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

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Alabama in, Auburn out for Miami 4-star DB Christopher Henderson

Alabama fans will not know until a little before or on National Signing Day if Miami-Christopher Columbus High School's Christopher Henderson will be selecting the Crimson Tide as his school of choice or staying in his home state and picking between either Florida or Miami. If one thing was for certain coming away from the Under Armour All-America Media Day, Henderson made it be known that Auburn is no longer in the mix for his services, as the Tigers lost his main recruiter, Wesley McGriff. He took an official visit to Auburn in the fall. McGriff, who was the defensive backs coach at Auburn, has left to become the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss.

Henderson, a four-star cornerback listed at 6-foot-1 and 177 pounds said that his official visit to Alabama will be on Jan. 13th and also mentioned visiting Florida before National Signing Day.

For the Miami native, it sounds like it will come down to two SEC schools in Alabama and Florida, and Henderson's hometown school in Miami.

"Come in, compete and be dominant. Be ready for the next level," Henderson said has been the message from Alabama's coaching staff. "My main recruiter (Wesley McGriff) left (Auburn) and went to Ole Miss."

Many are predicting that the 6-foot-1, 175-pound cornerback will stay close to home and go with either the Gators or the Hurricanes, but Henderson spoke briefly of the Crimson Tide and their chances to land the highly valued defensive back.

Alabama assistant head coach/offensive line Mario Cristobal has been the main recruiter in chasing for Henderson's services. Henderson currently holds 26 offers and has made three official visits, according to 247Sports.com.

"Miami and Florida, their depth charts," Henderson said of what stands out amongst two of his final three schools he's considering. "Alabama, I can come in and compete."

Henderson will suit up in Sunday's Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando. ESPN will televise the game at noon CT.

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Mac has received strong pressure to improve recruiting. He also has been in contact with Cristobal, but that's the extent of what I know on that

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The skinny: McKinney, ranked No. 43 in the latest Rivals100, has visited Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia. As an in-state prospect, he's an especially top target for the Bulldogs, but he’s very close with Clemson commitments A.J. Terrell and LeAnthony Williams and has expressed interest in playing with both. McKinney was once committed to Alabama and his recruitment seems to be a battle between the Tide and Tigers with the Bulldogs running behind.

Prediction: Clemson. The connection with his future defensive backfield mates could be too strong.

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The skinny: St. Paul’s has been good to Auburn recently but Alabama gets the last visit here. Johnson will also trip to Auburn and Stanford, two of his favorites. His recruitment could go down to the wire.

Prediction: Auburn. Who knows what will happen between now and Signing Day but I like the Tigers' chances here.

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Wilson was the top player in the Rivals100 from its first release in July 2015 all the way until Najee Harris overtook him in rankings update in August of this year. Instead of trying to showcase his skills against highly talented players in offseason camps or playing against good competition during the high school season, Wilson will finally get a chance to prove himself against top competition in full pads. It will be tough for him to beat Harris again for the top ranking and offensive tackle Foster Sarrell is on his heels. The battle between the three of them for the No. 1 ranking in the Rivals100 is one of the major storylines of the all-star game season.

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Moses is one of the best players in the nation. There is no arguing that fact. He has been the most publicized player in this class and has become one of the most polarizing. Moses will have his chance to prove he is a five-star linebacker. Most people didn’t believe he was the best linebacker on the talent-laden IMG Academy roster. Moses is no stranger to the spotlight but dozens of analysts and scouts will be watching him the Under Armour Game practices and in the game.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — DeAngelo Gibbs will make his commitment publicly known to either Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia or Auburn this Sunday at the Under Armour All-America Game. He may already know which school he’ll be playing for in 2017.

Gibbs, a 4-star safety from Grayson High School (Loganville, Ga.), told SEC Country at the game’s check-in event that while the coaches from those five schools may not know if he’s headed there just yet, he has somewhat of an idea.

“Kind of, sort of,” Gibbs said. “I’m just going to squeeze in some time and think about it — talk to my parents and talk to my mentor over the phone just to see where I can really fit. Based off the opportunity where I can play, that’s what I’ll be making my decision off of.”

Gibbs said it’s possible he lets the winning school know on Dec. 31, but he wants to keep his decision secretive all the way up until he announces it on ESPN this Sunday. He thinks by doing so, he’ll know how much of a priority he is to the schools he’s considering.

When it comes down to the deciding factor for why he’ll choose his school of choice, there’s one thing at the top of his list.

“(It will be) pretty much based off the opportunity I have to play,” Gibbs said. “That’s what I will be making my decision off of.”

Gibbs indicated to SEC Country after his Grayson Rams won a state championship earlier this month that the opportunity for early playing time is there at Alabama, despite what many others may think. The Tide have a commitment from 4-star safety Daniel Wright, the nation’s No. 15 safety, but Alabama didn’t sign any true safeties in last year’s class.

The Under Armour All-American took an official visit to Tuscaloosa in October, and since that point, Alabama has gained significant momentum in possibly landing his commitment.

“I felt more than comfortable (on that visit),” Gibbs said. “I felt like I could already be in their system. It’s the University of Alabama. If you don’t like to win, why would you even consider them? I just feel like the players all have the same goal and same mindset — to win. No one really has any selfish personal goals. I mean, everybody has personal goals, which help the team goals, but no one has selfish goals. That’s what I think Nick Saban has those guys thinking.”

A couple of other nuggets on Gibbs’ interview:

-This decision is 75 percent his opinion and 25 percent what his parents think: “There have been some conversations and some back and forths. It’s like 25 percent their decision and 75 percent mine, so their input definitely affects where I go. They’ve had some conversations about the pros and the cons of this school and that school. They agree on some schools and don’t on some schools. At the end of the day, I have to listen to their opinions.

-”He doesn’t feel any pressure to stay in-state and play for the Bulldogs: “No pressure whatsoever. Like I said earlier, it’s my decision. I have to do what’s best for me. There’s really no pressure. Those guys tell me come on, come on and even the Alabama guys tell me come on, come on. At the end of the day, though, it’s my decision.

-”Alabama has told him that they will be keeping in touch with him every single day until Jan. 1: “They’re on me hard. They’re telling me I have a great opportunity. They are just telling me facts.”

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Jerry Jeudy signed his financial aid agreement with Alabama last week and will enroll early on Jan. 3.

The 5-star wide receiver from Deerfield Beach, Fla., chose the Crimson Tide over Florida and Miami on July 28, but the in-state schools continued to recruit him.

Jeudy took a surprise trip to Miami on Dec. 9, and the Gators also tried to get him on campus for an official visit before the dead period. Neither program, however, could overcome the Tide.

“Alabama was in my heart and they just stuck there. They’ve been recruiting me for four years strong. I don’t know what could have changed that,” Jeudy said Tuesday at the hotel check-in for the Under Armour All-America Game.

When Jeudy committed to Alabama five months ago, he told SEC Country that Florida was his No. 2 school. But when he shut down his process earlier this month, Jeudy said Miami finished in second place for him.

With two years to recruit Jeudy, UF coach Jim McElwain and his assistants were apparently behind the eight ball all along.

“They could have been in the process earlier. That hurt them,” Jeudy said of the Gators. “But other than that, it was a great school. They have great coaches and a good environment. I just had a longer and better relationship with Bama.”

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IIRC last year everyone thought wherever his cousin(N Warrior) committed Gibbs would follow?

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