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

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10. DT Aubrey SolomonHeight/Weight: 6'3", 304 lbs

High School: Lee County High School (Leesburg, Georgia)

Scout Ranking: No. 11 overall (No. 2 DT)

Uncommitted

The recruitment of 5-star Aubrey Solomon has turned in to one of the most intriguing stories of the 2017 cycle. Michigan, USC, Auburn and home-state schools Alabama and Auburn appear to be the front-runners as he prepares for a big decision soon.

Alabama is believed to have a slight lead, according to Ryan Bartow of 247Sports. Solomon once was committed to Michigan but reopened his options this summer.

The winning school will get a stud defensive lineman who made a lot of noise during U.S. Army All-American Bowl week. He was a disruptive force throughout practices and made a case for being the nation's top-ranked tackle.

1 Thing to Know

Solomon was the latest athlete to have a much-discussed in-home visit with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. The two, along with Solomon's family, recently raced go-karts, went bowling and attending a preschool celebration, according to Allen Trieu's article for the Detroit News.

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Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney don’t always see eye to eye. In this edition of Rival Views, the two debate which head coach is the best recruiter in college football.

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GORNEY'S VIEW: NICK SABAN

Let’s not complicate this: Nick Saban is the best coach in college football, and he’s the best recruiter in college football.

End of story.

Alabama has won seven of the last nine Rivals.com recruiting rankings titles and the Crimson Tide could make it eight of 10 in the next couple weeks as they have – again – the best recruiting class in the country.

Ohio State is going berserk about its recruiting class, and rightfully so since the Buckeyes have six five-star pledges. That's still not as good as Alabama, which has seven.

I get the argument that Saban almost has it easy recruiting in Tuscaloosa since every top player wants to go there, but it’s not so simple.

Every top player wants to go there because they believe Saban can get them to the NFL based on his track record. That’s not easy. Handling and juggling so many personalities and egos isn’t easy, either.

I don’t think Saban is the best at going in and finding hidden gems, mainly because he doesn’t have to anymore, but he’s phenomenal at convincing top players to come to Alabama with no guarantee of early playing time and then molding them into NFL players.

That is tougher than it sounds.

Let’s look at Da’Shawn Hand, a former No. 1 player on Rivals. He chose Alabama over Michigan and others and has had an average career so far, but now with Jonathan Allen and others departing from the Crimson Tide defensive line, Hand will step right in and could be a first-round draft pick after next season.

Saban has done it time and time again. He gets the top talent because he’s built the best college football powerhouse in the land, but every recruiting cycle continues to convince the best players to join him with the Crimson Tide without guarantees of seeing the field early.

Ohio State’s Urban Meyer is a fantastic recruiter. Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops are doing a tremendous job this cycle. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is high on the list as well. But Saban is the best.

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Dylan Moses has been playing with high expectations for years. It happens when you're getting scholarship offers in middle school and getting ESPN Magazine covers as a high school freshman. Add another such honor for the Alabama recruit. Moses was named Parade Magazine national player of the year for the 2017 signing class. The Baton Rouge product is already enrolled in Tuscaloosa in advance of next Wednesday's National Signing Day.

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Uncommitted Kicker Jake Lane has told me that Alabama is out at this point. No more visit this week, will instead visit JSU Friday and Sat.

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as he’s not as filled out as either at the same stage, but is more polished as a route runner.

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Bama is at the top of Todd Harris’ mind

We’re a week away from National Signing Day, and one of Alabama’s top defensive back targets, 4-star safety Todd Harris from Plaquemine (La.) High School, still is unsure of what he’s going to do when he sits down and makes his decision live on ESPN.

Harris took an official visit to Tuscaloosa last weekend and he admits that Alabama has made his decision a difficult one.

“Alabama made it hard,” Harris told SEC Country’s Sam Spiegelman. “They made me think about stuff more. They just made it hard. They win so many games; they’re so successful.”

Todd Harris loves Alabama, but because of the lack of space in the Tide’s class, there may not be room. (Sam Spiegelman/SEC Country)

There’s a wrinkle in Harris’ recruitment, though. Numbers are extremely tight in Alabama’s and LSU’s classes, which are the believed to be favorites, for his commitment. One source close to the Alabama program told SEC Country that there may not be room for Harris come signing day depending on how other positions fill out. The same goes for LSU.

Another source said 4-star cornerback Ameer Speed, who currently doesn’t have an offer, could potentially get one in the coming days because the staff sees tremendous upside in him. If that happens, we could see a late official visit from him.

We know this: Wide receivers Henry Ruggs III and DeVonta Smith; defensive linemen Aubrey Solomon, LaBryan Ray and Phidarian Mathis; and cornerback Chris Henderson have sure-fire spots in the class. Other than those recruits, it may be a wait-and-see approach for everyone else.

What’s also working against Harris, in some way, is Alabama sees Harris playing the star in its defensive scheme, not safety. That’s the position that Tony Brown and Shyheim Carter both play. It’s also where Kyriq McDonald is likely going to play. Nick Saban will have to decide if he wants to take another star at this time. Alabama also has two true safeties in the Class of 2017 in Daniel Wright and Xavier McKinney.

If he does, it seems like Harris is leaning a bit toward Alabama after his visit this past weekend. The message he heard from the staff resonated with him.

“What am I waiting for, either roll with the Tide or get rolled over,” Harris said of Alabama’s pitch to him. “The secondary is kind of lacking with players leaving for the draft and being seniors. They think they can use me if I come in, put the work in and show I want to be there and play.”

While on his visit, Harris said it was different than ones he’s taken to Tuscaloosa before. He feels like he had a chance to build a better relationship with the staff and got to experience something he hadn’t done before — ride around on golf carts and play around with the other recruits there.

But more importantly, Harris said he could see himself committing to Alabama on signing day.

“I really enjoyed it a lot — football-wise — and I feel like I could be successful as a man by attending the University of Alabama,” Harris said. “It’s a brotherhood over there.”

The Under Armour All-American will take an official visit to Texas Christian this upcoming weekend. He said he should know which school he’ll pick on signing day this Sunday. Until then, he is unsure of what he’s going to do.

“I have a lot of thinking to do,” Harris said. “I’m taking these visits, all these schools showing me a good time and what they got to offer as far as opportunities on and off the field. It came fast, but I’m ready for it to be over with. Nothing is set in stone now. I’ll know for sure when I leave that Sunday what I’m going to do, and take two, three days to finalize things when I get back.”

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