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

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CB Jakorey Hawkins

Missouri and Southern Miss offered Montgomery (Ala.) Lee cornerback Jakorey Hawkins earlier in the week and he showed why Saturday. He burned the track in the 40 yard dash with a 4.38 second time. He is a long corner who is closing in on double-digit offers. He is a big fan of the Crimson Tide being from Alabama, and they are showing interest, but no offer yet. His stock should continue to rise this spring.

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Taulia Tagovailoa adjusting to life in Alabama

ALABASTER, Ala. — Taulia Tagovailoa and his family packed up their belongings from their home in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and moved more than 4,000 miles to the small Alabama town of Alabaster in order to be closer to Tua, his older brother.

The move had been talked about for months prior to Tagovailoa signing with Alabama because being near each other is so important to the family. The Tagovailoas have been in Alabama for just over two weeks now and Taulia, a 2019 4-star quarterback at Thompson High School, is still adjusting to life on the mainland.

“The people here have been treating us very well,” Tagovailoa told SEC Country. “The culture here at Thompson is good. It’s a good culture to be in. I’m happy here.”

Not all of his family has moved to Alabama. It’s the one thing Tagovailoa wishes he could change since moving from Hawaii. Other than that, he still gets to talk to Tua “basically every day” over FaceTime.

Tua excelled in Alabama’s spring game on Saturday, completing 17 of 29 pass attempts for 313 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception. Taulia said ever since Tua got to Tuscaloosa in January, he’s grown more in love with the place.

“He likes his teammates and coaches a lot,” Tagovailoa said. “The community is great. He loves everything over there. He really likes the food there, too. They eat a lot of chicken. Tua can eat. That’s for sure.”

Tagovailoa was offered by the Crimson Tide last year and he wanted to commit on the spot. His family told him to hold off on doing so just because he was too young to make a decision like that. When SEC Country met with him in Hawaii this past November, Tagovailoa made it clear that he still wanted to play for Alabama. He’s backed off of that declaration a bit because he wants to visit more schools now that he’s living in the South.

“It would be good to follow in his footsteps, but I just have to wait and see a lot more schools,” Tagovailoa said. “I’d like to be my own person, but I am just enjoying the process right now. It’s something that I will have to pray on and talk over with my family. If I continue to put God first and give him all of the glory, then I will be OK.”

The brothers haven’t played on the same football team since Taulia’s seventh-grade year when they were on the same park league team together, the Ewa Beach Hammerheads. Taulia was Tua’s center on that team. Taulia attended Kapolei in Hawaii so he could be that team’s starting quarterback instead of sitting behind Tua, who played for St. Louis.

As a sophomore at Kapolei, Taulia led his team to the state semifinals as he amassed 3,932 yards, 42 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions. He was on pace to shatter his brother’s all-time record for passing yards in Hawaii high school history. Tua finished his career with 8,158 yards. Taulia had 6,703 yards and he has 2 more years in high school.

He admits that it’s going to be tough for other college coaches to top Alabama when it comes time to make his decision, which will likely be made his senior year. The thought of continuing whatever legacy Tua leaves at Alabama already is intriguing for him. But the thought of playing with him is what is really drawing him toward Tuscaloosa.

“We did a lot of stuff together,” Tagovailoa said. “We used to play games a lot. We used to play basketball together at the park. We used to sing together and play the ukulele.”

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Who was it?

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Georgia doubled the size of its 2018 recruiting class on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs got back to 2 commitments after a decision shared shortly after G-Day by Norcross kicker/punter Jake Camarda.

The nation’s No. 1 kicker for 2018, per the 247Sports composite, also rates as the nation’s No. 1 punter for 2018, per KohlskKicking.com.

Kirby Smart offered Camarda earlier this year. It seemed like a strong possibility he would eventually choose UGA. That finally came to fruition after the Bulldogs lost a commitment earlier in the day from 4-star OLB Adam Anderson.

Go Dawgs! ???? pic.twitter.com/JbUVaMVlMC

— Jake Camarda (@jakecamarda) April 22, 2017

Kohl’s Kicking offers up the following summation of Camarda’s ability. That service is one of the nation’s leading scouting voices, with kickers, punters and snappers being their specialty.

“Camarda had a dominant performance at the 2017 Underclassman Challenge. He is impressive in his refinement and his ability. He can directional punt with power and has great confidence in his punting mechanics. One of the most impressive punters we have seen at the high school level. He is ready to start at a Power 5 school right now.

“He has Division 1 ability in his field goals and kickoffs as well, [and] cleaning up contact will help him maximize his leg speed and power. His leg is flat out superior to most kids in his class. Camarda attended the 2016 NSC in Wisconsin. Once again Jake showed why he is the No. 1 punter in the nation for the 2018 class with an average of 55-plus yards from the charting portions of camp.

“His leg speed up and through the football is unmatched in his class.”

Camarda is only seen as a 2-star recruit on the 247Sports composite.

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Alabama

Current commitments: 3

Projected SEC rank: 1

Projection last month: 1

Overview: For the last 7 years, the Crimson Tide have landed the nation’s top recruiting class. We’ll have to get much closer to signing day before we can safely project anything but another first-place finish for Nick Saban and Co.

It’s worth pointing out, however, that the Tide lost a verbal commitment from 4-star DT Akial Byers last week (he was originally slated to be part of the Class of 2017 but failed to qualify academically), and there is some serious work to do to make it 8 years in a row atop the recruiting rankings.

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Auburn clears up offer confusion with top DL

ODENVILLE, Ala. — At Auburn’s most recent junior day, there was one prospect who seemed like a sure thing to receive an offer.

Jalen Cunningham, the 6-foot-5, 360-pound defensive tackle from St. Clair County (Ala.), already had received Alabama, Mississippi State, Georgia and Ole Miss offers. He hoped to grab the Auburn one. But he left the Plains without an offer from the Tigers, so he started to narrow in on his choices.

Last week, Cunningham released a top 5 of Georgia, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama and Oregon with a noticeable absence of Auburn from this top list of schools.

It didn’t take long for Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner to get Cunningham on the line to clear that up.

“I didn’t think I had the offer. I went down there junior day. When you interviewed me, I thought I was going to get it, but I didn’t. I guess I had it. He said he gave me the offer, but he never specified that he gave it to me,” Cunningham said. “When I dropped my top 5, Coach Garner called me and told me to call Coach (Gus) Malzahn later on that night. I talked to him for the longest, and he gave me the offer later that night.”

Despite the early confusion, Cunningham still has love for the Tigers.

It’s an in-state school, and he “has a lot of love” for the entire AU coaching staff, specifically naming Malzahn as a head coach he’s particularly close to. The late-night conversations with Malzahn and Garner worked. Cunningham knew immediately after those calls that he’d have to rework his recently-released top 5 schools.

“It changed a whole bunch,” Cunningham said. “It meant a lot because I love Auburn. I love the coaching staff. I love everybody down there.”

He plans to release a second version of his favorite schools as early as Monday. Expect Auburn to be on the list when he restructures it. The Tigers still have a lot of work to do to get into the legitimate conversation for Cunningham.

Cunningham speaks with Alabama offensive line coach Brent Key almost daily. Auburn’s communication doesn’t come anywhere near that. Garner talks with Cunningham “at least once every 2 weeks,” and Cunningham said he wanted to see that level of communication increase.

“Yeah, a lot more,” he said.

A source told SEC Country earlier this spring that the Tigers continued to evaluate Cunningham as a defensive lineman, thinking he possibly could be more of an offensive player. Cunningham said Friday that they want him at nose guard like most other programs.

Mississippi State was the only school to mention offensive line, but Dan Mullen flipped his projection to the defensive side shortly after his offer. Since Cunningham hasn’t played offensive line since early middle school, he wants to make sure prospective schools are clear about what side of the ball he’ll play on.

For now, most coaches have encouraged him to drop weight. He’s at 360 right now, but has been running daily suicides on the basketball court before and after school to try to drop weight.

Clemson, Florida State and Penn State are other programs that could enter the equation if they offer Cunningham. LSU could become a major factor if the Tigers offer him.

His decision will come just before his senior season.

Auburn made a wise move to clear up the offer confusion from post-junior day.

“When I left there, I wanted that offer. I love everything about Auburn, plus it’s in Alabama,” Cunningham said. “I knew they were going to be neck-and-neck. I love everything about Auburn. I love everybody down there. Coach Malzahn is great.”

It should be noted that Alabama will be a tough team to beat.

Cunningham’s Chevy Tahoe has a Crimson Tide license plate, a Crimson Tide logo on the back and his key lanyard is Alabama-themed.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Doctors informed Harold Joiner that he was done growing a year ago. He was 6-foot-2 then and now measures 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds this spring.

Joiner’s height is out of his control. His college decision is not.

The 4-star running back from Mountain Brook (Ala.) High School is in the process of trimming his list of 24 offers to 5 top schools. LSU, Auburn and Alabama are already locks to make the cut. Texas could join the fray, assuming the Longhorns offer the blue-chip recruit when he visits Austin on May 11.

LSU has grabbed an edge ahead of the in-state powers, though, largely because at his current height and weight, the coaches have made it overtly clear that they want Joiner as their tailback in the 2018 recruiting class. Barring a growth spurt, the U.S. Army All-American named the Tigers as his leading school and expects to commit there whenever a decision is made.

“LSU is just a strong program,” Joiner told SEC Country. “I’m just waiting to see about my height and I may commit this summer — not necessarily to that school, but any school I’m comfortable with — or at the Army Bowl. If I stay 6-foot-3 until like October or November, then it’s going to be LSU.”

Joiner’s big frame and violent running style have led to him being ranked as the No. 16 back in the 2018 class and No. 11 overall prospect from the state of Alabama, per the 247Sports composite rankings.

Auburn was one of the first in-state schools to extend Joiner an offer. The Tigers did so as an athlete, though the coaches have told him they would use him primarily in the backfield. Alabama followed suit earlier this month, and like Auburn, did so as an athlete.

LSU and Auburn are a bit ahead of the Tide in the race for Joiner because they’re emphasizing a future at the position of his choice. Communication has been consistent. All 3 SEC West powers are likely to land in his top 5, which should be released toward the latter part of spring.

A commitment could follow soon after or last until the U.S. Army All-American Game in January at the latest.

“It’s just the 2 schools that have been communicating with me the most,” Joiner said of LSU and Auburn. “I’ll probably [commit] soon after my top 5 or the Army All-American Bowl.”

Assuming Joiner stays put at his current height, the choice will likely be LSU. That, he confirmed.

Tigers running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Tommie Robinson is leading the efforts for Joiner, and LSU head man Ed Orgeron was the coach pleading with the Alabama native to visit in March when he procured his offer. The common message from both coaches is that Joiner is the running back atop their board. He’s No. 1 at a major position of need in the 2018 recruiting class.

Need proof? The team has held back on accepting other commitments until Joiner is ready to give his verbal pledge.

“They’re telling me I’m their top back. Ole Miss is telling me that, too, but [LSU] tells me I’m they’re top back and they’re waiting on me to commit before they let any other back commit. They were going to tell me if another back commits right away. They said other running backs have tried to, but they’ve held back,” Joiner explained. “It means a lot. I’m just thankful just to be in that position.”

At this time a year ago, the doctors were wrong about Joiner, who grew another inch. Now, the blue-chip back is hoping they’re correct. Joiner stated clearly that he hopes not to grow. That would throw the proverbial wrench in his recruitment.

At 6-4 or 6-5, Joiner believes that college coaches would expect him to change positions — likely to wide receiver — which would also open the door for other schools such as Texas A&M, Clemson or Auburn to leapfrog LSU for the lead in his recruitment.

However, running back is the position of choice for the All-American. Avoiding a growth spurt over the next few weeks would make Joiner’s decision that much easier.

“If I end up 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5, I might have to move out to receiver, so I’d have to pick a receiver school,” Joiner admitted. “It could affect [my recruitment] a lot. I mean, it doesn’t affect it because I can catch the ball well, but I want to be a running back. I’m versatile. I can make people miss. I can make plays downfield. I’m an every-down back and my burst is pretty good.”

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