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re: Class of 2017 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: Say Your Goodbyes Edition
Posted on 3/21/16 at 10:42 am to TideSaint
Posted on 3/21/16 at 10:42 am to TideSaint
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Nick Saban doesn’t personally recruit a lot of players, but D’Andre Swift is one of those athletes.
Swift, the nation’s No. 1 all-purpose running back from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School (Philadelphia), said Saban has told him that he would like for him to take the process slowly.
“He wants to make sure I find the best school that fits me,” Swift told SEC Country. “He talked about my film, the skill set I have and just the fact that he wants to get me down there. He’s a nice guy.”
The 5-foot-10, 207-pounder said Alabama is a school he’s been interested in since he was a little kid, even with him being from the Northeast. Swift will make the trip to Tuscaloosa sometime this spring or summer. When he gets on campus, he knows what he wants to get out of the trip.
“I want to meet Nick Saban and hear about all of the experience he has and get all of the knowledge that I can possibly get with him,” Swift said. “It just seems like a good environment there. They produce good players, too.”
Alabama already has two running backs committed in the Class of 2017: the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect, Najee Harris, and four-star Brian Robinson.
With the Crimson Tide having the top player in the country committed, would that make him stay away from Alabama?
“Najee and I are really good friends, actually. I’m a competitor. I think I could contribute in ways that he can’t,” Swift said. “We’re both good players. He brings a lot to the table and I bring a lot to the table as well. I’m very versatile in my style of play. I can do whatever coaches need me to do. I’m not shying away from any competition.”
Swift, who was named the U.S. Army All-American combine MVP in January, called Harris’ and his game similar. But there’s one big difference.
“He’s more of the typical Alabama running back,” Swift said of Harris. “He’s like 220 pounds and over six feet tall, which is the typical Alabama back. I think I’m more shifty than he is and could play in the slot as well.”
Swift didn’t mention Alabama as one of the schools that have been on him the hardest. He said Georgia, Penn State, Florida State, Ohio State, Clemson and Miami are coming after him more than any other school. The reason for why Alabama wasn’t listed is because he doesn’t get to talk to Saban that often, he said.
But Swift is looking forward to that meeting with Saban, and it could help Alabama land the nation’s top all-purpose back.
“When I sit down with Coach Saban and listen to what he has to say, I want to take back some knowledge to take back to my high school to share it with my teammates and help me with my senior season,” Swift said.
Swift is rated as Pennsylvania’s No. 1 overall prospect. He plans on making his commitment after his senior season.
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Posted on 3/21/16 at 10:44 am to TideSaint
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Alabama signed two running backs in 2016, and it’s looking to sign several more for the 2017 class.
Currently, the Crimson Tide have two running backs committed in this year’s class: Najee Harris (Antioch, Calif.), the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect, and four-star Brian Robinson, who plays his high school football in Tuscaloosa.
If you haven’t seen Harris’ high school highlights, you should, because they are incredible. You can see why many think Harris is the second coming of Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry.
It’s not going to be easy to hold on to Harris, who has been committed to Alabama for almost a year now. He will continue taking visits, especially to Southern California and UCLA. Those two schools should be considered Alabama’s biggest competition.
Even with two running backs committed, the team is not finished recruiting. Here are some of the tailbacks the Crimson Tide are targeting:
Cam Akers, four-star RB, Clinton, Miss.
It may be odd to have a former Alabama commitment on this list, but Akers is still strongly considering the Tide. When he de-committed from Alabama a few weeks ago, Akers maintained that he would still consider Alabama. The main reason for his de-commitment was to just make sure he was making the right decision. Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Georgia should be considered the biggest contenders, along with Alabama, to sign the 5-foot-11, 210-pounder.
Akers is rated as the nation’s No. 3 running back.
D’Andre Swift, four-star RB, Philadelphia
Swift may be the most interesting prospect to keep an eye on in this list, because Nick Saban has personally recruited him. The five-time national champion has had several phone calls with the prospect. The nation’s No. 1 all-purpose back is expected to visit Alabama this spring, but dates have not been set yet. The 5-foot-9, 205-pounder is also considering Penn State, Florida State and Ohio State.
Anthony McFarland, four-star RB, Hyattsvile, Md.
McFarland received a call from Nick Saban on National Signing Day this past month. He’s a big target for the Crimson Tide. McFarland has visited Alabama before and has been nothing but complimentary of Saban’s coaching skills — calling him “one hell of a coach.” The 5-foot-9, 189-pounder is also considering Maryland, Georgia, Miami and Michigan, among others.
He is rated as the nation’s No. 3 all-purpose back.
This post was edited on 3/21/16 at 4:02 pm
Posted on 3/21/16 at 10:45 am to TideSaint
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Alabama target Tua Tagovailoa’s Twitter bio doesn’t have how many offers he holds, and it doesn’t include his junior season highlights. Don’t even think about asking whether or not he has the fact that he is the nation’s No. 2 dual-threat quarterback.
His Twitter bio is all of two words: “God first.”
Tagovailoa, a four-star prospect from St. Louis High School (Honolulu), comes from a very religious family. When asked what would be the biggest reason for why he would commit to a school, Tagovailoa was quick to answer.
“The biggest thing I look for in coaches at these schools are their beliefs,” Tagovailoa told SEC Country.
That’s actually one of the reasons why Alabama made Tagovailoa’s top eight schools, which includes Ole Miss, Texas A&M, USC, UCLA, Washington, Arizona and Hawaii. When talking about Alabama, Tagovailoa went back to his Twitter bio phrase.
“Coach Saban has talked to us and his beliefs are God first before anything,” Tagovailoa said. “Every school is going to have good academics. Every school is going to have good football. But when you have a coach like Saban, who believes in God and is a defending champion, that makes it even more special.”
Even though he plays his high school football more than 4,000 miles away from Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tagovailoa pays attention to Alabama.
Tagovailoa, who threw for 2,916 yards and scored 35 total touchdowns his junior season, has especially been focusing on Alabama since he was the first quarterback the team offered after the de-commitment of Jake Fromm, who flipped to Georgia.
“I didn’t even know I was in Alabama’s range to get offered. It says a lot for them to go this far for someone like me,” Tagovailoa said. “I really do take this into consideration because it’s something that is very meaningful because Nick Saban has taken almost everyone that he has recruited to a national championship. That says a lot about his program.”
If Tagovailoa were to end up at Alabama, it would not be the first time the Crimson Tide got a star from the west. The odds-on-favorite to start for Alabama this season, sophomore Blake Barnett, played his high school ball in California.
He’s open to leaving the Pacific coast, too.
“(My family and I) have to really sit down and talk about it if Alabama is the place for us,” Tagovailoa said. “I’m really just trying to enjoy the process now. We have one more year. We have a long time until decisions have to be made.”
A decision could come before his senior season begins in August, but he did say that it’s possible it extends past that.
Even if he commits this summer, he wants to take all five official visits, and Alabama will be one of the schools he sees.
“Oh yeah, most definitely,” Tagovailoa said when asked if Alabama will get an official visit. “It’s just a special place to be at. Kids from Hawaii don’t really get the chance to take trips like that to the east coast because we usually don’t get these offers. I just want to see more of what Alabama has to offer now.”
The Hawaiian QB has never been to Alabama before. He said the only thing he knows about the school is, “I just know that they go to the championship almost every year.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder recently said USC is his “dream school” and that the Trojans lead for him. But when asked if Southern California was still on top, Tagovailoa attached a qualifier.
“Yeah, but you have to realize that (Hawaiian prospects) usually only get offers from West Coast schools, and you just come to expect that,” Tagovailoa said. “But with something like Alabama, knowing that I am so far out of their boundaries, it’s kind of crazy. When I got offered, it was something really big for me and our school.”
So to be clear, does Southern California still have the advantage now that Alabama is in the picture?
“You can say that, yeah, but I still have to take my trips, so yeah,” Tagovailoa said.
You can also say that Alabama has made a significant impression on the Hawaiian quarterback.
Posted on 3/21/16 at 10:47 am to TideSaint
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Bailey Hockman is one of three main quarterback targets Alabama is focusing on now that the Crimson Tide have lost Jake Fromm to Georgia.
Hockman, a four-star prospect from McEachern High School (Powder Springs, Ga.), told SEC Country that Alabama is in his top five along with Auburn, Tennessee, Florida State and North Carolina, in no official order.
Alabama has turned up the heat as of late on the left-handed gunslinger, and he says if he were to commit to the Tide, he knows what the reason would be.
“They just played in a national championship on the biggest stage,” Hockman said. “If you go there, you’re going to get drafted, most likely. They’re just a really good team and they have great coaches.”
Now Alabama will have some competition with the schools listed above. In fact, the Tide may have a little bit of catching up to do.
“Florida State, Tennessee and North Carolina have been there prior to everything with Alabama,” Hockman said.
He did say that he doesn’t think Alabama’s late interest should hurt its chances, however.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder did have an offer from Alabama almost two years ago. That offer seemed to be off the table after Alabama received Fromm’s commitment last year.
After Fromm de-committed a few weeks ago, Nick Saban reached out to Kyle Hockman, Bailey’s father and his head coach at McEachern High School, and reaffirmed that the offer was actually still on the table.
Hockman is aware that there are two other quarterbacks Alabama is targeting right now: four-stars Tua Tagovailoa (Honolulu) and Jake Bentley (Opelika, Ala). Some Crimson Tide coaches are expected in the metro-Atlanta area this spring to see Hockman throw once again to see if he should be their No. 1 guy.
“It’s kind of been what they have told the other guys,” Hockman said when asked what the message from the coaches has been as of late. “They want to see us throw. It’s been almost two years for me since they have seen me throw for them. They want to come down to a practice in spring ball to watch us live.”
If things go as smoothly as it did the last time Hockman was in front of Alabama coaches, it will be good news for him. The coaches offered him almost on the spot. This next chance he gets will be to show them how much he has improved in the two years.
A report surfaced Tuesday stating Hockman is going to visit Alabama the first weekend in April. As of now, he doesn’t know if that’s happening. He will visit Florida State next weekend and North Carolina on April 9.
The nation’s No. 7 pro-style quarterback said he would like to commit to his school of choice as soon as possible to secure his spot in whichever class he chooses and to help recruit other top athletes for his school.
Besides being ranked one of the top quarterbacks in the country, Hockman showed tremendous leadership for his team in the state playoffs. His team had a chance to win on the last play of the game, but McEachern came up short. It was the last game for several of his teammates. Hockman went around to each of his teammates and gave them a hug to console them and thanked them for giving it their all. It was one of the moments that stuck out the most to me this past high school football season.
It’s also that leadership that Alabama coaches are looking for at the quarterback position.
Posted on 3/21/16 at 10:48 am to TideSaint
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Laviska Shenault couldn’t come up with the words when asked for his reaction when Alabama wide receivers coach Billy Napier pulled him aside on his visit Friday and offered him a scholarship.
“I really can’t explain it,” Shenault told SEC Country. “I was quiet for a little bit. I was just shocked that I got that offer.
“Coach Napier was talking about how good of a player I am and was telling me how I could be next. It was great to hear that.”
After he got the offer, Shenault, a four-star wide receiver from DeSoto (Texas) High School talked with his coach. They immediately started listing pros and cons for Alabama. Shenault couldn’t come up any cons.
“Some of the pros were that they have good receivers that leave that program (for the NFL), their coaches are great and my coach just really likes how the team is always working,” Shenault said. “We’re big on working. I really don’t remember the cons. I don’t think there were any.”
The 6-foot-1, 203-pounder rated the visit a “10.” Because of his experience in Tuscaloosa, he’ll be making a return trip.
“The way Coach Napier talked to me, he just told me that I’m a good receiver and I can get in and out of my routes,” Shenault said when asked why the visit was perfect. “He was telling me that some of the Alabama receivers can’t even do that as well as I can.
“The facilities, the film I watched, the surroundings of the campus — everything is close by. I loved all of it.”
After visiting Alabama, Shenault and his coach visited LSU. He got to campus late, so he didn’t have much time to interact with the coaches and take in as much as he would have liked. He did notice one difference between the two SEC West rivals.
“Alabama is more about business. LSU gets crunk with it,” Shenault laughed.
Shenault is rated as the nation’s No. 38 wide receiver and is the No. 39 prospect in the state of Texas.
Posted on 3/21/16 at 10:50 am to TideSaint
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Alabama lost defensive back Cyrus Jones to graduation this offseason, but the Crimson Tide may have their next playmaker that can play both offense and defense in Nigel Knott.
The four-star cornerback from Germantown (Miss.) High School signed with Alabama on National Signing Day. Knott, who is one of the most-gifted athletes in the 2016 class, said Nick Saban has discussed the possibility of playing offense, defense and special teams, which Jones did while at Alabama.
“I know Saban at one point mentioned wide receiver and cornerback to me. I’m definitely interested in that,” Knott told SEC Country. “He also talked to me about punt and kick returner. I prefer to play everything because I love contributing to the game. If I had one choice, it would be cornerback and then special teams.”
Knott’s athleticism was on full display in two highlight videos that went viral. In the first one, Knott ran up a brick wall before doing a backflip and catching a football. In the second, Knott showed off his ridiculous vertical leap in a video he captioned, ‘messing around at school.’
The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder signed with Alabama because of the program’s history and ability to groom NFL players.
“I guess you could say their record of winning all of the time,” Knott said. “They did it this past year and they are going to continue doing it. I felt comfortable with the class coming in with me. I knew everybody.”
The following is a question-and-answer session conducted with Knott in the third edition of our Alabama recruiting rewind series.
You’ll learn why he chose Alabama over his father’s alma mater, Ole Miss, and why that school disappointed him. You’ll also find out which program finished in second, and a time when he was about to commit to a school not called Alabama.
1. If you could give a junior only one piece of advice about the recruiting process, what would it be?
“Keep your recruiting process within your family. Don’t spread it out to the world. Everyone has their own opinions and if you listen to everyone, then you won’t make your own.”
2. What school came in second? What could they have done a little better?
“It was a tie between Mississippi State and Oregon. All three schools are great. I just wanted to be at Alabama.”
3. Which college would you have considered more seriously if they had offered you earlier in the process?
“It would be Ole Miss. Here’s where really everything started to change for me: My first offer was Mississippi State. The first school I went to was Mississippi State, and I got an offer from them. The second school I went to was Southern Mississippi, and I got an offer on that trip. The third school I went to was Ole Miss, and they didn’t offer me. I just felt so bad because my dad went there and I didn’t get an offer from them and the other two schools gave me one. Ever since that point, it still stuck out to me. I think Ole Miss was like the eighth school to offer me. It really wasn’t until the end of the process that I started getting a better relationship with Ole Miss.”
4. What was that conversation like with your dad after not getting an offer?
“He was basically like, ‘they just want to make sure on you before they take risks on in-state kids.’ He was just like they are going to get back to you after they review your film.” (His father, David, played safety for Ole Miss in the 1990s.)
5. What’s the biggest secret you kept during the recruiting process?
“I was about to commit, but then I changed the date twice. The first time I was going to commit to Florida State, but then my parents just felt that I needed to wait it out and weigh all of my options to see what was going on. This was on my way home from a Florida State camp back in June.
“The second time I was going to commit to Alabama. I think that was going to be at my Under Armour All-American jersey ceremony, but I changed the date again.”
6. So is your dad now going to be an Alabama fan?
“He’s going to be chilling in his house with an Alabama jersey on now,” he laughed. “(Ole Miss) is his school, so when they aren’t playing us, he can still cheer for them.”
7. What was your biggest regret during the recruiting process?
“I guess it would be not being more open with my family throughout that process. They really needed me to be more open because they have helped me so much. I wish I would have been more open with the people that I needed to be open with.”
8. What was the funniest story that happened on one of your recruiting trips?
“It was the Alabama official visit. We were at Saban’s house and something happened. We were on the trail and someone had wrecked some golf carts. (Note: five-star linebacker signees Ben Davis and Lyndell “Mack” Wilson were the guilty ones. You can read about that story here.)
9. Which coach was it the hardest to say no to?
“(Mississippi State coach) Dan Mullen because I really liked their program. They were the first to offer me and had been recruiting me the longest. He was still recruiting me even after I had committed to Alabama. I really respect Mullen.”
10. What happened at the last minute with Mississippi State? I know they contacted you on signing day.
“They did. It wasn’t like a pushy conversation at all, though. I made phone calls to the schools I wasn’t going to that morning. Mississippi State was just telling me that I could wait to make a decision and there wasn’t any pressure at all.”
11. How much negative recruiting was out there?
“A lot of coaches were just telling me don’t be just another guy at Alabama, come be the guy. More people were just telling me that I won’t play at Alabama. People still tell me that today.”
12. What’s the one thing you are most looking forward to at Alabama?
“Just getting to that university and getting coached by a lot of great guys. I can’t wait to get there.”
Posted on 3/21/16 at 3:06 pm to TideSaint
Lol at the negative recruiting tactics. Can't believe that works.
Posted on 3/21/16 at 3:10 pm to Vidic
Why doesn't the MVP ever get to go to the opening smh
Posted on 3/21/16 at 3:27 pm to South Alabama Tide
You may believe that, but those close to the program that I have heard from definitely don't. They think he has to get MUCH more physical. I'd be absolutely shocked out of my mind if he started this year.
Posted on 3/21/16 at 3:35 pm to Vidic
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Lol at the negative recruiting tactics. Can't believe that works.
I can't either. "Look, you're not good enough to play at Alabama, but we suck, so you can come here and play early."
Posted on 3/21/16 at 3:41 pm to BamaJuggs
Gary Johnson article
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When he got here last fall as true freshman, he ran a 4.44 in the 40," Starkey said. "We ran 40s the week before spring break and we always get three clocks on him. One clock had him at a 4.28, one had him at 4.32, one had him at 4.30 flat."
This post was edited on 3/21/16 at 3:43 pm
Posted on 3/21/16 at 4:43 pm to Cobrasize
Well, whatever the actual 40 time is, we know he can flat out fly. He seems to play at another level of speed from everyone else in his Juco Freshman film. And 10.59 in the 100 m in HS is no joke. That's lightning fast for a LB. Redfish thinks he's the best LB we'll have signed since Reuben. 5 star.
Posted on 3/21/16 at 5:04 pm to South Alabama Tide
Ben Davis won't start over SDH or Holcombe IMO. At least not to start the season.
Posted on 3/21/16 at 5:33 pm to TideSaint
Gary Johnson is now a 4-star:
Dat Bama bump.
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Turn on the film of Alabama's latest football commit and the kid just looks different. His burst, his explosiveness, his attacking mentality are all impossible to miss. And that's just the basketball film (watch here). At 6-foot-1 Gary Johnson isn't a basketball player, though. The Dodge City Community College athlete has found a great home as a football player — linebacker, specifically — and he's one of the best junior college football players in the country. He's now ranked as a four-star on 247Sports with a 93 rating.
Dat Bama bump.
Posted on 3/21/16 at 5:47 pm to Tide or Die87
Guys, I don't know how many more mods and Bama sources are going to have to mention that Rashaun Evans will likely be starting at the other ILB spot for you to accept it. I don't say this rudely. I just don't really understand how people on this board keep posting that SDH is going to start next to Reuben. I guess Evans could fall flat on his face at ILB, but that's not expected to happen.
Posted on 3/21/16 at 5:48 pm to TideSaint
I wish he'd redshirt this year at Juco. Sure would be nice to have three possible years of playing eligibility for him.
Posted on 3/21/16 at 6:13 pm to Bama3714
You act as if sources and mods haven't been wrong before
Posted on 3/21/16 at 7:08 pm to Tide or Die87
Keith Niebuhr CB'D Tadarian Moultry to Bama
Posted on 3/21/16 at 7:11 pm to Rizzy
We may not even have to go out of state for LBers in this class if you count Johnson in that group.
Posted on 3/21/16 at 7:14 pm to TideSaint
Was thinking the same thing
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