re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition

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Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's scintillating performance in the national championship game clearly places the Crimson Tide's quarterback situation as the No. 1 storyline entering spring practice.

But what does Tua's emergence -- and the prospect of Jalen Hurts' having two more years of eligibility -- mean for Alabama's quarterback recruiting? And how will Brian Daboll's departure impact quarterback recruiting?

Alabama does not currently have a quarterback committed in the Class of 2018, although Sidney Lanier's James Foster has an Alabama offer. Arizona commit Jamarye Joiner, a 6-foot-3, 3-star prospect from Vail, Arizona, has scheduled a visit to Alabama later this month and expects to get an offer.

The Crimson Tide needs to add quarterback in the 2018 signing class, with a thin roster with only three scholarship quarterbacks -- -- Hurts, Tagovailoa and Mac Jones, who was arrested for DUI in November.

Spain Park's Braxton Barker -- the son of legendary Bama quarterback Jay Barker -- has been offered a preferred walk-on spot. He would fit the mold of a developmental prospect who could blossom in college, as opposed to a 5-star prospect who expects to immediately push for playing time.

With the top 2018 prospects off the board, what's Alabama 2019 quarterback recruiting look like?

Alabama has already offered two in-state players -- Hewitt-Trussville's Paul Tyson, the great-grandson of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant; and Thompson's Taulia Tagovailoa, Tua's younger brother. Both threw for more than 3,000 yards and 30 TDs in 2017 and are expected to be among the top Mr. Football candidates next season.

Alabama has also offered Michael Johnson, a quarterback from Eugene, Oregon and son of an Oregon assistant coach. Johnson, the top-ranked uncommitted 2019 quarterback according to 247sports, has already accepted an invitation to play in the 2019 Under Armour All-American all-star game.

Even if Alabama signs a quarterback and takes Barker as a walk-on this year, it's plausible that it will sign two quarterbacks in 2019,

Will Taulia join his brother? Would Bear Bryant's great-grandson spurn the Tide and sign with someone else? Could Alabama get involved with other quarterbacks?

Alabama's quarterback situation -- Tua vs. Jalen -- will dominate Alabama fans' Facebook feeds from now until the 2018 season opener on Sept. 1, against Louisville in Orlando.

Keeping track of quarterbacks on Alabama's recruiting radar will be another soap opera worth every fan's attention.

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Players want Mike Locksley as offensive coordinator

Damien Harris campaigned for current wide receivers coach Mike Locksley to be Alabama’s next offensive coordinator after Brian Daboll was hired by the Buffalo Bills. So did former Crimson Tide All-America offensive lineman Cam Robinson. Former Tide offensive lineman Alphonse Taylor shared his support, too.

It’s clear the players want Locksley to get the job. Tide 4-star wide receiver signee Xavier Williams shared why he thinks that’s the case.

“Coach Locks is just a great man and a great father,” Williams told SEC Country. “He’s very good with his players. He interacts with everyone.”

Promoting Locksley would also help the Tide with some stability on the coaching staff that is needed in Tuscaloosa. This next offensive coordinator will be the fourth in the past three seasons. Not to mention, the Tide also lost defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley, two top recruiters. And if we rewind back to a little more than a year, Alabama lost offensive line coach Mario Cristobal and wide receivers coach Billy Napier, two guys who also were top recruiters for the team.

Stability is needed, and that’s what Locksley provides. There’s also a possibility that Alabama loses Locksley if he doesn’t get the offensive coordinator job because Florida State coach Willie Taggart wants him for the position in Tallahassee. So, the question is, does coach Nick Saban want to lose Pruitt, Daboll, Ansley and Locksley in a matter of a month?

If Locksley does get the job, it could certainly help the Tide with three wide receiver targets left on the board: 4-star prospects Justyn Ross, Jaylen Waddle and Jacob Copeland.

Ross was very close to Ansley, who was his primary recruiter before he left for the Oakland Raiders. Sources close to the Alabama program told SEC Country before Ansley left that they felt that Ross was leaning toward the Tide. It’s unknown how the loss of Ansley and Daboll affect Ross, but he does have a relationship with Locksley.

Copeland was very close to Pruitt, and he told SEC Country that there was a good chance he would have committed to the Tide if he ended up staying in Tuscaloosa. Locksley has since taken over his recruitment. There are some who believe Alabama leads behind the scenes, but it’s just too close to call right now. He also has a relationship with Saban himself.

Waddle will likely choose between Alabama and Texas A&M when he makes his commitment. Locksley is Waddle’s primary recruiter. If Alabama loses Locksley, the Tide likely lose any chance with the electrifying slot receiver target.

Locksley is also the primary recruiter for 5-star offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, who, according to a source close to the program, may have Alabama slightly ahead of Ohio State right now.

Now, Saban isn’t going to make any personnel decision based off a couple recruits, but one could make the case that he’d be the best recruiter at offensive coordinator in this era. He also has experience. He was the offensive coordinator at Illinois and Maryland. He also was the head coach at New Mexico.

I’m on board with the players. Locksley should be the choice here.

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I'm glad I'm not making these decisions.

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The 2018 Polynesian Bowl kicks off Saturday, Jan. 20, at 11 p.m. ET/6 p.m. HST on ESPN3.

In its second season, the game will pit several of the best high school recruits in the country against each other — Team Mauka vs. Team Makai — from Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium.

247Sports will be on the ground from the Aloha State all week, from registration and check-in, to each practice all the way through the game.

We’ll have plenty of content from the Islands.

Before then, here’s a quick primer.

Who’s playing?

Nine of the top 32 players in the 247Sports Composite will be playing in the game and 17 of the top 100 players in the 247Sports Composite will be on hand.

Included in that mix is five composite five-stars in Alabama signee Eyabi Anoma, USC signee Palaie Gaoteote, Penn State signee Ricky Slade and unsigned five-stars Isaac Taylor-Stuart and Devon Williams.

In addition, four-star defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, an early enrollee to Ohio State, received a waiver last week from the NCAA that clears him to play in the Polynesian Bowl next week in Hawaii, despite his enrolling earlier in the week at Ohio State.

On Monday night, a draft party will be held that will split the two teams, Team Mauka (Mountain) and Team Makai (Ocean).

Team Mauka will be coached by former Super Bowl and Rose Bowl champion coach Dick Vermeil and Honolulu native DeForest Buckner, a first round pick of the San Francisco 49ers out of Oregon, will be the honorary team captain.

Team Makai will be coached by former Rose Bowl champion coach Terry Donahue and Washington native Danny Shelton, a first round pick of the Cleveland Browns out of Washington, will be the honorary team captain.

Who’s announcing during the game?

Lompoc (Calif.) running back Toa Taua is scheduled to choose from between Iowa State, Utah State and Nevada, where his older brother was a star running back, during the game. The 247Sports Crystal Ball favors the Pack.

Euless (Texas) Trinity defensive end Izaih Filikitonga will pick from between TCU, Utah and Oklahoma State and the Horned Frogs have 86% of the 247Sports Crystal Ball tilted towards them.

Moreno Valley (Calif.) Rancho Verde receiver Manuel Allen is currently committed to Louisville but opted not to sign in December. He'll make his final decision between the Cardinals and Illinois, and there is a lot of buzz he'll flip to the Illini.

What are the big recruiting storylines?

With the Early Signing Period, there are a number of players who not only committed early, but already signed. Washington leads the way with the most commits/signees in the game, with six, including Hawaii native Zion Tupuola-Fetui. Next up, with four signees/commits each are Alabama, Ohio State, UCLA and USC.

Boise State and Hawaii have the most Mountain West commits with three each, and are joined by Notre Dame and Oregon with a trio of signees/commits in the game.

From the uncommitted ranks, aside from the announcements of Taua, Filikitonga and Allen, and the two uncommitted composite five-stars in Williams and Taylor-Stuart, there are still a number of uncommitted players in the game.

That includes four 247Sports Composite Top 100 players: Mission Viejo (Calif.) cornerback Olaijah Griffin, Corona (Calif.) Centennial quarterback Tanner McKee, St. George (Utah) Desert Hills offensive lineman Penei Sewell and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu.

Other 247Sports Composite four-star playing in the game that have yet to make a decision include Gardena (Calif.) Serra linebacker Merlin Robertson, Sacramento (Calif.) Inderkum receiver Isaah Crocker, Phoenix (Ariz.) North Canyon receiver Solomon Enis, Montgomery (Ala.) Lanier quarterback James Foster, Mountain View (Calif.) St. Francis defensive tackle Tyler Manoa and Villa Park (Calif.) cornerback Marcus Johnson.

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So Hoover has the #1 ranked kicker in the nation for 2019 by 247 Composite and Chris Sailer.

How can Bama mess this up?

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