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

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Ray Parker, OT, 6-5, 275, Ruston

I'm not quite sure what to make of Ruston jumbo-athlete Ray Parker, but I know I love his upside. He is a hair over 6-foot-4, likely over 270 pounds, and shows tremendous athleticism for a guy of that stature. He is likely to be 300-plus pounds when he enrolls in college, with all likelihood that he will play on the offensive line at the next level. Parker moves extremely well and already has film showing decent blocking technique from his tight end position, even showing some comfort in his kick step when kept in during max protection. What he does downfield as a receiver with his his size is even more impressive.

Parker will likely have a hard time getting to the lofty ranking, due to his late start in the recruiting world and location in rural Ruston, Louisiana, but if he is on the right platform in front of the right people, he could make some serious leaps up the rankings during his recruitment.

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It's 105 up here today.

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What is the No. 1 selling point that any school in your region has to offer right now? 

ROB CASSIDY (Southeast): Florida State is the only school in Florida that can sell recent titles and a recent Heisman winner. Most prospects want to succeed on a personal and team level above all. And, as far as schools in Florida go, The Seminoles have the most recent hardware to show off. Combine that with a rabid fan base and FSU should, to some extent, recruit itself these days.

MIKE FARRELL (National): I don't have a region but hands down to me it's the NFL Draft and Ohio State and Alabama can sell that first-round success like no one else over the last couple of years. They produce first-rounders and kids notice, and it is an easy way to sell your program.

ADAM FRIEDMAN (Mid-Atlantic): The easy answer here is Penn State with its current success along with a great campus, facilities, resources, and fanbase. But take a closer look at Virginia Tech. The Hokies have excellent facilities, a diehard fanbase and resources to play with the big boys. Both Penn State and Virginia Tech have pretty young and energetic head coaches with exciting offenses and stout defenses. What gives Virginia Tech a slight edge in my mind is its conference and, more specifically, its division. Penn State plays in arguably the hardest division in college football with Ohio State and Michigan but Virginia Tech's ACC Coastal division is considerably weaker.

ADAM GORNEY (West Coast/National): I don't want to say USC has it easy with local kids, but yeah, it kind of does. The Trojans basically pick and choose who they want to seriously recruit and then a lot of those top prospects end up committing. Even kids who had other favorites and USC came in a little later, those guys end up playing for the Trojans. Not only do those kids get a chance to experience Los Angeles but they all talk about growing up watching Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart or Troy Polamalu, and they want to play on the biggest stage as well. UCLA does not have the history and tradition of USC and being in Westwood hurts them with kids who play or live closer to downtown LA. USC has the history and tradition, the glitz and glamour, now a turnaround story and Rose Bowl win under Clay Helton and the location. All those are tough to beat.

JOSH HELMHOLDT (Midwest): Ohio State's NFL Draft success is the best selling point on the recruiting trail right now. Having five first-round draft picks, and 12 drafted overall, in 2016 grabbed a lot of pub, and rightly so. But, putting three more players into the first round in 2017 may be even more impactful on the recruiting trail because it shows a trend, and that 2016 was not an aberration. Every college prospect wants to be an NFL Draft pick, and Urban Meyer has an easy job selling his program's ability to get players to the NFL right now.

NICK KRUEGER (Texas): Since my region is only one state, I could argue that SMU is in a pretty cool corner of Dallas, and Houston’s campus isn’t too far away from the metro area of its namesake. However, I think that the atmosphere at Kyle Field at Texas A&M on gameday is the consensus No. 1 thing that always impresses recruits and leaves them imagining themselves playing in that atmosphere. Texas is pumping a ton of money into facility renovation, as is Oklahoma - if I were to expand my scope to the Big 12 - and when those two projects are done, they may be what I hear about most from prospects. For now, the Aggies still have the mojo as an SEC program that gets a packed house and a rocking stadium week-in and week-out.

CHAD SIMMONS (Southeast): Alabama. It is all about two things when kids are recruited by Alabama — winning and getting to the NFL. Alabama does both as well as anyone in the country. Alabama sells itself. You look up right now around seven months away from signing day and you see the Crimson Tide at No. 11 in the SEC and No. 50 overall — you know that will change. You will look up in February and NickSaban's program will be at or near the top. Possibly the biggest reason why is the rate at which Alabama sends players to the NFL. And, of course, how the Tide wins at an extremely high level.

WOODY WOMMACK (Southeast): Clemson's run of winning combined with upgraded facilities and a player's coach in Dabo Swinney seems to be the trifecta when it comes to a pitch to elite recruits. The Tigers' runs to back-to-back national championship games have shown recruits that their success is no fluke and given the campuses proximity to Atlanta it's becoming easier for them to recruit nationally.

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RAYMOND, Miss. — Slade Bolden is taking his final unofficial visits in the month of July and likely will make a decision by the end of the month.

Bolden, a 3-star prospect from West Monroe (La.) High School, is down to LSU, Alabama and TCU. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound athlete camped at LSU last month and will make his inaugural visit to Alabama for a prospect camp on July 16. He’ll round out his summer tour with a return trip to Fort Worth, Texas, before making up his mind.

“Those are closer to home,” Bolden told SEC Country at the Varsity Preps Elite camp at Hinds Community College on Saturday. “I’m going to a couple more camps — Alabama, then TCU — and by the end of the month, I’ll be able to make my decision.”

Bolden is ranked as the No. 16 all-purpose back in the 2018 class, per the 247Sports composite rankings. All three of his finalists are recruiting him as an athlete who can play in the slot and take snaps out of the backfield.

The Louisiana native admitted he was nearing a decision after visiting LSU and spending time with offensive coordinator Matt Canada and wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph, but opted to hold off and take a few more visits. He is looking to check off a few more boxes before giving a commitment.

“After prayer and talking with my family, I’m just making sure these last few schools that I’m looking at, I can fit in with their program,” Bolden said. “I’m excited.”

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Relative to their normal standards, Alabama recruiting for 2018 is lagging behind a little bit.

That is not to say that Nick Saban’s recruiting machine is about to suffer a permanent demise — the Crimson Tide do have five four-stars already — but just that they aren’t the top-ranked program for the class of 2018 as of right now. Anyone who doubts they’ll get there by signing day is likely wasting their breath, but the point remains: Alabama’s class, as is stands at this moment, is below their normal standards.

But you know what would help? Earning a commitment from one of the best defensive backs in the country. On July 27th, the Tide will have a chance to do just that, as cornerback Ken Montgomery Jr. is set to decide between the Tide, Ohio State, Penn State and UCLA on that date.

A three-star according to 247Sports, Montgomery has an offer list of a much more highly-ranked player, as that short list of schools can attest to. He hails from Tampa, Fla., where he plays for Hillborough High School.

Montgomery stands nearly 6’2, but at just 155 lbs. he does not figure to be the type of player who makes a difference in year one. With that said, he has rare athleticism, and if Alabama (or whichever school he chooses) is able to remake his body in the weight room, we could be looking at an all-conference type of player.

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Relative to their normal standards, Alabama recruiting for 2018 is lagging behind a little bit.

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