his final decision.
Trending: Georgia
Sept. 26 update: Aubrey Solomon is likely to stay in the South after decommitting from Michigan in August. Alabama is in this, he talks about Florida, and plenty of other schools are coming after him, but the in-state school, Georgia, is trending for the Scout 100 defensive tackle. There is no sign of that changing as we head into October.
Trending: Georgia
Oct. 24 update: A former Michigan commit, but Solomon is likely to stay in the south when all is said and done. Even before Solomon decommitted from Michigan in August, Georgia appeared to be making a move. Alabama and Georgia are the two schools to keep a close eye on right now. Florida is another one he is very interested in. He knows he is a big target for the in-state Bulldogs, and he may be leaning that direction.
Trending: Georgia
Nov. 23 update: Has there been a change at the top for Solomon? He says it has been this way for a while, but he recently named Michigan as his top school. Georgia is considered to be another top contender for the five star as well. Alabama, Clemson, Oregon and USC are still being considered.
Trending: Michigan
Dec. 22 update: There may be only six weeks until signing day, but this is a race that could go a number of ways. This has been a real rollercoaster, and there are still many ups, downs and loops before the end. Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and USC are involved here.
Trending:
Alabama
This post was edited on 12/26/16 at 5:00 pm
Latest Alabama News
Popular
Back to top



1


