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

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Allan Walters, QB, Hightsown (N.J.) The Peddie School

Walters looked like a popular pick early on to Alabama after receiving an offer heading into his sophomore season. His dad played baseball for the Crimson Tide, and the Walters family had a made a number of visits to Tuscaloosa. Ultimately Walters found a better fit at Vanderbilt.

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Azeez Ojulari, WDE, Marietta (Ga.)

Alabama offered Ojulari earlier this spring and quickly picked up his first Crystal Ball prediction. The four-star end claims no favorites, and doesn't plan to narrow things down for a while.

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Bryson Jackson, WR, Houston (Texas) St Pius X

Jackson is the newest prospect to earn an offer from the Tide on Sunday night alongside his teammate, 2019 quarterback Grant Gunnell. Expect both Jackson and Gunnell to make it out to Tuscaloosa at some point in the near future.

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Jalen Cunningham, DT, Odenville (Ala.) Saint Clair County

Alabama has a "really big" lead for Cunningham over schools like Auburn, Georgia and Ole Miss. The in-state defensive tackle has come close to announcing a final decision this spring, but has yet to pull the trigger. Many believe he will be the next public commitment for Alabama.

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277.88 Class Calculator
projected total bases on 22 takes, would have ranked 7th in 2017 & 5th in 2016. however, keep in mind that there is still "the Bama bump" to factor in. cool

--your thoughts ? --

QB 4*Tanner McKee, CA (will take 2 yr mission)
1.Ath 4*(S/QB)Talanoa Hufanga, OR
2.RB 4* D.Pierce, GA (UA commit)
Wildcard: 3* Slade Bolden, LA (change of pace utility back to complement current roster)
3.WR 4* Justyn Ross, AL
4.WR 4* Xavier Williams, FL (UA commit)
5.WR 3* Bryson Jackson, TX
Keep an Eye on: Seth Williams,AL, 4*Tommy Bush, &/or Joseph Scates, OH
6.TE 3* Kyle Pitts, PA
7.OT 4*Tommy Brown, CA
8.OT 4* Nicholas Petite-Frere, FL
9.OT(G) 3* Jerome Calvin, TN
Keep an Eye on: 4*DT- Dare Rosenthal, LA
10. C(2017 gray-shirt) 3* Hunter Brannon, AL
11. DT 4* Greg Emerson, TN
12.DT 4* Coynis Miller, AL
13. DT 3* Jalen Cunningham, AL
Keep an Eye on: the Juco ranks
14. DE 4* Eyabi Anoma, MD
15. DE 3* Jordan Davis, TN
16. LB 4* JJ Peterson, GA
17. LB 4* Quay Walker, GA
Keep an Eye on: 3*(Jack LB) Azeez Ojulari, GA
Sleeper: Keyvontae Ruggs, AL
18. CB 4* Christian Tutt, GA
19. CB 3* Jaycee Horn, GA
Keep an Eye on: 4*Jalyn Armour-Davis, AL &/or 4* (RB/CB) Asa Martin, AL
Wildcard: 4* Kelvin Joseph, LA (LSU flip ?)
20. S 5* Tyreke Johnson, FL
21. K-Evan McPherson, AL (MSU commit)
Keep an Eye on: Jake Carmada, GA (GA commit)

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Texas QB Grant Gunnell is really feeling LSU right now

2019 Texas quarterback Grant Gunnell is really liking what he is hearing from LSU right now, and the Tigers may have quietly emerged as his leader. Gunnell made visits, communicates with the LSU staff regularly and was beyond impressed during his unofficial visit this spring, which allowed him to see offensive coordinator Matt Canada's coaching style and system.

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Jarren Williams close to making a commitment again?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jarren Williams seems like he’s close to committing once again. But to whom?

Williams, who is one of the hottest recruits in the nation, told SEC Country that it’s very possible that he could announce his decision in a week or two. His spring season at Central Gwinnett High School (Lawrenceville, Ga.) ends this Friday, and he said a commitment could be coming soon after that.

“It will definitely be before the season,” Williams said. “I was trying to get it done after spring practice, but if not then, it should be sometime soon after then — maybe a few weeks after.”

What does that mean for Alabama’s chances? Well, the longer he waits to make his decision, the better it will be for the Crimson Tide. If he announces his intentions within the next few weeks, it likely won’t be to Alabama. The team offered the nation’s No. 17 dual-threat quarterback a scholarship just last month, so the relationship between him and the Alabama staff isn’t strong.

While Alabama is recruiting Williams, the team is going through his coach at Central Gwinnett instead of Williams himself. Todd Wofford, who is Williams’ coach, coached Blake Sims when he was at Gainesville High School.

“The funny thing is I don’t really talk to them much,” Williams said of Alabama’s staff when asked how often he hears from the Tide. “They mainly go through Coach Wofford because they have a good relationship with him. I do want to hear from them more. I do care about that. I want to talk to them so I can build a good relationship with them. It matters a lot.”

That quote should be of significance to Kentucky, the school Williams de-committed from on April 24. There’s no school in the country that Williams has a better relationship. Again, relationships are of great importance to the 3-star prospect.

No school has prioritized Williams like Kentucky.

The 6-foot-2, 206-pound prospect has improved mightily over the past year. When he attended a camp in 2016, one scouting service said a position change was likely going to come soon for Williams if he didn’t improve. On Sunday, Williams was named a finalist for the Elite 11 competition, which is for the nation’s top quarterback prospects.

Even when it didn’t seem likely that Williams was going to blossom into a budding quarterback prospect, the Wildcats always believed in him, and it was a big reason why he ultimately committed to them originally.

“To me, it’s not all about the name. It’s bigger than that,” Williams said. “It’s about the relationships and loyalty they have showed me. I have the strongest relationship with them. I feel very comfortable there. I know the players very well. It feels like home there.”

So, why de-commit from Kentucky if he likes the school so much? Williams didn’t feel right showing interest in other schools as a commit.

“I just talked to my dad and coach and came to the decision that the best thing to do was because I wanted to visit some other schools — and out of the respect to the University of Kentucky — I didn’t want to give them a bad look because I am the quarterback and considered the face of the program’s class. It was best to de-commit to give them the respect.”

Williams hasn’t visited any school since de-committing, but he has hosted several schools at Central Gwinnett in the past few weeks. Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU and Tennessee were in Georgia last week to see the QB. Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss are coming by the school this week.

Several of those schools mentioned have told him that he’s their priority at the quarterback position in the Class of 2018.

“Kentucky, LSU and Florida has said it in a way,” Williams said. “Florida has told me a lot that I’m their guy over and over, but they haven’t specifically said I’m No. 1. Alabama has said I’m very high on their list. Coach [Nick] Saban told me that on the visit I took there [in March]. He said they are looking for a guy like me. He wants me to get to camp.”

That last line is very important.

Alabama likes evaluating its quarterbacks in camp. Each quarterback currently on Alabama’s roster went to the team’s summer camp before enrolling. Saban and his staff put their quarterback targets through a variety of on-field drills and “interviews,” where prospects are asked to draw plays on a whiteboard and answer which receivers they should throw to in certain coverages.

Williams may make his commitment before the Tide’s camp in early June. If he does pull the trigger before then, it’s unlikely his commitment would be to Alabama. That’s why it’s so important for Alabama’s chances that he takes as much time as possible with his decision.

“They [Kentucky] told me that I’m their No. 1 priority,” Williams said. “They still have been recruiting me very hard. I told them that they’re still No. 1 on my list. That hasn’t changed at all.”

He’s unsure if he’s going to visit any school in the next few weeks, which is more good news for Kentucky’s chances. It would be a big win for the Wildcats to get Williams back on board because all of the powerhouse SEC programs want him to be the face of their respective recruiting class.

The Wildcats hold the edge in several important areas for Williams and his upcoming decision: best relationship with coaches, best opportunity to come in and make an immediate impact and the city where he has felt most comfortable in.

So, what would it take for Alabama or another school to be No. 1?

“I really just have to have that feeling about that school that it’s the right place for me,” Williams said. “I have to pray a lot about this. God is going to show me where to go. That’s what is going to happen when it comes time.”

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Quick note on Tide CB target

Jaycee Horn, a 3-star cornerback from Alpharetta (Ga.) High School, was named the defensive backs MVP at the Charlotte Nike Opening regional event on Sunday. He told SEC Country that Alabama still is his leader. Horn is one of the Tide’s top targets at cornerback.

In case you missed it, I suggest reading over this in-depth story on where Horn stands with Alabama and what his father, who had a very successful career in the NFL, had to say about the Crimson Tide.

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Auburn’s top DB target hopes for summer decision

GULF SHORES, Ala. — In between a few gold-medal performances, the top defensive player in the state of Alabama found some time to provide an update on his recruitment.

Jalyn Armour-Davis shined at the Alabama High School Athletic Association state track meet with first-place performances in the 5A 100-meter dash and triple jump. It’s that type of athleticism that earned him the No. 1 ranking among the state’s defensive players. The 4-star cornerback is a highly sought-after prospect by many of the nation’s top programs.

With spring football ready to get underway, Armour-Davis is about a month away from hitting recruiting full force in hopes of finalizing his decision before his senior season at St. Paul’s Episcopal, though he won’t force or rush a decision.

“I’m still really waiting until the summer to get all that figured out. Spring starts on Monday. Right now, I’m more focused on St. Paul’s. When spring is over, I’ll get back started up on more visits and really started to look into to make a final decision,” Armour-Davis said. “I’d like it to be July or early August, but I’m not going to push it. Push comes to shove, I’ll just put out a top 2 or top 3 and commit after the season, but definitely before December.”

As is always the case with Armour-Davis, it’s worth mentioning Auburn was the first program to offer when he was in ninth grade.

The state’s top defender has always vouched that will play a key factor for the Tigers. He wants to continue building that relationship. When it comes to Auburn’s sales pitch these days, however, he’s not sure if there is anything else the staff can do.

Kevin Steele, Greg Brown & Co. have made Armour-Davis’ prioritization evident. He just wants to see that connection grow as he narrows in on a decision.

“They already know how I feel. I know how they feel. It’s just getting comfortable, as usual. There’s nothing really new they can pitch me. I’ve been up there multiple times,” Armour-Davis said. “They’re definitely making me feel like their top guy. They’ve been doing that since my ninth grade year when they were the first to offer, so I know where I stand with them.”

As for the other schools in contention, look at Armour-Davis’ previously released top 6 — Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Georgia, Florida and USC — plus Alabama. The Crimson Tide didn’t make the original list, but Armour-Davis said: “From a more mature standpoint, it would be a 10 times better decision for them to be in it.”

Auburn and Florida State have been the two programs mentioned most with Armour-Davis. Alabama needs to be included in that mix, and as Armour-Davis prepares to take college visits, the other programs on his initial top list of schools also can remain factors.

All the while, Auburn has stayed consistent in Armour-Davis’ ear.

“They haven’t pushed [for a commitment]. They’ve asked, but they haven’t said, ‘Go ahead and commit.’ They’re just wondering where I am and where I stand,” he said.

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