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Posted on 5/2/17 at 11:11 am to TideSaint
Alabama is expected to visit Clay Webb in Oxford today.
Posted on 5/2/17 at 11:12 am to TideSaint
Alabama is also expected to visit Troup County, GA, today. King Mwikuta, who says Alabama is his leader, goes to school there.
Posted on 5/2/17 at 11:15 am to TideSaint
Steve Wiltfong CB'd Jarren Williams back to Kentucky.
Good. I don't like him.
Good. I don't like him.
Posted on 5/2/17 at 11:19 am to TideSaint
quote:
Jalen Cunningham is a lifelong Alabama fan and his black Chevrolet Tahoe has Roll Tide license plates and stickers.
Maybe that's what is making his college decision even harder.
The 6-foot-4, 360-pound Cunningham, a three-star defensive tackle recruit from St. Clair County, only got in this position earlier this year after Matt Glover took over as head coach and reached out to major college programs.
Until then, Cunningham had not had any exposure. Now, programs like Ole Miss, Georgia and Mississippi State have offered. South Carolina assistant Lance Thompson watched Cunningham practice on Monday. He's trying to work out a trip to Florida State, which has not yet offered but is in contact with Cunningham.
"I'm leaning more towards Alabama right now," Cunningham said. "When I went to Ole Miss (in early April), that's when it all stopped and I had to think about it some more. I was going to commit to Alabama on A-Day, which is my grandmother's birthday."
But he hasn't pulled the trigger. He's still amazed by the Alabama offer, "because I didn't think I was ever going to get an offer from them, or talk to anyone down there. It was crazy."
Cunningham is having a hard time saying no to other schools, but also wants to check them out and make sure he's making the best decision. Ole Miss is running second behind Alabama, Cunningham says, with Mississippi State and then Georgia.
"I loved it down at Ole Miss," Cunningham said. "The coaching staff and the campus and everything all the way down.
"I love all of them. That's what's so hard to pick. I don't know which one to pick. I love every coach."
Alabama defensive line coach Karl Dunbar is expected to watch Cunningham practice soon. He has a great relationship with area recruiter and offensive line coach Brent Key.
"We talk every day," Cunningham said. "He'll ask me how I'm doing and I'll ask how he's doing. I feel like he's a stepdad to me. I love Coach Key."
Blocker and ball carrier no match for Jalen Cunningham on this drill pic.twitter.com/chqU7CgDPg
-- Drew Champlin (@DrewChamplin) May 1, 2017
* * *
Not long after Glover was hired at St. Clair County in early January, he saw Cunningham in the weight room. Having never coached a player that big, he made sure to get in touch with college coaches.
Key stopped by to check Cunningham out. Cunningham met with Alabama head coach Nick Saban, and has a committable offer - not just a camp offer. The offer came on Feb. 17.
Glover went through his first spring practice with the Saints on Monday.
"He's raw," Glover said. "He's a little bit out of shape, but they're all a little bit out of shape. He's got all the potential in the world. It's just getting it out of him, every play. That's the big thing with big kids like that."
Cunningham carries his weight well and is athletic. Both he and his coach know that there is work to be done in that area.
"He needs to get around the 320 range," Glover said. "If he gets to that range, he'll have a lot more stamina."
Glover isn't pressuring Cunningham to make a quick decision - just to make sure he's making the right one. The bloodlines are there. Cunningham's first cousin is NFL Draft pick Zach Cunningham, a former All-America linebacker at Vanderbilt who played for Glover at Pinson Valley.
"I'm going to be there for him," Glover said. "That's his ultimate decision. I'm not going to tell him to go here or there. My thing with these kids is that, make sure you're not one of these guys who is going to commit and the next week, you're going to (visit) somebody else. Feel out the process, enjoy it, find out what school you like and who you feel good with and when you finally make that decision, make the right one."
LINK
Posted on 5/2/17 at 11:58 am to TideSaint
quote:
One of nation’s top DTs has Alabama in top 3 with commitment approaching
D’Andre Litaker has narrowed his focus to two SEC schools and one ACC option. His decision could come as soon as early next month.
Litaker, a 4-star defensive tackle from Riverdale High School (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), told SEC Country’s Hale McGranahan at the V7 Elite Playmakers showcase that his top 3 schools are Alabama, Louisville and Tennessee.
He broke down each option:
On Alabama: “I met with coach [Nick] Saban and coach [Karl] Dunbar [in late March] and they’re losing some defensive linemen. Alabama’s defensive line has always been great, so they’re going to continue producing great D-linemen, even the ones who are backing up the ones who left for the draft. I just think at Alabama — it’s guaranteed NFL. I think that could be a spot for me.”
On Tennessee: “The relationships I have with coaches. It’s a great school and they have great fans. Everything about UT is something special.”
On Louisville: “Really the same reason for UT. The coaches — I have a great relationships with them. I can also see myself playing for Louisville. They’re losing a lot of defensive linemen.”
The 6-foot-2, 302-pound prospect said a decision could come as the middle of this month or early June. If he decides to not follow through with that plan, Litaker said he could make his commitment at the first game of his season this fall.
The nation’s No. 18 defensive tackle said he will return to Tuscaloosa in a few weeks.
Signing several interior defensive linemen is important to the Crimson Tide in the Class of 2018. Litaker is one of a few names fans should know about. Others include in-state prospects Coynis Miller and Jalen Cunningham and out-of-state prospects such as Michael Thompson, Matthew Jones, Greg Emerson, former Tide commit Dare Rosenthal and junior college standout Teair Tart-Spencer.
Posted on 5/2/17 at 11:58 am to TideSaint
quote:
CB target commits elsewhere; now what?
Christopher Smith, a 3-star cornerback from Hapeville Charter (Atlanta), committed to Georgia on Monday. Alabama defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley had visited the school this past week.
With Smith’s commitment elsewhere, that’s one less target on the board for Alabama. Cornerback is arguably the biggest position of need for the Tide in 2018 because the team didn’t sign any in 2017 and Saban voiced his displeasure with that during his press conference on National Signing Day. The team really needs to land its top targets this cycle because Anthony Averett, Tony Brown and potentially Minkah Fitzpatrick will be gone. We have not seen tangible results yet whether Class of 2016 corners such as Shyheim Carter, Nigel Knott and Aaron Robinson will pan out.
So, with Smith off the board, who should fans pay attention to at corner?
Posted on 5/2/17 at 11:59 am to TideSaint
quote:
Patrick Surtain Jr., 5-star prospect from American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Surtain is considered a strong LSU lean at this time, but Alabama is going to continue to pursue the nation’s top cornerback until he has enrolled at the school of his choice. Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt visited Surtain’s school last week.
With there being such an obvious need at cornerback in this year’s class, perhaps the Tide can convince Surtain that the opportunity to play right away in Tuscaloosa is high.
Posted on 5/2/17 at 11:59 am to TideSaint
quote:
Isaac Taylor-Stuart, 4-star prospect from St. Augustine (San Diego)
Taylor-Stuart once said Alabama was his top school. That came shortly after visiting Tuscaloosa last year. He has since backed off that stance after picking up several big-time offers from national programs.
It’s going to be tough to get Taylor-Stuart away from the West Coast.
Posted on 5/2/17 at 12:00 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Kelvin Joseph, 4-star LSU commit from Scotlandville Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.)
Joseph has admitted to SEC Country in the past that he nearly flipped his LSU commitment to Alabama. The Crimson Tide have not stopped recruiting Joseph and him actually going through with the decision to flip wouldn’t be a surprise.
There’s a lot of pressure on Joseph to stay home and play for LSU.
Jalyn Armour-Davis, 4-star prospect from St. Paul’s Episcopal (Mobile, Ala.)
Armour-Davis didn’t include Alabama in his original top schools list back in February. He told SEC Country in March, though, that the Crimson Tide were back in the mix.
The 6-foot, 160-pound prospect is expected to make a commitment before his senior season. Alabama needs to get him back on campus before then because Auburn and Florida State are considered the favorites here.
Posted on 5/2/17 at 12:00 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Kelvin Joseph, 4-star LSU commit from Scotlandville Magnet (Baton Rouge, La.)
Joseph has admitted to SEC Country in the past that he nearly flipped his LSU commitment to Alabama. The Crimson Tide have not stopped recruiting Joseph and him actually going through with the decision to flip wouldn’t be a surprise.
There’s a lot of pressure on Joseph to stay home and play for LSU.
Posted on 5/2/17 at 12:00 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Jalyn Armour-Davis, 4-star prospect from St. Paul’s Episcopal (Mobile, Ala.)
Armour-Davis didn’t include Alabama in his original top schools list back in February. He told SEC Country in March, though, that the Crimson Tide were back in the mix.
The 6-foot, 160-pound prospect is expected to make a commitment before his senior season. Alabama needs to get him back on campus before then because Auburn and Florida State are considered the favorites here.
Posted on 5/2/17 at 12:00 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Christian Tutt, 4-star prospect from Thomson (Thomson, Ga.)
A commitment from Tutt seems likely. He will announce his decision on May 30. The question, though, is whether Alabama will take his commitment before summer camp with several top targets still being pursued.
If his offer is committable, Tutt will likely be on the Tide’s commitment list at the end of the month.
Posted on 5/2/17 at 12:01 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Jaycee Horn, 3-star prospect from Alpharetta (Alpharetta, Ga.)
The 6-1, 175-pound prospect visited Tuscaloosa with his father, former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn, for A-Day and left with the Tide on top for his services. Horn grew up a fan of the Crimson Tide. Horn said the main reason why Alabama is his top school is because of the lack of depth.
“That’s a huge factor, and probably the biggest factor, for why they lead,” Horn said. “That’s most of their secondary besides Ronnie Harrison and Trevon Diggs. Ronnie could be gone, too, if he has a good year. That’s why I’m trying to work on everything I can and compete. I don’t have to wait for a ’17 corner to get his time because there weren’t any.”
Posted on 5/2/17 at 12:01 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Other names to know: Miami commit Josh Jobe, Tyson Campbell (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Myles Sims (Atlanta), Verone McKinley III (Carrollton, Texas)
Posted on 5/2/17 at 12:02 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Well before Najee Harris became the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2017 and well before Alabama had offered him a scholarship, a young assistant at the University of Washington named Tosh Lupoi saw the potential in the Crimson Tide running back.
One of Harris’ mentors in Antioch, Calif., is Mori Suesue, who is a coach and trainer in the Bay Area. Suesue was new Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon’s trainer and mentor when he was at Freedom High School in California.
Suesue saw that Harris had Mixon-like potential and would tell college coaches about him when they came to scout Mixon. No one believed in him because Harris was just some skinny kid who just started high school. Lupoi listened.
“Tosh believed in me when I told him about Najee as a freshman that after I was done with Joe Mixon that the next top athlete to come out of the bay was Najee Harris,” Suesue told SEC Country last July.
Lupoi’s relationship with Harris is one of the main reasons why the highly coveted running back decided to stick with his commitment instead of flipping to Michigan at the end of his recruitment.
When Steve Sarkisian landed on Alabama’s staff as an offensive analyst this past fall, that was seen as a big step in potentially keeping Harris committed because he was close to the former Southern California head coach. That was a plus for the Tide, but, again, Lupoi’s presence in Tuscaloosa was more important.
“The real relationship, bro, is with Coach Lupoi,” Suesue said at the time.
The Alabama outside linebackers coach was the only assistant in the nation last season to sign more than two 5-star recruits. He got three. Harris, Dylan Moses and Tua Tagovailoa. His ability to land Tagovailoa may be the most impressive feat of them all.
Tagovailoa grew up a fan of Southern Cal. That was his dream school. The Trojans led for the Hawaiian native for several years. That all changed when Alabama started recruiting him after Jake Fromm flipped from Alabama to Georgia last spring.
Lupoi was the man in charge of recruiting Tagovailoa.
When Lane Kiffin was rumored to be the next offensive coordinator at LSU, there were rumblings that Tagovailoa could flip his commitment to the Tigers because of his relationship with Kiffin. It wasn’t going to happen. He was much closer to Lupoi.
“He looks at Tosh like a brother,” Galu Tagovailoa, Tua’s father, said in January. “When he calls Tosh, Tua is always saying, ‘Hey, brother!’”
Lupoi has also helped land Jordan Davis, a 2018 defensive end/outside linebacker from Memphis. Davis competed in the New Orleans Opening regional in March and admitted to SEC Country at the time that he was nervous that day.
Who did Davis turn to for support before the competition kicked off? Lupoi. The Alabama commit went on to be named one of the top 5 defensive linemen at the event.
“He’s like a father figure and a brother to me,” Davis said. “Coach Lupoi is my hype man.
“Coming from my background with a single parent, it really means a lot to have his support. My mom does everything for me. It really shows me that I can have someone other than my mom to talk to about things. I know Coach Lupoi has my back.”
He’s worth every penny of his $400,000 raise he received on Tuesday.
LINK
Posted on 5/2/17 at 12:07 pm to TideSaint
quote:
TULIAUPUPU BACK FROM ROAD
Four-star linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu recently returned from important unofficial visits to Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon, and he saw something good at each of those schools.
The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei standout loved the coaching staff at Oregon, their relationship with the players and the networking opportunities there, especially with Nike and Phil Knight.
Meeting with Alabama coach Nick Saban was important; Tuliaupupu broke down Reuben Foster’s film with defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach Jeremy Pruitt in Tuscaloosa.
“Very professional dude, all business,” Tuliaupupu said of Saban.
Going to Ohio State was also a big deal for Tuliaupupu, who has been serious about the Buckeyes for a while. He really gravitated to linebackers coach Bill Davis and was impressed by the intensity of spring practice.
As for which visit was best, the four-star wasn’t biting.
“I couldn’t decide if my life depended on it,” Tuliaupupu said.
The four-star linebacker said he would like to visit Oklahoma, Michigan and Georgia before his senior season. USC remains one of the frontrunners as well.
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