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re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition
Posted on 5/4/17 at 10:58 am to TideSaint
Posted on 5/4/17 at 10:58 am to TideSaint
quote:
Alabama still recruiting Florida State commit
Alabama needs to land several interior defensive linemen in the Class of 2018, and one of those recruits it is hoping to land is 4-star Florida State defensive tackle commit Robert Cooper.
Cooper, the nation’s No. 5 defensive tackle from South Gwinnett High School (Snellville, Ga.), told SEC Country that he hears from Crimson Tide outside linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi every week, but it’s highly unlikely he changes his mind on the Seminoles.
“There’s a slim chance of me flipping anywhere, but I’m still going to take my visits,” Cooper said. “There’s going to be a very small chance of me going anywhere. They’ve been recruiting me since the seventh grade. I was about 6-foot, 320 pounds back then.”
The 6-2, 377-pound prospect said Lupoi has told him that Alabama wants him to be that next guy after Da’Ron Payne leaves the program. Payne is likely going to be a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, so there will be a hole on the defensive line next season.
Cooper admits that he’s still interested in only Alabama and Ohio State but don’t expect him to reopen his recruitment.
“I’m committed, but they are coming at me really hard,” Cooper said. “All of my attention is on Florida State, but they are trying really hard to get me there.”
What would it take for Cooper to change his mind on Florida State?
“It’s going to take a lot for me to change my mind,” Cooper said. “It would probably have to be like coach [Jimbo] Fisher leaving for another job.”
Cooper doesn’t seem like a viable option for Alabama with his strong commitment to Florida State. The good news for the Crimson Tide is that they are firmly in the mix for two in-state defensive tackles: Jalen Cunningham and Coynis Miller. Both of those players are very high on Alabama, and I think they would both choose the Tide if they committed today.
1
Posted on 5/4/17 at 10:59 am to TideSaint
quote:
Top 10 DE grew up a Crimson Tide fan
Dorian Hardy isn’t talked about much when it comes to Alabama recruiting lately. There was one time when it seemed like Hardy could be penciled into the Tide’s Class of 2018 haul.
The nation’s No. 6 defensive end from St. Joseph Regional High School (Montvale, N.J.) is a big-time Alabama fan. Not only is he a fan of the Crimson Tide, but his family is, too. It’s one of the main reasons why Alabama currently is one of his top schools.
“My family has always been huge Alabama fans,” Hardy said to Land of 10’s Tyler Donahue. “My dad has a lot of family in Alabama. With all of them being fans and him being a fan, it kind of made me become one growing up.”
Communication between the Tide staff members and Hardy fell off after Mario Cristobal left for Oregon because he was his primary recruiter. Everything is back up to speed with Hardy now.
The 6-5, 245-pound prospect has not visited his favorite school just yet but plans are currently being made for him to see the campus in the coming months. The problem with that is that a commitment could be coming by the end of June.
If Alabama is interested in Hardy, the team has some ground to make up. Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan are in good shape with Hardy.
Posted on 5/4/17 at 10:59 am to TideSaint
quote:
Nation’s No. 2 athlete calls Alabama visit eye-opening
Talanoa Hufanga was one of the highest-rated recruits in Tuscaloosa for A-Day last month. He was also one of a few players to get special attention from the coaching staff. Before the scrimmage kicked off, Hufanga spent some time with several Tide staff members on the field before the majority of the recruits came out of the tunnel all at once.
Hufanga, the nation’s No. 2 athlete from Crescent Valley High School (Corvallis, Ore.), was blown away by Alabama.
“When you hear Alabama, you just think about national championships and going there and winning them,” Hufanga said to Land of 10’s Chris Heady. “And watching the spring game and watching them just dominate, that’s the caliber of play you have to have to go get that national championship.”
Hufanga said everything about Alabama is “run like a business.” He likes that.
“Coach [Nick] Saban, knows what he’s doing and they’re using all their tools to the best of their ability and not hesitating to work hard,” Hufanga said.
Hufanga was offered by the Crimson Tide on the visit, which was his first ever to Tuscaloosa. It’s still too early to say if we should consider the 6-1, 195-pound prospect a serious target for Alabama at this time.
Posted on 5/4/17 at 11:00 am to TideSaint
quote:
The SEC saw a record 12 players taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and had 53 players drafted overall. No surprise, both totals were best among college football conferences.
But even as elite talent leaves, new stars are coming to fill the gaps. There are several players who could have been first-round picks if eligible in 2017. Expect a few others to emerge as key contenders with strong seasons.
Here are five SEC players who will be first-round NFL draft picks in 2018.
LINK
Posted on 5/4/17 at 11:00 am to TideSaint
quote:
DL Da’Shawn Hand, Alabama
2016 stats: 21 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks
Alabama haters just got rid of Jonathan Allen, and already they have to deal with the terrifying two-headed monster of Da’Shawn Hand and Da’Ron Payne. Like Allen, Hand came to Alabama from Virginia, where he was a 5-star defensive lineman in the 247Sports composite rankings. In fact, Hand and Allen grew up just 40 miles away from each other.
Despite being a former No. 5 overall recruit, Hand mostly played a reserve role behind Allen, Payne and Dalvin Tomlinson. However, this massive specimen at 6-foot-4, 282 pounds has the same sort of versatility that Allen displayed, but with way fewer miles on his joints. Expect Hand to become one of the new stars on the Tide defense.
Posted on 5/4/17 at 11:01 am to TideSaint
quote:
CB Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
2016 stats: 66 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 6 INTs
Had Fitzpatrick been eligible for the 2016 NFL Draft, he would almost certainly have been a first-round pick along with fellow corner Marlon Humphrey. But being a true sophomore, Fitzpatrick had wait one more year.
Multiple outlets selected Fitzpatrick as a first-team All-American, including the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches Association. In addition to 13 passes defended as a sophomore, Fitzpatrick has four pick-sixes in two seasons. Fitzpatrick is perhaps the best defensive back on the board in the 2018 NFL Draft. Teams will pick accordingly.
The article only listed 5 players so they couldn't get to everyone, but I think it's safe to say Payne and Ridley will probably be 1st rounders too.
Posted on 5/4/17 at 11:02 am to TideSaint
quote:
WACO, Texas — The winning tradition Alabama football has won’t be completely unfamiliar to tight end signee Kedrick James.
James, a 4-star tight end in the Crimson Tide’s 2017 recruiting class, won a state title as a junior at La Vega High School in Waco, Texas. He brings a winning mentality to a program built on sustaining a standard of excellence.
“Winning state is my top memory that I will never ever forget in life,” James told SEC Country. “Breaking a school record and doing it with some friends I grew up playing pee-wee football with meant a lot. It was a great moment.”
James helped the La Vega Pirates to a 29-1 run over his final two seasons, including a Class 4A Division I state title as a junior in 2015.
James, who picked Alabama over Baylor, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Auburn, believes playing in that pressure-packed environment has prepared him for what’s to come in Tuscaloosa once he arrives with the rest of the summer enrollees.
James was one of the top tight end prospects in Texas during the 2017 recruiting cycle. He received a 4-star rating from ESPN, Rivals and Scout. ESPN tabbed James as the No. 9 tight end prospect nationally while Rivals slotted him at No. 10. James was a member of the PrepStar Top 300 All-America Team.
James starred in track and field and basketball, helping La Vega’s basketball team to the area finals during his senior season.
At 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, James fits the mold of former Alabama tight end Michael Williams. Because of his physicality as a blocker, Williams at times looked like an extra offensive lineman in Alabama’s power running game during its back-to-back national championship seasons in 2011 and 2012.
Williams also was a massive red zone target, catching 6 touchdown passes during his final two years in Tuscaloosa.
James believes his style fits perfectly with new Alabama offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Daboll coached tight ends for the New England Patriots, and is expected to make the tight ends a bigger focal point in Alabama’s offense.
“I’m physical on the line and I’m also able to release, be agile and catch a few passes,” James said. “Having him as a former tight ends coach and him understanding that we like to get the ball in our hands too, it means a lot.”
James joins a young tight end room that features rising sophomore Miller Forristall, rising junior Hale Hentges, rising sophomore Irv Smith and January enrollee Major Tennison.
LINK
Posted on 5/4/17 at 11:05 am to TideSaint
Dakereon Joyner says he knows where he will be committing on June 18th:
The question is what coach is he talking about? I'm assuming South Carolina.
quote:
“I do know,” Joyner said. “I guess, whenever you know, you just know. I just knew and it was kind of getting kind of stressful coming down to it. They were really excited. Coach smiled a lot. He was happy, I guess. I’m definitely at peace, a lot less stress.”
The question is what coach is he talking about? I'm assuming South Carolina.
Posted on 5/4/17 at 2:03 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Alabama has put an offer on the table for one of the nation's top prospects in the 2019 class, 5-star defensive end Zach Harrison of Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy, 247Sports' Bill Kurelic confirms.
Harrison is the No. 2 weak-side defensive end and the No. 3 overall player in the country, per 247Sports' rankings.
Ohio State being 20 minutes away from his door step looks to give the Buckeyes the edge in Harrison's recruitment. The 247Sports Crystal Ball would second that as it reads 100 percent in favor of OSU.
Still, other programs have not backed down. Notre Dame, Penn State and Michigan have all gotten the elite edge rusher on campus this spring.
At 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, there's no timetable on a decision.
Zach Harrison Highlights
Posted on 5/4/17 at 2:26 pm to TideSaint
We must have gone on an Ohio offer spree today. Not only did we offer Zach Harrison, we offered two other kids from the state.
First up is a kid who is ranked as a TE but has DE and DT in his profile as well:
Leonard Taylor Highlights
He's ranked as the #3 TE in the country.
First up is a kid who is ranked as a TE but has DE and DT in his profile as well:
Leonard Taylor Highlights
He's ranked as the #3 TE in the country.
Posted on 5/4/17 at 2:29 pm to TideSaint
Posted on 5/4/17 at 4:13 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Alabama offensive line coach Brent Key stopped in on 4-star offensive tackle William Barnes on Thursday, per 247Sports' Andrew Ivins.
Posted on 5/4/17 at 4:49 pm to TideSaint
Killing it, per usual, TideSaint. 
Posted on 5/4/17 at 5:15 pm to bamasgot13
Thanks buddy.
Posted on 5/4/17 at 5:17 pm to TideSaint
Posted on 5/4/17 at 5:19 pm to TideSaint
Well this one should raise a few eyebrows. We offered a 2018 RB from Louisiana today. And he's white. 
Slade Bolden Highlights
Slade Bolden Highlights
Posted on 5/4/17 at 5:24 pm to TideSaint
Saint, thanks for putting all of this info out. I don't have much spare time to comment or find info to help, I'm sorry. You sure make it easy for the rest of us
This damn puppy is taking up more time than they usually do
This damn puppy is taking up more time than they usually do
Posted on 5/4/17 at 5:31 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Slade Bolden
Damn, white boy has some wheels
. He also has good hands. I hope we can get him, he'll play somewhere Posted on 5/4/17 at 6:13 pm to Cobrasize
We've decided to go the Christian McCaffrey route.
Posted on 5/4/17 at 9:34 pm to Cobrasize
[quote]Slade Bolden
Cool name as well.
Cool name as well.
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