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re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition
Posted on 6/26/17 at 9:32 am to TideSaint
Posted on 6/26/17 at 9:32 am to TideSaint
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DB (4) — Jalyn Armour-Davis, 4-star prospect, Mobile, Ala.; Josh Jobe, 4-star prospect, Miami; Jaycee Horn, 4-star prospect, Alpharetta, Ga.; Kelvin Joseph, 4-star prospect, Baton Rouge, La.
Reasoning: Jalyn Armour-Davis committed to Alabama last week. He is planning on taking visits elsewhere, but it’s not likely that he’ll flip.
Josh Jobe is committed to Miami but is in constant communication with the staff and attended a satellite camp recently to get face-to-face contact with the staff. He’ll finish his high school career in Connecticut where there will be no pressure to stay committed to the hometown Hurricanes.
Jaycee Horn is down to Alabama and South Carolina. He grew up a major Tide fan. He’ll announce his commitment on July 15.
Kelvin Joseph is committed to LSU and nearly flipped to Alabama last summer. He is still being strongly pursued by the staff. How the Tigers perform this season will be critical if they can hold on to his commitment.
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Posted on 6/26/17 at 9:32 am to TideSaint
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P (1) — Skyler DeLong, 3-star prospect, Fort Mill, S.C.
Reasoning: Skyler DeLong has told SEC Country that he’s locked in with his commitment. He will not take any additional visits.
This post was edited on 6/26/17 at 9:34 am
Posted on 6/26/17 at 9:34 am to TideSaint
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If we use 247Sports class calculator, Alabama would have a total of 301.92 points if it signed all of the players listed above. That score would have ranked the Crimson Tide third in the rankings for the Class of 2017 and first in the Class of 2016.
Because the team can only sign 22 players in the Class of 2018, it’s going to be hard to get the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, but the team will surely have one of the best classes in the country.
Posted on 6/26/17 at 9:56 am to TideSaint
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Five-star quarterback Justin Fields, the nation's No. 1 dual-threat signal caller, took an unofficial visit to Tuscaloosa over the weekend, BamaOnLine has confirmed.
Alabama was recently mentioned as one of seven schools sticking out to the elite quarterback from Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison. He did mention he doesn't talk to the UA staff as much as others.
To this point the race for the former Penn State commit looks to have narrowed down to Auburn, Florida, Florida State, and Georgia. Each school has at least one Crystal Ball prediction.
Alabama, which remains quarterback-less in its 2018 class, offered Fields on National Signing Day back in February.
Along with Fields, Matt Corral, Jack Tuttle, and Tanner McKee look to be the primary targets at the quarterback position heading into July.
The Tide signed the nation's No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in 2017 in five-star Tua Tagovailoa.
At 6-foot-3, 221 pounds, Fields is rated the No. 3 overall player in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.
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Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:01 am to TideSaint
Hoover WR Shedrick Jackson, nephew of Bo Jackson, just committed to Auburn.
Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:04 am to TideSaint
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QB commit lets TE Luke Ford know Hogs would welcome him back
Arkansas 2018 quarterback commit Connor Noland is hopeful tight end Luke Ford will eventually re-commit to the Razorbacks.
Noland recently reached out to Ford, reassuring him there are no hard feelings regarding his de-commitment earlier this month. Both Noland and Ford are 4-star recruits according to 247Sports composite rankings.
“I let Luke know we still want him to be an Arkansas Razorback,” Noland said. “I wished him luck in whatever he decides to do.”
Noland also reminded Ford the Razorbacks are the only school to have two winners of the Mackey Award (nation’s top tight end).
The 6-foot-7, 250-pound TE from Carterville, Ill., was Arkansas highest-rated commit — rated No. 93 overall in the national class — prior to de-committing June 10. He said at the time the Razorbacks remained in serious consideration, but that he wanted to visit other schools.
Sources have since told SEC Country Ford de-committed only because Arkansas has a policy of not allowing recruits to visit other schools and remain committed. After some discussions with Bret Bielema, the source indicated the coach and Ford agreed it would be best to de-commit.
Ford has since visited Alabama, Georgia and LSU with plans to visit Florida and Ohio State in the future. Following his visit to Alabama, he told SEC Country the Crimson Tide was his new favorite.
Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:06 am to TideSaint
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There aren’t many certainties in the world of college football recruiting, including decision timelines.
With seven full months of action left, nothing is set in stone until 12 months of dust are cleaned off the fax machines and National Letters of Intent are signed, sealed and delivered.
Things tend to get a little more serious by the last week of June, so in the most general sense possible, one can safely say that targeted decision dates firm up when they’re set this time of year.
South Carolina already has 10 commitments on board for 2018 and they’re looking for more. Below is a list of prospects and around the time when they’re looking to decide on a commitment:
Firm dates
4-star DE Stephon Wynn Jr: July 1
3-star JUCO DT Jabari Ellis: July 4
4-starCB Jaycee Horn: July 15
3-star ATH Bryce Thompson: July 30
4-star S Trey Dean: July 31
3-star CB Steven Gilmore: Sept. 17
Before the end of July
3-star OL Jovaughn Gwyn
3-star CB Jonathan Gipson
4-star WR Matthew Hill
4-star OT Dylan Wonnum
4-star WR Josh Vann
South Carolina-Jaycee Horn
Four-star CB Jaycee Horn continues to go back and forth between South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.
Gray area
3-star JUCO DE Dorian Gerald: Late summer/during the season
Fall or later
4-star OLB Channing Tindall: Second or third game during the season
3-star OL/DL Raiqwon O’Neal: During the season
5-star DE K.J. Henry: December
4-star DT Rick Sandidge
To be determined
4-star LB Dax Hollifield
3-star LB Rosendo Louis
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Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:08 am to TideSaint
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Set to choose
Four-star defensive end Stephon Wynn Jr. is set to announce his decision this Saturday, reportedly choosing between Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.
Though the Bulldogs are leading with the Crystal Ball picks on 247Sport, the Gamecocks may not be trailing by much.
“However, multiple sources have indicated that Georgia might not necessarily have that firm of a lead on Wynn, who attended T.L. Hanna High School (Anderson, S.C.) before transferring to IMG,” reports SEC Country’s Hale McGranahan.
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Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:09 am to TideSaint
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Welcome to SEC Country’s daily Auburn football recruiting notebook with Auburn recruiting beat writer Benjamin Wolk. In this edition, we update Auburn’s recruiting board for defensive backs and running backs after a few commitment misses over the weekend.
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Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:11 am to TideSaint
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What’s next for Auburn at defensive back?
Friday served as a wake-up call for Auburn’s defensive back recruiting in the Class of 2018.
Neither miss came as much of a surprise, but when Kyler McMichael and Jalyn Armour-Davis decided to go somewhere other than Auburn, it reminded the Tigers they still have plenty of work left to do during this recruiting cycle to haul in an impressive secondary. McMichael spurned Auburn, a school he’d visited twice in the last month, for Clemson. Armour-Davis finally went public with his silent commitment to Alabama.
McMichael and Armour-Davis are the No. 13 and No. 15 cornerbacks, respectively, according to the 247Sports composite. Those were the top two cornerbacks Auburn was chasing, so now it’s time to turn the attention elsewhere.
Here is a look at the seven defensive backs to watch now that McMichael and Armour-Davis are off the board.
3-star Joe Foucha, McDonogh 35 (La.): Foucha has called Auburn his leader, which stems from his childhood fandom of the Tigers and Cam Newton. That has quickly developed into a legitimate consideration of playing college football on the Plains. It appears like only one thing stands in Auburn’s way for Foucha. He just received an LSU offer over the weekend, and if there’s one program that has what it takes to overtake Auburn, it’s home-state LSU.
3-star Juanyeh Thomas, Niceville (Fla.): This one, as I see it, is only a matter of time. I listed Thomas last week as one of the prospects who is almost a sure bet to land in Auburn’s class this summer. Truthfully, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet. When he visited for Big Cat Weekend, it seemed like a legitimate possibility. The same can be said for when he visited two weeks later with a couple prospective campers from his high school. Ultimately, when he returns to the Plains in mid-July, I expect Thomas will be ready to seal the deal with the Tigers.
3-star Charles McClelland, Clinch (Ga.): McClelland’s only other SEC offers are from LSU and Kentucky. Both of those came after the Tigers offered and revved up its recruitment of McClelland, who attended for Big Cat Weekend. Just look at his Twitter profile picture. It’s McClelland rocking a bucket hat with a big AU symbol on the front. He’s making a point to flash his Auburn interest. McClelland seems star-struck just to be an offered prospect on an SEC campus, and he won’t forget Auburn came calling first.
4-star Quindarious Monday, Carver (Ga.): Once considered a likely land, Monday seems more and more like a prospect falling out of Auburn’s grasp. The Tigers aren’t out of it yet by any means, but Monday has gone from calling Auburn his leader to saying it’s on level playing field with Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee and a few others. Now he has been offered by Clemson, which holds dream-school status for Monday. Auburn will have to impress in order to re-attain that standing with Monday.
3-star Jamien Sherwood, Jensen Beach (Fla.): Sherwood is an impressive athlete who, realistically, could play wide receiver, running back, linebacker or defensive back at the next level. Auburn sees him as a versatile defensive back, and that’s where Sherwood sees himself. It’s not a guarantee the Tigers land Sherwood, but the Tigers have made up a ton of ground for a school that’s eight hours away from Sherwood’s hometown. He says that distance doesn’t matter, and that he and his mother have a high impression of the Plains that isn’t matched by many other places.
4-star Jordan Miner, Wiregrass Ranch (Fla.): Miner isn’t a name I’ve mentioned much this cycle. For the most part, that’s because he hasn’t been on campus much since he received his offer on Feb. 23. Miner attended Auburn on May 6, as he went across the southeast on a school tour. Auburn was a school initially way up on Miner’s list, but he has trended toward Florida, Tennessee and Penn State recently. With two cornerback misses on Friday, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Auburn work its way back into this one, as well.
4-star Christian Tutt, Thomson (Ga.): Crystal Ball predictions for Tutt don’t offer much suspense. Everyone — seriously everyone — expects Tutt to choose Nebraska when he eventually decides. It’s somewhat strange considering this is a guy who once claimed to be deciding between Georgia, Florida State and Alabama. As those programs took a step back, Tutt started to look elsewhere. He visited the Tigers right before he was going to make his initial decision, but then pushed it back. Like Miner, Tutt is a cornerback Auburn could re-engage contact with before his Nebraska decision if the Tigers feel the need to land a cornerback because of the two misses.
Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:12 am to TideSaint
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What’s next for Auburn at running back?
Running back took much less of a hit than cornerback over the weekend, but there was some intrigue added to the position when Tae Provens unexpectedly committed to LSU.
Provens has been a lifelong Auburn fan, and even had a chance to commit to the Tigers as an athlete over Big Cat Weekend. He decided not to do it — similar situation to Tennessee — and continued to look elsewhere. Provens still had an Aug. 11 commitment decision set up between Auburn, LSU, Tennessee and Louisville.
He ended up not waiting that long. Provens chose LSU on Saturday.
I’m still not convinced his recruitment is over, however.
“My recruitment is not shut down. Tennessee and Auburn were frontrunners, but stuff happened. LSU just made a stronger push. I still have love for Tennessee and Auburn, and those are two good programs that’ll continue to do well in the SEC,” Provens said.
Here are running backs to watch now:
4-star Asa Martin, Austin (Ala.): This is priority No. 1. The Tigers are in a heated battle with Alabama and Florida for the top running back in the state of Alabama. The Crimson Tide have tried to make a late push for 5-star Zamir White, which could certainly affect Martin when White decides on Tuesday. But it appears Alabama has gone from uninterested to most likely landing spot for Martin. Auburn will hold out hope for its top running back target, but a few moves the Tigers have made proves they’re looking at “What’s next?” scenarios if Martin chooses someone else on Aug. 24.
4-star Dameon Pierce, Bainbridge (Ga.): If it’s not Martin for the Tigers, it’ll likely be Pierce. Those are the two known feature-back options remaining on the Tigers’ wish list. Pierce visited the Tigers shortly after his de-commitment from Alabama. Pierce is starting to lean toward Auburn, but he also has strong interest in Georgia and Florida. Georgia will only be involved if it misses on White, so it’s unlikely the Bulldogs become a factor. But the Gators and Tigers look to be in another battle with one another, especially if Martin ends up picking the Crimson Tide.
4-star Harold Joiner, Mountain Brook (Ala.): A source close to the situation told SEC Country that LSU wasn’t likely to take both Harold Joiner and Tae Provens. For a while, Joiner has stated LSU is the favorite to get him, and it hasn’t seemed like many other programs had a chance. Now might be Auburn’s chance. With Provens to Baton Rouge, Auburn is still in search for an athlete target who can do multiple things offensively. That’s exactly what Joiner is, and now with competition at LSU, Joiner might have to reconsider his options.
3-star Charles Strong, Union County (Fla.): This is probably the most far-fetched of the group, but Auburn will have to become creative if the Tigers aren’t able to haul in a few of the aforementioned names. Strong visited for junior day earlier in the year, and the Florida State commit said he was doing his due diligence to make sure he wanted to be a Seminole. Florida State already looks vulnerable to losing 5-star RB commit James Cook, who is a close friend of Strong. It’s possible Strong will look around some more before he closes down his recruitment.
3-star Tae Provens, Madison County (Ala.): Despite his LSU commitment, I’m not ruling out that Provens still lands in Auburn’s class. The Tigers might turn elsewhere and consider the Provens miss a wash, but if Auburn has trouble landing any combination of Martin, Pierce and Joiner, it’ll need to figure something out. Provens seems like the right place to start. He grew up an Auburn fan, and his falling out with the Tigers had more to do with their attempt to make him a RB/WR/DB combo. He wasn’t having that, but the Tigers might reconsider with a few other misses.
Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:14 am to TideSaint
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Closed-door meetings with Jason, Palmer, Lee and the Josephs
After the morning session of Friday’s camp, members of the LSU staff held private closed-door meetings with several notable prospects, including Devonta Jason, Trey Palmer, Kelvin Joseph, Nadab Joseph and Devonta Lee.
Jason, a one-time LSU commit and current Kansas verbal, visited Baton Rouge before heading to Dallas for the Pylon 7-on-7 National Championships. The 6-foot-3, 219-pound 4-star wide receiver met with Orgeron, Austin Thomas and receivers coach Mickey Joseph, who has continued to prioritize Jason despite his current commitment.
Jason has been receptive to LSU’s pitch and his family is in touch with Joseph on a daily basis. Jason will make a final decision in December. An improved look on offense sandwiched with the proximity to his home in Algiers makes LSU a legitimate landing spot.
The same can be said for Palmer and Lee, who met with offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Canada is the wide receiver duo’s Tangipahoa Parish recruiter and has been pushing hard for both the elite 2019 recruits. Canada spent time with them during camp and in a private meeting before they departed for Dallas.
LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond spent much of Thursday and Friday with the two Josephs, the building blocks of the team’s 2018 defensive backs core. Both have been considered shaky in their commitments, but both seem likely to remain put in the class thanks to work done by Raymond.
Kelvin worked out at corner, in the slot and at safety on Friday, while Nadab saw reps at corner and safety. They’re both extremely versatile and both are receptive to Raymond’s coaching methods. That’s a key reason why both are expected to stick with LSU despite strong pushes from Alabama, UGA and Florida State, among others.
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Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:15 am to TideSaint
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Notable visitors
Kelvin Joseph, 2018 4-star DB (LSU commit)
Nadab Joseph, 2018 4-star DB (LSU commit)
RJ Mickens, 2020 DB
Kenan Jones, 2018 4-star (LSU commit
Max Johnson, 2020 QB
Devonta Lee, 2019 5-star WR
Trey Palmer, 2019 4-star WR
Cole Smith, 2018 3-star OL (LSU commit)
Devin Brumfield, 2018 3-star RB
Nakobe Dean, 2019 4-star LB
Bill Norton, 2019 DL
Dorian Camel, 2018 3-star DB
Glenn Beal, 2018 3-star TE
Quintin Gibson, 2018 JUCO QB
Kardell Thomas, 2019 5-star OL (LSU commit)
Damone Clark, 2018 4-star LB (LSU commit)
AJ Carter, 2018 3-star RB (UCLA commit)
Tyrion Davis, 2019 4-star RB (LSU commit)
Jacquez Jones, 2018 3-star LB
Jacobi Bellazin, 2020 WR (TCU Commit)
Jesse Guidry, 2020 WR
Tyler Guidry, 2019 DE/TE
Troy Hurst, 2018 ATH
Will Reichard, 2019 PK
Antonio Joseph, 2019 RB
Mikaya Tongue, 2019 ATH
Caleb Johnson, 2018 3-star LB
Ladarrius Bishop, 2018 3-star CB
Jamie Vance, 2020 CB
Frank Wilson IV, 2020 CB
Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:17 am to TideSaint
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Nadab Joseph re-connects with Corey Raymond
A year ago at this time, Nadab Joseph earned his offer from LSU and committed at the end of his inaugural visit to Baton Rouge. He returned on Thursday for the first day of a two-day stop back in the Bayou.
The 4-star Miami-area defensive back commit spent the bulk of Thursday in Corey Raymond’s office, re-connecting with the Tigers’ secondary coach. Joseph brought along his guardian for the visit, who stayed in the coaches’ office for the entire afternoon.
Joseph also touched base with fellow LSU defensive back commit Kelvin Joseph and some current defensive backs such as John Battle, who also hails from the Miami area.
While Joseph has made comments about his interest in Alabama and Florida State recently, his relationship with Raymond is the biggest X-factor in his recruitment. On Friday, Joseph will work out for Raymond at corner. Expect Joseph to stick with the Tigers through signing day.
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Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:22 am to TideSaint
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TWO OF LOUISIANA'S BEST MAKE AN APPEARANCE
After Rivals100 wide receiver Devonta Smith spurned LSU to sign with Alabama earlier this year, many thought that the Tide would also be the favorites for his friends and high school teammates, 2019 Amite, La. wide receiver Devonta Lee and defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher. But on Friday Lee made an appearance along with his 7-on-7 teammates and LSU quickly seized on the opportunity to get face time with him. On Saturday, Sopsher, one of the first five-stars in the 2019 class, was on campus with his father, an even bigger development.
The fact that both players went out of their way to make the visit shows that they will continue to explore other options and LSU can’t be counted out. Both have been making the rounds around the country, but keeping such stars in state is vital for LSU. It will be interesting to watch how things shake out with the high school teammates as the year moves along.
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Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:23 am to TideSaint
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UCLA COMMIT WATCHING CAMP
Chris Steele has had a phenomenal offseason and has proven to be one of the top 2019 defensive backs in the country. He’s already committed to UCLA.
So it was particularly interesting to see the Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco standout hanging around camp and getting more familiar with the Trojans. There’s no doubt USC and many other programs will continue to make a run at him.
Steele, who was at the UCLA Elite Camp earlier in the week, said his relationship with coach Jim Mora and position coach Demetrice Martin was crucial in his decision-making process and that’s why he’s sticking with the Bruins.
But Stanford could be a really serious player in Steele’s recruitment and the word is Steele’s dad likes defensive backs coach Duane Akina a lot. Look out for Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and others but Stanford might be the biggest competition to UCLA for Steele’s services.
Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:24 am to TideSaint
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QB SITUATION IS TALK OF CAMP
What is USC going to do at quarterback this recruiting cycle now that the Trojans and five-star quarterback Matt Corral have parted ways? This could get really intriguing.
The strategy from USC’s coaching staff seems to be carpet bombing a lot of the talented quarterbacks nationally to gauge interest, rather than focusing on flipping only a top target or two.
According to numerous reports, the Trojans have reached out to Utah commit Jack Tuttle, UCLA commit Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Miami pledge Artur Sitkowski, Washington pledge Jacob Sirmon, North Carolina commit Tyler Shough, four-star Tanner McKee, Washington State commit Cammon Cooper, four-star Brevin White, five-star Justin Fields, Tennessee commit Adrian Martinez and possibly others.
To this point, the response has been lukewarm unless things have really picked up behind the scenes. The feeling is that Tuttle seems to be the top target but he recently visited Salt Lake again and doesn’t seem to be budging.
Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:25 am to TideSaint
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Devon Williams is emerging as one of the better prospects in the West this recruiting cycle and he took an unofficial visit to UCLA on Friday, an important step as the Bruins keep working on getting his commitment.
It will take time. The four-star athlete who mainly projects as a receiver but who could also play safety said he’s nowhere near a decision and this one sounds like a National Signing Day timeline.
Spending time on UCLA’s campus was an important first step for the 6-foot-4, 196-pound four-star.
“They want me at receiver,” Williams said. “Like every school, they’d love to have me at athlete. They need some receivers coming in so that’s the main part.”
The Lancaster (Calif.) Antelope Valley star recently took visits to Alabama and Oregon and seemed to enjoy both. He said UCLA, Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and USC are the standout schools along with Colorado and Utah.
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Posted on 6/26/17 at 10:26 am to TideSaint
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Scout caught up with four-star defensive tackle Bobby Brown, who spoke about his his recent visit to see Alabama...
Bobby Brown, 6-foot-4, 270-pound athletic defensive tackle from Arlington (Texas) Lamar is one of the top recruiting targets in the Lone Star State in the Class of 2018, and he made a recent trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to check out the Crimson Tide.
He competed in the camp and took in the program and facilities after.
"Going to Bama I didn't know I was going to do the camp," Brown said. "Me and my mom was halfway there and she wakes me -- because I was asleep in the car -- and said they want you to work the camp. I was a little nervous."
"The first part of the camp we warmed up and then we did a circuit thing that we just went through eight different circuits for five minutes each and then we did one-on-ones.
"Then after camp I got to go up to coach Nick Saban's office and talk to coach Saban," Brown continued. "It was unexplainable. When they told me that Nick Saban wanted to talk to me, I was like are you sure it's me? Nick Saban wants to talk to me?"
Brown broke down what it was like to sit down and have a one-on-one experience with the Alabama head coach.
"Just sitting there and being in the presence of Nick Saban and being able to talk to him as a a person and him being able to separate business and conversation meant a lot to me," Brown explained.
Brown's mom also had the opportunity to meet and talk with coach Saban.
"He had the opportunity to talk to my mom and we had a conversation about first and last whoopin," Brown said with a laugh. "My last one -- I don't think I will ever have a last one, and you can make sure you put that in there -- was when I was about 13 or 14."
Brown also liked being able to work with and be around a couple of the other Bama staff members that he is growing a relationship with.
"Another highlight was getting to meet coach Tosh (Lupoi) and coach (Karl) Dunbar," Brown said. "Being able to talk with and sit with them and getting to learn their personality and everything, that was nice too. Coach Tosh is a great guy and that is the guy who is recruiting me. Coach Dunbar I can tell he is a great coach. He is real energetic and everything."
Brown is still on track to make his commitment on on November 2. He has not named a favorites list, but also has offers from programs like LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Baylor and more.
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