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

quote:

---

Decision likely coming by end of week for Brevin White

It all started with a message from outside linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi a week before the National Championship Game. It was totally unexpected, but it may have changed Brevin White’s life as he knows it.

White, a 4-star quarterback from Paraclete High School (Lancaster, Calif.), after receiving the message from Lupoi, texted Dean Herrington, his coach, that Alabama wanted to recruit him. After the championship game against Georgia, Lupoi flew out to California and offered a scholarship and the opportunity to take an official visit to Tuscaloosa.

The nation’s No. 13 pro-style quarterback took a red-eye flight from California to Birmingham on Jan. 25 and spent the weekend in Alabama where he was hosted by championship hero Tua Tagovailoa, who White knows from the various camps the pair attended back when the Tide freshman was a recruit in Hawaii.

White’s recruitment is a unique one. He committed to Princeton back in July during a family vacation where the Whites decided to visit the Ivy League school. White texted Herrington that he was going to commit to Princeton, which caused the coach to simply respond by saying, “What?”

“We’re talking about one of the top quarterbacks in California,” Herrington told SEC Country. “I knew with the way he was practicing that he was going to have another remarkable season. He did. He threw 54 touchdowns and only had 5 interceptions. He had just under 4,000 yards and didn’t play in the fourth quarter in over half our games.”


But it’s because of his commitment to Princeton that allows Alabama to have a chance at landing White. Recruits don’t sign a national letter of intent with Ivy League schools. There are no football scholarships. The only financial aid Ivy League schools provide are determined based on the student’s financial need dependent on the family’s income.

“He’s going to have to pay darn near the whole tuition if he went there,” Herrington said. “Maybe he’d get a little aid.”

So, that’s why White is currently one of the top unsigned quarterbacks in the country. But it wasn’t like White was looking around at other schools with the hopes of getting out of his commitment to Princeton. He was set on going there for school until that random message popped up on his phone from Lupoi.

Herrington said White was leaning toward going to Princeton even with schools such as Boise State, Iowa, Iowa State and Oregon State wanting him to change his mind.

“He wasn’t really looking at other schools until Alabama came around,” Herrington said. “He wasn’t anticipating it. It’s Alabama. It’s coach [Nick] Saban. There are great contacts there, just like at Princeton, when he’s done playing. He loved the trip. His parents loved it. Now, he’s debating.”

White is the team’s preferred choice at quarterback. Brock Purdy, a 3-star quarterback from Perry High School (Gilbert, Ariz.), and James Foster, a 4-star quarterback from Sidney Lanier High School (Montgomery, Ala.), remain options.

According to Herrington, Alabama has given White until the end of the week before the Crimson Tide will move on to Purdy and White. The coaching staff has also told White and his family that he could enroll in school as soon as he wants, too, because he has already graduated from high school.

The decision to not pressure White into an immediate commitment could ultimately pay off.

White took an official visit to Minnesota this fall to watch the Golden Gophers face Nebraska. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck flew out to California to personally recruit White to be his quarterback in the 2018 class. When White arrived on campus, Minnesota pushed for an immediate decision. It wasn’t a smart choice.

“They put so much pressure on him,” Herrington said of Minnesota. “They wanted him to commit right away, which I don’t think was very smart. It didn’t feel right.

“Alabama is great. They are putting no pressure on him. They have given him a week, and that’s more than enough time. That shows me a lot as a coach. They want him to make the best decision for him, and they aren’t like a lot of these other schools that put so much pressure on these kids.”

Alabama has seen its fair share of quarterback targets in the 2018 class go elsewhere. It was always going to be difficult for the Tide to land an elite-level prospect because of how young the depth chart is in Tuscaloosa. Entering the season, the Tide had the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year in Jalen Hurts, who won the award as a true freshman, and 5-star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Not to mention Mac Jones, who was a 4-star prospect in his own right.

We all know what happened in the National Championship Game at this point, and that further complicates the team’s ability to recruit a top-flight quarterback in this recruiting cycle.

Herrington said he believes the young quarterback room isn’t going to deter White from Alabama if he does choose the Tide. White knows that he has to compete at Princeton, if that’s where he eventually enrolls.

Herrington also believes that Alabama’s offense suits White’s abilities after talking with new quarterbacks coach Dan Enos.

“Talking to the coaches at Alabama, I think they want a quarterback who is going to go through his progressions — 1, 2, 3, 4 — and not a guy who is going to look at his first option and if he’s not open take off and run,” Herrington said. “A lot of college quarterbacks do that nowadays. I think Alabama is the perfect offense for Brevin’s skill set.

“He’s very accurate. That’s the No. 1 thing you want out of a quarterback, other than toughness. A live arm is good, but anticipation and accuracy is what’s most important. He also throws a great deep ball. If a corner is playing man or press, he has an uncanny ability to drop the ball right over the DB and right into the receiver’s hands. He’s not a 4.5 [second 40-yard dash] kid, but he’s sneaky fast. He can take off if no one is there after going through his progressions. We have him call out the progressions and change the protection if we need to.”

Herrington didn’t come out and say he wants White to sign with Alabama, but it’s clear that it’s the school he wants him to attend. He has coached or trained Miami Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore, former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller and current CFL quarterback Vernon Adams.

He believes White has the abilities to one day play in the NFL.

“He’s too good of a quarterback not to play at a high Division I level,” Herrington said. “He’s just too good. He can play in the NFL one day. Brevin can do it.”

But it’s not an easy decision for White to make. White wants to work on Wall Street one day and get into business finance. A degree from Princeton, which is ranked the No. 1 school in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report, could help him accomplish his career goals. But, like Herrington said, a connection with Saban could also open doors for him to achieve his dreams.

“It just depends on what kind of lifestyle he wants,” Herrington said. “Does he just want to play 10 games a season, play in the Ivy League, not go to a bowl game, but the academics are off the charts? Or does he want to play in front of 100,000 people with an unbelievable football program? The academics aren’t obviously on Princeton’s level.

“I think it’s a toss-up right now. He knows what I feel. I am giving him space. I am his friend before I’m his coach. I don’t want to put any pressure on him. Brevin is a smart guy. He’s going to be successful wherever he goes. A piece of paper isn’t going to determine what kind of job he gets.”

---

quote:

---

Karl Dunbar had issues traveling to Huntsville yesterday to see Malik Langham

---

quote:

---

Pannunzio and Karl Scott are visiting Patrick Surtain and Tyson Campbell today.

---

quote:

---

Former Alabama Crimson Tide star wide receiver Julio Jones announced an ownership stake in two Tuscaloosa, Ala., car dealerships on Wednesday. But his dig at the Georgia Bulldogs, which Alabama defeated in the national championship game, was the highlight of the afternoon.

Jones, who admitted he missed the final three quarters of the Crimson Tide's 26-23 comeback victory in overtime, provided a good excuse at Georgia's expense.

"I am sorry to say I was asleep," Jones told AL.com. "It's kind of hard to stay up and watch. I've got to get my proper sleep to go out and perform the way I need to perform. I want to go out and perform for you guys. I can't go out there and put bad stuff [on film].

"I am from Alabama. I can't go out there and put out some Georgia."

Jones and the Atlanta Falcons had a NFC Divisional playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles, which will take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on Sunday, that week. Although the Falcons lost, at least the former 247Sports five-star recruit got to see his beloved Crimson Tide hoist a trophy.

"Is that too far, too soon?" Jones said about his shot at the Bulldogs.

Not for Crimson Tide fans.

---

quote:

---

Do we know if Saban has used his in-home with these two yet?

---

quote:

---

If Langham goes elsewhere I will forever blame Dunbar.

---

quote:

---

Langham is a silent commitment already

---

quote:

---

1. Comparing class of 2018 to class of 2014

The 2018 class is a special one and the most talented class since the 2014 class, which put a ton of top prospects high in the NFL Draft. I figured it would be interesting to compare the top player at each position from each class to see who the best is. Keep in mind, this is based on how they projected out of high school…

Pro-style QB – Kyle Allen vs. Trevor Lawrence – Kyle Allen was talented, but this one is easy, Lawrence is the best quarterback I’ve ever scouted ahead of even Josh Rosen.

Dual-threat QB – Deshaun Watson vs. Justin Fields – How’s this for a comparison? Fields will have a hard time surpassing Watson’s accomplishments, but I still think he’s a bit more college-ready at the same stage.

Running Back – Leonard Fournette vs. Zamir White – White is certainly talented and one of the best backs I’ve scouted, but Fournette is top five in my history and ranks ahead of him.

All-purpose back – Joe Mixon vs. James Cook – This one is easy, Mixon was one of the most talented dual-threats I’ve ever seen. Cook is good, but he’s not on Mixon’s level.

Wide receiver – Travis Rudolph vs. Amon-Ra St. Brown – Another easy one as St. Brown is just way more dominant at the same stage.

Tight end – Jeb Blazevich vs. Luke Ford – Two Georgia signees and I’ll go with Ford because he’s a bigger target and more athletic.

Offensive tackle – Cam Robinson vs. Nick Petit-Frere – Petit-Frere has a very high ceiling but Robinson was much more college-ready at the same stage.

Offensive guard – Damien Mama vs. Jamaree Salyer – Mama was a huge and talented guard prospect but Salyer is one of the best I’ve seen in years and so much more advanced.

Offensive center – Josh Casher vs. Justin Dedich – Dedich is the call here as he’s more natural at the position despite not being the biggest offensive lineman.

Weakside defensive end – Eyabi Anoma vs. Myles Garrett – Anoma is a talented kid and has an amazing ceiling, but Garrett was on a different level and much more filled out.

Strongside defensive end – Da’Shawn Hand vs. Xavier Thomas – This is a tough one because Thomas could be No. 1 in many other years. However, Hand was more athletic and quick twitch coming out of high school.

Defensive tackle – Andrew Brown vs. Taron Vincent – Brown was great for every evaluation except his last one at Under Armour where he was bad. But we decided to keep him as a five-star anyhow and he hasn’t lived up to that. Despite that, I still think he has the size and power advantage over Vincent at the same stage.

Outside linebacker – Rashaan Evans vs. Micah Parsons – A tough call here only because Parsons is more of a defensive end, but he’s so talented I’ll give him the nod here.

Insider linebacker – Raekwon McMillan vs. Teradja Mitchell – Two Ohio State signees who play a very similar brand of football, but I’ll go with McMillan in a tight battle.

Cornerback – Jabrill Peppers vs. Patrick Surtain – Peppers was more of a safety than he was a cornerback by the time his senior year came around, but he was still more of a natural talent by a little bit.

Safety – Quin Blanding vs. Tyreke Johnson – Blanding was so smooth and rarely made a mistake that he was my safest five-star in the 2014 class, a guy who couldn’t miss. He has the edge.

Athlete – Adoree Jackson vs. Devon Williams – Jackson was a two-way star who was also a special teams demon, so he gets the easy nod here.

---