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

quote:

---

Lady lied to me Friday, said they'd have them in Sunday. Did not. So I call a Target on 280 in Bham and said they had 6 in stock.

So I make the usual hour drive from the Oxford Exchange to 280 in 40 minutes

Sorry Five-o...

---

quote:

---

Georgia CB interested in Alabama

Most prospects when they get a chance to see Nick Saban’s office are blown away with the five national championship rings that sit on the coffee table. Jaycee (pronounced Jay-Cee) Horn was the latest prospect to sit in Saban’s office, and the thing that stood out to him on his first trip to the coach’s office wasn’t the rings.

“The hats he has. You know those bucket hats he wears during practices? I like those,” Horn said with a laugh. “The rings were cool, too.”

Horn, a 3-star cornerback from Alpharetta (Ga.) High School, spent 25 or 30 minutes with Saban on Friday, and he picked up an offer from the Crimson Tide. Although Saban’s bucket hats may have had his attention for a little while, Horn said Saban raved about his game.

“It was pretty exciting and kind of shocking in the moment, too, because you’re actually sitting across from him,” Horn said. “I’m used to just seeing him on TV. It was just crazy listening to all of the good things he had to say about the school. He gave me the offer after that, and it was very exciting.”

Horn, who is the son of former Saints wide receiver, four-time Pro Bowl selection Joe Horn, said Alabama always has been one of the schools he liked growing up. Horn cited the Tide’s tradition and the defensive backs the team has produced over the years.

The 6-foot-1, 174-pound prospect said Saban told him that he could see him playing corner or safety in Alabama’s defense. This past season for Alpharetta was Horn’s first playing defensive back full time. He picked off 6 passes and deflected 24 balls in 11 games.

“Anything Saban said about my game was a pretty big deal,” Horn said. “I just soaked it all in.”

Friday wasn’t the first time Horn visited Tuscaloosa. He’s attended two camps in the past. But this past weekend’s trip with his father to Alabama was his first opportunity to get an extended tour. He most liked the players’ lounge, where he played a few games of ping-pong.

His dad, who played 12 years in the NFL while amassing 8,744 receiving yards, has told his son to take his time with his recruitment and take as many visits as possible. After visiting Tuscaloosa, the Horns went to Knoxville to see Tennessee. The previous weekend he was at South Carolina — the school his father originally signed with before enrolling at Itawamba Community College (Mississippi).

Horn, who has played everything from linebacker to quarterback growing up, isn’t focusing on wide receiver like his father because as he puts it, he’d rather be the one laying people out.

“My dad has always told me stories about DBs in the league and he told me that it’s a fun position to play because he actually played it, too,” Horn said. “I like hitting people, also. I’d rather hit than get hit.”

There’s no timetable for Horn’s decision regarding a possible commitment but expect the Crimson Tide to be in the race for Horn until he signs.

“I have very high interest in Alabama because it’s Alabama,” Horn said. “They can’t be at the bottom of your list. It’s not just because they’re Alabama, but I’ve camped with coach (Derrick) Ansley and I got a chance to see how he coaches. I learned a lot about the school while sitting down with coach Saban in that short time.”

Horn’s father last played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007. But even being 10 years removed from the league, can his son cover him?

“He can’t lock me down!” Joe Horn screamed through the phone.

---

quote:

---

Welcome to SEC Country’s daily Roll Tide-ings, a rundown of everything happening in Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting with Chris Kirschner. Today, we discuss the latest with Texas offensive lineman Rafiti Ghirmai and 4-star defensive end Jarell Cherry. 

Texas OL visiting Alabama on Wednesday 

One of the hottest recruits in the country will make his first trip to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday. It comes at a good time for Alabama because along with the Crimson Tide, Ole Miss, Oregon, Georgia, Arizona State, LSU and Michigan are some of the schools to offer Rafiti Ghirmai a scholarship in the past two weeks.

Ghirmai, a 3-star offensive tackle from Wakeland High School (Frisco, Texas), told SEC Country at the Dallas Opening regional this past weekend that Alabama, LSU, Florida, Texas and TCU are five schools that are standing out to him.

?Rafiti Ghirmai was named one of the top offensive linemen at the Dallas Opening regional camp. He didn’t earn a ticket to the prestigious final event, which is held at Nike’s headquarters in Oregon in late June.

The Crimson Tide could stand out even more after his trip to Tuscaloosa.

“It’s Alabama. They are always No. 1. They breed their players like animals. It’s crazy,” Ghirmai said.

The 6-foot-5, 290-pound prospect said he’s hoping to build a better relationship with offensive line coach Brent Key while on the trip. He also wants to get a feel for the players and how they like being a part of the program.

Ghirmai had a chance to speak with Nick Saban for about 20 minutes on Feb. 27, which is when he got the offer from Alabama. He said he didn’t expect to get the Alabama offer, but he called it a “great honor.”

“I texted my brother immediately, and he was like, ‘Oh, my gosh! That’s sick. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,”’ Ghirmai said. “I wish he was coming with me to Alabama, but he’s got school stuff going on.

“Everyone looks at coach Saban like he’s a celebrity. It’s an honor that they are interested in me.”

The nation’s No. 26 offensive tackle has an interesting connection to one of Alabama’s main rivals.

Ghirmai’s parents are from Eritrea, which is a small country on the East African coast. LSU’s offensive line coach Jeff Grimes’ adopted daughter is from Ethiopia, which borders Eritrea.

With every school looking for the smallest edge over the next program, this connection could be a key one for the Tigers if they push for Ghirmai’s commitment down the road. He’ll visit Baton Rouge on March 18 for LSU’s junior day event.

“Me and coach Grimes have been talking for awhile,” Ghirmai explained. “He knows my African background. He has a little girl that he adopted from Ethiopia. I feel pretty good about that. He’s in with the culture, and I find that very cool.

“I like him and I like that program. I like Death Valley. I hear that it’s huge and I’ve heard that game day is outrageous there.”

---

quote:

---

I'm still kinda meh about recruiting right now Me too. I don't know what's wrong with me this year. I'm trying

---

quote:

---

The University of Alabama coaching staff has some NFL flavor. It includes some longtime lieutenants for head coach Nick Saban. There are up-and-comers and coaching lifers. Its recruiting reach in recent years has extended to Maryland and New Jersey, down the eastern seaboard into south Florida, and as far west as California and Hawaii.

No two editions of Saban’s coaching staffs at Alabama have been exactly the same. Still, wins keep rolling in and NFL players continue to march out of the program.

“There’s so much attention to detail, so much accountability,” outside linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi said. “You don’t really understand that or see that as how things are until you come here. There’s a reason that the success that he has been able to sustain, that doesn’t happen by coincidence or luck.

“That happens because of the process that he’s put in place here.”

That starts at the top. Saban’s voice isn’t alone

“He will outwork everyone in the room,” strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran said. “Hands down. No one will outwork him.”

Analyzing success

Saban has long sought to build one of the deepest coaching staffs in the nation, his capacity to do so has increased in recent years. His 2008 staff included six “interns” working in off-field positions. By 2012, the off-field staff had grown to eight “analysts.” During the 2016 season, Alabama carried nine analysts. That included Steve Sarkisian and Mike Locksley, who had both been FBS head coaches earlier in their careers.

It’s normal for football coaches to hire coaches they’re familiar with. Saban is no exception. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley both worked elsewhere on the staff before later being hired as full-time assistants, too.

“When you’re given the opportunity to be in that role, I think certainly it gives the head coach the opportunity to evaluate you in that role,” Lupoi said. “If something does open down the line, there’s somewhat of a familiarity already established there, some possible candidates.”

There are innumerable other ways those positions help the program. Off-field assistants cannot recruit, but can often free up time for full-time assistants to optimize their schedules. The analysts can break down practice film, evaluate opponents and do whatever helps the on-field coaching staff. It helps distribute the workload.

That doesn’t mean there’s no pressure. There’s still a sharp focus on those staffers, especially those looking to become on-field coaches.

“You get to be seen by coach in a different light,” Cochran said. “Every day in that position is an interview.”

Plenty of analysts aren’t hired on staff, but many are hired elsewhere, like Napier. Former UA offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin took analyst Charlie Weis Jr. with him to FAU.

There’s opportunity to be had for those willing to take the year to learn. And there’s lots of learning to be done. Analysts get an inside look at one of the country’s preeminent programs and get to work with one of college football’s most successful coaches. Because they don’t have the responsibilities of a normal on-field assistant, they’re not limited to working with one position group. Analysts can float from one side of the ball to another, from a meeting room with players to a film session, and take it all in. Napier remembered using that time to observe and take notes on what was most important to him as a coach. Lupoi watched how the organization as a whole operated and saw the careful planning that went into each day.

“That’s really neat and a really cool experience to have,” Lupoi said. “I wouldn’t trade that for anything, for my time of maturing both as a coach and a man.”

All the extra support has come to be a trademark of Alabama under Saban, though the off-field staff has grown more robust in recent years. Napier had been Clemson’s offensive coordinator before he landed on staff in 2011. Voices like those of Bobby Williams, Sarkisian and Locksley – all former FBS coaches working off the field – provide perspective no other program has.

Off-field staffers also bring continuity to the staff. Alabama’s run of three straight playoff appearances and three straight SEC championships has been helped in part by a coaching staff with several former analysts.

When Lance Thompson left the staff, Lupoi was ready to step in. Napier was familiar with the team even though he hadn’t been a full-time assistant at Alabama. Locksley learned the program inside and out before moving on the field as an assistant.

“We don’t have time to slow down and teach everybody,” Napier said. “(Saban) likes to keep moving, stay on The Process. If you have a little bit of familiarity, you can get in there and go to work. You’ve seen it work. It continues to work. We’ve been able to sustain because of that.”

---