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re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition
Posted on 5/14/17 at 12:32 pm to TideSaint
Posted on 5/14/17 at 12:32 pm to TideSaint
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Recruiting notes:
Alabama offensive line coach Brent Key and Auburn offensive line coach Herb Hand were on hand and got a good look at Park Crossing right tackle Tank Jenkins. He has an Auburn offer, but the four-star recruit has not yet been offered by Alabama.
Other coaches spotted include those from Florida Atlantic, UAB, Mississippi State and Jacksonville State.
Cam Taylor is a good high school quarterback, and he’ll play at a power 5 school at the next level at some position. The three-star recruit has offers from the likes of Mississippi State and Michigan.
Hoover’s Jackson recently visited Auburn. The great-nephew of Bo Jackson still has no favorites but could commit this summer somewhere. Mississippi State and Georgia Tech are also among schools in the mix.
Hoover’s McCammon picked up an offer from UAB and 6-foot-5 junior receiver George Pickens got an offer from Mississippi State.
Hoover junior linebacker Nick Curtis, at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, might have been the most impressive defensive prospect in this game. He’s lean with plenty of room to grow and made play after play. I expect his stock to really rise.
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Posted on 5/14/17 at 7:52 pm to TideSaint
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Loganville (Ga.) Grayson sophomore linebacker Owen Pappoe unveiled his Top 10 on Sunday evening.
The Top 10, which Pappoe said was in no order, consists of Florida, Clemson, Tennessee, LSU, Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia, Nebraska, Alabama and Auburn.
FSU has a commanding lead on the 247Sports.com Crystal Ball for Pappoe.
Pappoe is ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect and No. 1 outside linebacker in the 2019 class by 247Sports.com. He is also considered the top prospect from Georgia in his class.
LINK
Posted on 5/14/17 at 7:56 pm to TideSaint
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One of the top prospects in the state of Alabama will most likely play in the SEC, but he’s keeping his options over now.
Harold Joiner, a 4-star running back out of Birmingham, has revealed a top 12 which includes Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee. The graphic posted on his Twitter account states the logos are in no order. The scholarship offers from Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia all came in the past two months.
Posted on 5/15/17 at 9:16 am to TideSaint
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Alabama offense line coach Brent Key is expected in Frisco, Texas on Tuesday to see four-star offensive tackle Rafiti Ghirmai.
Posted on 5/15/17 at 9:17 am to TideSaint
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Welcome to SEC Country’s daily Roll Tide-ings, a rundown of everything happening in Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting with Chris Kirschner. In this edition, we discuss the latest with Georgia LB Quay Walker and his talented 2019 teammate Jammie Robinson.
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Posted on 5/15/17 at 9:18 am to TideSaint
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CORDELE, Ga. — Quay Walker swore he would never visit Tuscaloosa again.
Walker, a 4-star linebacker from Crisp County High School, went to Alabama’s game against Texas A&M this past season with his teammates Markaviest “Big Cat” Bryant and Jammie Robinson.
Bryant was the Crimson Tide’s main focus out of the group on that Saturday because he was a highly coveted Class of 2017 prospect. The 4-star recruit, who ultimately signed with Auburn, had an offer from Alabama and was one of the team’s top defensive line targets.
Even though Walker was an elite recruit himself at the time, the Alabama staff, he said, didn’t pay him much attention.
“The first time I went to Tuscaloosa, I didn’t like it,” Walker told SEC Country. “I went with Big Cat, and it was all about him. I didn’t have an offer at the time. I told my coach that I was never going back to Alabama. I was really upset about it. I really wanted that offer.”
Fast forward seven months, and Alabama is in good position to land Walker’s commitment, which he says could happen either before the start of his senior season or shortly into it.
Walker returned to Tuscaloosa in late February, and his experience was much more positive than his time last October.
“It just felt different. It felt right,” Walker said. “I had a really good feeling. I was telling Jammie that it just felt right that day. It felt like it was something I could get used to. Putting on that crimson and white jersey felt good.”
The South Georgia recruit now has Alabama as his leader because of the attention the coaching staff has shown him.
Alabama’s recruiting efforts are led by defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley, who stays in touch with Walker, his head coach Shelton Felton and Walker’s mother Kameisha Shiloh nearly every day.
No school is recruiting Walker as hard as Alabama. He said Alabama’s lead could be measured at a 100 percent threshold while the other four schools in the mix, Auburn, Florida, LSU and South Carolina, are tied at 60 percent.
“If I had to commit today, it would be to Alabama,” Walker said. I mean, It’s Alabama. They have done a great job with showing me how much they want me. You just can’t compare Alabama to the rest of the schools. It’s different there.
“I just think Alabama is going to push me to where I want to go. Alabama is all about competing. Don’t get me wrong, Alabama is not for everyone. With me, I talked to my coach about this. Alabama is a school that can bring out everything in me to make me better and better every day.”
Walker said the reason why he hasn’t committed yet is because he wants to go back and visit his other top schools to make sure he wasn’t missing anything. He also needs to bring his mother along on these trips. She hasn’t previously gone on any visit. That’s important because he won’t commit anywhere without her blessing.
So far, Walker’s mother is very high on both Alabama and Auburn. Those are the schools in daily communication with her about her son.
But because she hasn’t visited Tuscaloosa yet, Walker, who’s being recruited at both inside and outside linebacker, has had to explain why Alabama is his “no doubt” No. 1 school.
“It’s not all about football for me,” Walker said. “I want to become a better man at the school I choose. I asked Nick Saban that 1-on-1 in his office. He answered the question very well.”
Not only is his mother an important figure in Walker’s recruitment, but so is his grandmother. LSU, via outside linebackers coach Dennis Johnson, is the only school to reach out to her.
“That’s a lady who took me in when I was younger,” Walker said. “She helped put food on the table and put clothes on my back. If I can’t talk to anyone else, I know I have my grandma. My mom and my grandma are going to be right there if I make it one day. I dream about it every day. I get overly excited about it, but I have to humble myself.
“I want to make sure I can give back to them so they don’t have to worry about anything anymore. I hope I can let them see more of the world one day.”
Posted on 5/15/17 at 9:19 am to TideSaint
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The disappointment
Walker once considered Georgia his leader. He has a lot of state pride, but he won’t be playing for the Bulldogs.
In his recent top 5, Georgia was replaced with South Carolina because the Bulldogs’ coaching staff stopped contacting him. Walker thought the change would spark communication with UGA once again, but it didn’t work.
“I was upset about it, but I’m over it now,” Walker said. “Things just fell off with them. Compared to my top 5 schools, Georgia just didn’t communicate with me. The only time I would hear from them is when I am doing these interviews and I say something about them. They hit me up at that point. I just felt that it wasn’t real with them.”
Is there any explanation for why Georgia would stop recruiting one of the Peach State’s top players who at one point seemed destined to commit to the ‘Dogs?
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Walker’s teammate, “Big Cat” Bryant was silently committed to UGA this past January before signing with Auburn. My colleague at DawgNation, Jeff Sentell, has a great story on why Bryant spurned the Bulldogs over the Tigers on National Signing Day. Maybe Georgia soured on how Bryant’s recruitment played out and didn’t want to do it all over again with Walker.
It doesn’t matter now. Georgia is completely out of the race.
“It’s over with them,” Walker said. “That’s it.
“I was emotional about it. That’s the in-state school, but at the same time, I can’t really get in my feelings about this stuff. This recruiting process is all a business. I just have to do my part, and that’s all I really can do.”
Georgia’s loss is Alabama’s gain, though, because Walker is one of the Tide’s top targets at linebacker in the Class of 2018.
A few years ago, Walker having the opportunity to play football at Alabama wasn’t a possibility.
Posted on 5/15/17 at 9:20 am to TideSaint
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Coach speak
Felton remembers the play quite vividly.
Crisp County’s basketball team was on a fast break. Walker ran the length of the floor, caught an alley-oop pass and nearly brought down the basket with the amount of force he applied to the rim.
Felton was new to Crisp County and was looking for more talent on the gridiron. He approached Walker and told him he had a better future in football.
“I told him that you can stay here [on the court] and go to Auburn State or Auburn Tech or come on the football field and by senior year, you’ll be SEC or ACC with that freaky ability,” Felton said.
Walker didn’t automatically buy into what Felton’s pitch.
Alabama LB target @QuayWalker4 also plays wide receiver for Crisp County pic.twitter.com/5iILIW6uZO
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) May 11, 2017
“Quay was hesitant,” Felton said. “That first year, I put him on offense. Like a little baby, you give them a little candy and we threw him the ball. Going into his junior year, I sat down with him and said if you stay on offense, you’ll be a mid-major player. If you listen to me and go on defense and play on the opposite side of Big Cat, you’ll be a Power 5 player.”
It turned out Felton was right. Walker’s final 5 schools are all SEC programs. The attention Bryant received from opposing offensive linemen helped Walker get noticed.
Crisp runs a 3-4 front, which is what Alabama runs, so the transition for Walker, if he chose Alabama, would be seamless.
Felton believes one of the reasons why Alabama is on top for his star player is because of the talent the Crimson Tide have on defense. While others may shy away from loaded depth charts and other 5-star players, Walker wants to be a part of that.
“Quay is a competitor. He loves competing,” Felton said. “He doesn’t want to be the No. 20 or No. 25 player in the country. He wants to be No. 1. He feels like if he chose Alabama, he can show why he is one of the best players in this country.”
Barring a major change in his recruitment, it’s likely that Walker will have that opportunity come 2018.
Auburn State or Auburn Tech.
Posted on 5/15/17 at 9:21 am to TideSaint
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Quay Walker’s 2019 teammate
There’s a lot of talent at Crisp County outside of Walker.
One of those players is 2019 athlete Jammie Robinson. Robinson rushed for over 1,400 yards as a sophomore and had 3 interceptions. While those offensive numbers are gaudy, mostly every team that has offered Robinson so far, Alabama included, is looking at him as a defensive back.
Ansley offered Robinson as a nickelback. When he got the Alabama offer, Robinson called it a dream come true.
“Alabama just wins all of the time,” Robinson said. “Every year, you see them playing in the national championship. Me getting offered from them really is a pleasure. It’s great.
“I like everything about that school. I went to the Texas A&M game and the fans were just crazy. It’s live up there. I love it.”
Walker and Robinson have discussed the possibility of playing together in college, specifically at Alabama.
Both had the feeling of wanting to commit right away when the Crimson Tide offered.
“I would love to see us play together again at the next level,” Robinson said. “Quay and I grew up playing football together. We’ve been playing peewee football since I was like 7. We have the same background. We’ve been through a lot. It’s great to be in the same situation as him.”
Robinson said there’s no doubt Alabama will be in the mix for his commitment mainly because of the Tide’s success at producing NFL-caliber defensive backs almost every year.
“I think I could be like one of them,” Robinson said. “I think if I committed to Alabama, I would have a higher chance to go to the league than if I went elsewhere.”
Posted on 5/15/17 at 9:24 am to TideSaint
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Emmit Gooden taking education seriously in second recruiting chance
Arkansas 2018 defensive line target Emmit Gooden missed out on his first opportunity to play major college football.
Listed as a 4-star recruit by 247Sports’ composite rankings in the 2016 class, Gooden fully intended to sign with Mississippi State as a senior at Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tenn. He even planned to enroll a semester early after choosing the Bulldogs over offers from Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Penn State Tennessee and several others major programs.
The reality was he’d never been on track to qualify academically. His ACT score was high enough, but his GPA was not. Gooden was forced to accept that fact in January of 2016 when he announced he would be enrolling at the junior college level.
Gooden (6-foot-4, 315 pounds) is now taking his academics seriously at Independence (Kan.) Community College in an effort to make the most of a second opportunity.
“All you’ve got to do is just try and apply yourself,” Gooden recently told SEC Country. “I feel like in high school, I didn’t do that. I was too caught up in recruiting. Every day it felt like from my sophomore year on, schools were piling in and visiting with so many coaches wanting to talk to me. I let that get to my head.
“Out here, I’ve got a chance to work on my grades. I’ve had to learn to be a student first. The teachers work with you and we’ve got plenty of tutors. So, you can’t fail at the JUCO level unless you don’t try.”
Gooden’s on-field performance as a freshman at Independence has landed him a long list of major offers for a second time. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma and Southern Cal are among them. He is rated as the No. 2 defensive tackle and No. 7 overall junior college prospect in the 2018 class.
“I kind of knew the offers would be coming back, but you never know,” Gooden said. “Some people go to JUCO and their skill level and talent go downhill or their recruiting goes downhill. Luckily with mine, I lived up to the hype and didn’t fall off, so mine has picked up.”
Gooden says he’s “without a doubt” on track to graduate in December and enroll at his next school for the 2018 spring semester.
Arkansas is currently a strong possibility of being his next stop. The Hogs’ coaching staff, particularly defensive line coach John Scott Jr. and defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, have made Gooden a major priority in recent weeks. The Razorbacks’ case is also strengthened by Gooden’s friendship with sophomore defensive end McTelvin “Sosa” Agim.
LINK
Posted on 5/15/17 at 9:26 am to TideSaint
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4-star QB Gerry Bohanon Jr. sets commitment decision for Friday
Earle (Ark.) 4-star quarterback Gerry Bohanon Jr. plans to announce his commitment Friday, he confirmed to SEC Country. The top-rated recruit in the Natural State for 2018 expects to make the announcement in the evening.
Bohanon (6-4, 220) indicated he has narrowed his list of 13 offers to a few still in consideration but was not ready to announce them yet. He’s visited Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Tennessee in recent months.
Arkansas’ chances increased when the Hogs committed to signing him as a quarterback during his visit in late April. The coaching staff had previously been non-committal on a proposed position. Every program in pursuit has said they view him as a quarterback, his preferred position.
“When I was down there, I sat down and talked with [offensive coordinator Dan] Enos and [head coach Bret] Bielema,” Bohanon said earlier this week. “They said they want me to come down there and play quarterback now. That’s a good thing. It opened my eyes and gave me a better outlook on them. I can look at them more now and start to really pay attention to them.”
Arkansas currently has four commits in the 2018 class. One of them is a quarterback — 4-star Greenwood (Ark.) standout Connor Noland.
We were the first team to offer Bohanon (as an Athlete) and wanted to see him throw in camp before potentially extending a QB offer. I guess he didn't want to wait that long.
Posted on 5/15/17 at 9:34 am to TideSaint
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Some out-of-state schools are recruiting Park Crossing star offensive lineman Marcus "Tank" Jenkins the hardest, but Alabama and Auburn are still in the picture.
Alabama offensive line coach Brent Key and Auburn offensive line coach Herb Hand were at Park Crossing's spring game against Hoover on Saturday at Jacksonville State.
Jenkins, a 6-foot-3, 325-pound four-star recruit currently ranked as the state's top lineman, was playing right tackle. He figures to play guard in college.
"He's just a strong kid that's very physical," Park Crossing coach Smitty Grider said. "The thing I like about him is that he's such a nice guy off the field, but when he steps in between the lines, he's got a switch he flips and he's just a nasty offensive lineman. He's the best drive blocking offensive lineman I've ever coached in 30 years of being around it.
"I think he'll be a great offensive guard for somebody."
Grider said he thinks Jenkins will announce a top five soon, but that Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma "are probably the three hardest after him."
Auburn has offered Jenkins, while Alabama has not. The big reason is that Alabama wants to see Jenkins perform at their camp, and he has not done so yet.
"Auburn likes him a lot," Grider said. "Alabama wants to see him in camp. That's kind of their M.O."
Grider said the plan is for Jenkins to participate at Alabama's camp this summer.
After that, Jenkins' recruiting picture could start to clear up. He has every SEC offer, except Alabama, Grider said. Other power schools such as Oklahoma, Michigan, Miami and Louisville have offered.
"I think it'll be later in the process when he decides," Grider said. "But his desire is to graduate early and get in school in January, and he's working on doing this."
Jenkins is ranked as the state's No. 7 prospect and top offensive lineman. He's also ranked as the No. 242 prospect nationally and No. 10 offensive guard in the 247Sports composite rankings.
LINK
Posted on 5/15/17 at 10:32 am to TideSaint
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STOCK UP
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OT Penei Sewell
Sewell was excellent at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas in Los Angeles and he was solid as well at the Under Armour Camp, backing up his already impressive ranking. The 6-foot-5, 340-pound four-star prospect carries his weight well, he’s surprisingly mobile for someone his size and he’s a no-nonsense, physical, tough offensive tackle who could also move inside if needed. His recruitment remains wide open, but Oklahoma, USC and many others are involved.
Posted on 5/15/17 at 10:33 am to TideSaint
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QB Tyler Shough
Perhaps no prospect in the West has been as active on the recruiting trail this offseason landing major offers from national programs across the country. It’s pretty easy to see why. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound quarterback has a live arm and he has shown he can make all the throws, whether it’s a bomb down the field, zipping it down the seam or whatever else. He, too, was impressive at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas in Los Angeles. Michigan, Alabama, Florida State and Georgia are just a few of the schools that recently offered.
Posted on 5/15/17 at 10:33 am to TideSaint
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DT Junior Angilau
I absolutely loved Angilau at the Under Armour camp this offseason and pegged him as one of the players who needs to move up the rankings. He’s a versatile lineman who grinds people into the ground on the offensive side, and he’s a hard-nosed, physical defensive lineman who easily gets in the backfield. His toughness and intensity are really impressive. At 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, Angilau has the prototypical body to be special. Alabama, Texas, USC, UCLA, Utah and many others remain in the mix.
Posted on 5/15/17 at 10:34 am to TideSaint
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STOCK DOWN
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OT Tommy Brown
I really believe Brown has the physical tools and the mental makeup to be a special prospect on the college level. He’s a legitimate 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds, and plays for one of the best programs in the country at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. All of those factors play in his favor. However, Brown does need to work on his speed, especially against edge rushers, because he has struggled against those players at times. Ranked as the No. 10 offensive tackle in the class might be a touch high, but Brown certainly won’t plummet down the rankings because he has too many physical tools.
Posted on 5/15/17 at 10:39 am to TideSaint
It looks like Markail Benton has qualified. He is reporting to Tuscaloosa in two weeks.
Posted on 5/15/17 at 10:48 am to TideSaint
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Over the last few weeks, no prospect has seen his recruitment explode like Marietta (GA) defensive end Azeez Ojulari. The 6-foot-3 230-pound defensive end was impressive during the camp circuit, and has become a top target for major programs across the south. Ojulari seems to pick up a new offer every day, but admitted a few are standing out at the moment.
“I like the great atmosphere and coaches at Tennessee.” Ojulari said. I have a great relationship with defensive line coach Brady Hoke so I’m starting to feel more comfortable around them. Tennessee hits me up every day so they make me feel important. I visited up there for the spring game and we got to meet the coaches, tour the facilities. They tell me I’m the number one target on the defensive line.”
Another team that has grabbed Ojulari’s attention was Alabama. Ojulari saw the Tide practice earlier this spring and came away impressed.
“I was over there for a spring practice and it was good and I got to meet head coach Nick Saban.” Ojulari said. “I was real calm and just taking everything in. It was great. He offered me personally in his office and it was really exciting. They always put pass rushers in the NFL and told me I could make an impact.”
The home-state Georgia Bulldogs didn’t offer as early as others, but the Bulldogs have now made the Marietta native a top priority in the 2018 class.
“I went up to Athens for a spring practice but did not get an offer at that time. Ojulari said. “I spoke with Lorenzo Carter after practice and talked to him briefly. A few weeks later running backs coach Dell McGee called and they decided to offer. I was excited about the offer for sure. They want me to come in and play the outside linebacker position. They tell me I’m a priority for them and they need pass rushers in this class.”
After recently offering, the national champion Clemson Tigers are now in the mix for one of the state’s best pass rushers, and have done a great job recruiting him in the last couple weeks.
“Clemson is high on my list.” Ojulari said. “They are recruiting me hard every day. They came by the school recently and I wasn’t expecting an offer, but they made sure I knew they had an offer before they left.”
The Florida Gators and South Carolina Gamecocks are also coming hard after the long pass rusher.
“Florida defensive line coach Chris Rumph is on me pretty hard.” Ojulari said. “He keeps telling me I’m his number 1 guy all the time. They say I can make a big impact right away at their Buck position. Hey want me to be a Dante Fowler type.”
With all the schools now in the running, Ojulari admitted that he will likely put out a top 10 at the end of the summer. Some schools in the south are standing out at the moment, but Ojulari is planning to take more visits this summer to check out schools like Notre Dame Oklahoma.
Early playing time, relationship with coaches, and academics are three factors that will go into Ojulari’s decision. Look for him to make that decision during his senior season, or shortly after his senior season as of today.
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Posted on 5/15/17 at 10:49 am to TideSaint
Jarren Williams committed to Kentucky. Again. 
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