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

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Word was that the kitchen sink was already flowing over before the visit. 

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Scout's team of national recruiting analysts unveil the All-American team for the 2017 class. It is based on a combination of performance during the 2016 season plus their evaluation as players moving forward.

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

QB- Tate Martell, Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman - Committed to Ohio State

Led Gorman to their second straight Scout National Championship and third overall. Played a great schedule and stepped up big time in key moments in every game. Threw for 2,362 yards and 41 touchdowns with one interception and ran for 1,257 yards and 21 touchdowns.

RB- Najee Harris, Antioch (Calif.) - Committed to Alabama

The nation’s No. 1 player ran for 2,776 yards and 34 touchdowns to put the exclamation point on one of the finest careers in California history.

RB- D'Andre Swift, Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph's Prep - Committed to Georgia

Swift, who is committed to Georgia, missed a few games with an ankle injury but still rushed for 1,564 yards and 25 touchdowns on 149 carries. He also caught 21 passes for 500 yards and nine touchdowns.

WR- Oliver Martin, Iowa City (Iowa) West

The Army All-American had 85 receptions for 1,272 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior. One punt return for a touchdown and one kick return for a touchdown as well.

WR- CeeDee Lamb, Richmond (Texas) Foster - Committed to Oklahoma

The future Sooner caught 98 passes for 2,032 yards and 33 touchdowns on 20.7 yards per reception. He also ran four times for 35 yards. Lamb's 33 TD catches are the second-most in a single season in Texas high school football history.

WR- Jeff Thomas, East St. Louis (Ill.)

Led the Flyers to a state title with 50 receptions or 1,101 yards and 13 touchdowns and was the MVP of the Under Armour All-American Game.

OL- Foster Sarell, Graham (Wash.) Kapowsin - Committed to Stanford

Another monster year for a player some feel could be the best OL the state has produced. Named the Anthony Munoz National Lineman of the Year by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was the OL MVP of The Opening Finals.

OL- Alex Leatherwood, Pensacola (Fla.) Booker T. Washington - Committed to Alabama

Leatherwood is already in Tuscaloosa (Ala.) starting his career at Alabama and he could be next in line in the trenches. In one game this season, he had 15 pancake blocks and he was in double figure three other games.

OL- Walker Little, Fort Worth (Texas) Episcopal - Committed to Stanford

Little dominated the competition along the way to a monumental rankings rise that saw him finish in the Top 5 overall nationally. He was in the Final Five OL at The Opening and was named as one of the Top 5 overall performers at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

OL- Isaiah Wilson, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Poly Prep - Committed to Georgia

The Georgia commit had three rushing touchdowns in a game, but made his big mark as a right tackle. When asked how many pancakes he had on the season, he responded, "enough to run a local iHop."

OL- Wyatt Davis, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco - Committed to Ohio State

Won the coveted Mr. California Football from Cal-HiSports and was best player on state's best team. The top offensive guard prospect in the country, is one of the best lineman Southern California has ever produced.

ATH- Cam Akers, Clinton (Miss.) - Committed to Florida State

Akers went out on top leading Clinton (Miss.) to a state title his senior year. The Florida State commit had over 5,200 yards of total offense and 65 touchdowns. He ended his career as the No. 1 prospect in the South.

DEFENSE

DL- Jaelan Phillips, Redlands (Calif.) East Valley - Committed to UCLA

The U.S. Army National Defensive Player of the Year had 21 sacks this past season while playing a lot of outside and even middle backer. Freakish talent who is the No. 1 defensive end in the country.

DL- Aubrey Solomon, Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County

Solomon went out with a bang against regular double-teams in the toughest region in Georgia. He finished with 75 tackles, 10 sacks, 16 tackles for loss and one defensive touchdown.

DL- Chase Young, Hyattsville (Md.) Dematha Catholic - Committed to Ohio State

Young, who is committed to Ohio State, made 118 tackles, including 32 for loss. He also had 19 1/2 sacks

DL- K'Lavon Chaisson, Galena Park (Texas) North Shore

The five-star defensive end was named the District Defensive MVP. Tied sack record in UA Game with three in Orlando and also had 5 TFLs in the game.

LB- Thomas Johnston, Spanish Fort (Ala.) - Committed to UAB

Johnston broke the all-time state of Alabama record for tackles this season while racking up 197 on the season. He is constantly around the ball and a tackling machine.

LB- Anthony Hines, Plano (Texas) East - Committed to Texas A&M

As a senior in 2016, Hines was credited with 245 total tackles by the Dallas Morning News. He also racked up 38 tackles for a loss, six sacks, two interceptions, five forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He was named the Scout All-Midlands Defensive Player of the Year and the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year.

LB- Dylan Moses, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy - Committed to Alabama

Moses played elite competition his senior season and continued to shine making tackles sideline to sideline. He finished with over 100 tackles, averaging almost 12 per game.

DB- Bubba Bolden, Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman - Committed to USC

The top defensive player in the state of Nevada. Had an incredible year, made more big plays than any other safety and his blocked FG against St. Thomas Aquinas where he leaped over the entire OL in OT was the play of the year out West and preserved their unbeaten season.

DB- Shaun Wade, Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy - Committed to Ohio State

Wade hardly ever left the field, but when on defense, seven time he got the ball back to his offense. The Ohio State commit had a number of big hits and he had seven interceptions on the season.

DB- Devon Hunter, Chesapeake (Va.) Indian River - Committed to Virginia Tech

Hunter made 86 tackles playing safety at Indian River. He was also a big-time running back and ran for 1,223 yards and 24 touchdowns.

DB- Darnay Holmes, Calabasas (Calif.) - Committed to UCLA

Put up big numbers at receiver and was tremendous as a cover corner and returning punts and kicks.

ATH- Lamont Wade, Clairton (Pa.) - Committed to Penn State

Wade is already enrolled at Penn State and was a standout on offense, but was so good on defense teams rarely threw his way. Still, he had four interceptions, including three for touchdowns. He also rushed for 2,400 yards and 39 touchdowns.

SPECIAL TEAMS

K- Blake Haubeil, Buffalo (N.Y.) Canisius - Committed to Ohio State

Haubeil made all 56 of his exta point attempts and was 6 of 9 on field goals, with a long of 47 yards. Haubeil also kicked off 76 times, and registered 53 touchbacks.

P- Ryan Stonehouse, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei

Top specialist in the West, Stonehouse averaged 44.9 on punts and had 12 of his 24 punts pin inside the 20.

LS- Thomas Fletcher, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy - Committed to Alabama

Army All American and Chris Rubio Award winner.

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ANN ARBOR - Michigan's highest-rated uncommitted target has reportedly picked a school.

Aubrey Solomon, a 2017 five-star defensive tackle from Lee County High School in Georgia, told Scout.com that he made a decision on which school he will attend.

"I feel like I have found out where I am going," Solomon told Scout. "It came to me on Wednesday. I just prayed about it the night before and when I woke up, the answer came to me."

Solomon, who had a final four of Michigan, USC, Alabama and Georgia, told Scout that he will start informing coaches of his choice prior to announcing his decision on ESPN at 10 a.m. on national signing day, on Wednesday.

"So far, I am the only person who really knows what my decision is, but that will change this weekend," he told Scout. "I plan to start letting some know here soon. I have not told any coaches or anyone what my decision is, but I will start to here soon."

At 6-foot-3 and 288 pounds, Solomon is the No. 2 defensive tackle and No. 25 player overall in the 2017 class, according to 247 Sports Composite rankings.

Michigan's recruitment of Solomon has been a roller coaster. He committed to the Wolverines during a visit to Ann Arbor in June and decommitted in August, in part, due to a mailer he received from Michigan that misspelled his name and thanked him for attending an event he wasn't at.

Solomon took an official visit in November and, shortly after, said Michigan was his top school again. However, while at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in early January, he named Alabama his leader and also uttered an expletive about Michigan, which he later apologized for.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh made headlines for riding Go-karts and bowling with Solomonduring a visit last week and Michigan defensive line coach Greg Mattison and linebackers/special teams coach Chris Partridge visited Solomon on Thursday.

"I am thrilled that all of this is about to be over with," Solomon told Scout. "It has been fun at times and I have had a lot of good visits, but it has been crazy for me lately and I am glad it is about done. I am ready for it."

Solomon said his decision was based on a mixture of football and academics.

"For the school I am going to, it came down to what they have been doing in football and their graduation rate," Solomon told Scout. "What they have been doing in those two areas has been pretty unbelievable. Those things really helped me make my decision."

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Decision time is looming for Phidarian Mathis.

Who’s it going to be? SEC heavyweights Alabama and LSU? Or will a weekend visit be enough to push the four-star defensive lineman to TCU?

Mathis plans to announce his verbal commitment the night before next Wednesday’s National Signing Day. In the meantime, Alabama and LSU are pulling out all the stops to secure Mathis’ services.

Alabama coach Nick Saban and assistants Billy Napier and Karl Dunbar were back at Neville High School on Wednesday for the second time in two weeks to see Mathis. LSU coach Ed Orgeron and general manager Austin Thomas followed the Crimson Tide caravan on Thursday.

Mathis said his visit to Alabama last weekend was “a lot of fun” and called his meeting with Saban and crew “productive.”

“First off I just asked a couple questions I was concerned about,” Mathis said. “We sat back and talked about the d-line and how they could use me.

“Basically I was asking about the positions and how many players at one position and how long will they be around.”

Mathis turns attention to Alabama visit

Alabama loses two starters on the defensive line, Jonathan Allen & Dalvin Tomlinson, to graduation. Former five-star recruit Da’Shawn Hand made the decision to return for his senior season and is projected to be a full-time starter after spending the last three years as a reserve.

The trio of Greg Gilmore, Davon Godchaux and Lewis Neal started every game for LSU on the defensive line. Neal wrapped his college career after LSU’s 29-9 win over Louisville in Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, while Godchaux declared for the NFL Draft.

Mathis said he was exciting about the possibility of playing for Dunbar, Alabama’s veteran defensive line coach. Dunbar — a former defensive end at LSU — was the Tigers’ d-line coach in 2005 and spent 11 years in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills before joining the Alabama staff in 2016.

“It makes me feel like he’s been to the NFL so I know if I go there he’ll be preparing me for the NFL and I’ll be good,” Mathis said.

Mathis is expected to take his last official visit this weekend to TCU. The Horned Frogs have already secured one northeastern Louisiana commitment in West Monroe three-star Dennis Collins and have five players from the area on the roster.

“I’m just taking it one day at a time and this weekend I’ll be at TCU,” Mathis said.

“I’m checking out how that goes and learning new things about the program before I make my decision.”

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Surprise visitor is no more

Most schools around the country are gearing up for a crazy list of visitors as college football programs look to make a final impression on recruits just a few days before National Signing Day, which is this coming Wednesday.

Alabama will have zero official visitors.

Ameer Speed, a 3-star cornerback from Sandalwood High School (Jacksonville, Fla.), was expected to come to Tuscaloosa this weekend for an official visit, but he ended up canceling it and will stick with his original plan, which was to visit Oregon, according to Scout’s Corey Bender.

With this move, it’s unlikely the Crimson Tide are going to add another defensive back to the class, even though 4-star targets Todd Harris, a safety from Louisiana, and Chris Henderson, a cornerback from Miami, remain uncommitted. Henderson is trending toward Miami, while there may not be room for Harris because of his position. Alabama is recruiting him at star, the same position Tony Brown and Shyheim Carter play. Signee Kyriq McDonald is also likely to play there.

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