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

quote:

---

Myles Mason, a four-star recruit at Hewitt-Trussville, has options. Lots of college football options - Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and LSU.

One of these schools will earn Mason's signature on National Signing Day 2018. But for now, he's trying to decide which school to commit to, hopefully before the start of the Alabama high school football season (Hewitt-Trussville opens the season Sept. 1 at Holy Trinity (Fla.).

"You have to pretty much look past (the red carpet treatment)," Mason said. "It's hard. It's like what my dad (Larry Mason) and brother (Ryan Mason) have been telling me - they went through the process too... they're going to tell you what you want to hear, and everything pretty much changes when you get there, so you have to look at the ends and outs of everything."

Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and LSU. Mason (6-2, 195 pounds) has taken an unofficial visit to each campus, which has helped him develop an opinion about each program. Big or small, each college left a lasting impression, one different from another.

Recently, Mason shared details about each visit with AL.com.

Alabama

Mason: "They have more of a business mindset. It's kind of more serious, as far as football. They're still having fun, but it's business. Everything is revolved around winning."

Auburn

Mason: "It's kind of a laid back environment... They're big on family. They take care of each other - not saying that Alabama doesn't. That's something Auburn tries to take to another level with the coaches and their families and the players and their families. That really stuck out."

Florida State

Mason: "Talking with (defensive coordinator/defensive backs) coach (Charles) Kelly, he has been the realist coach I've been around. He has kept it real with me since the first time we talked. He don't sugarcoat anything. He's going to tell you the real. He's going to keep it real with you. I like that.

"(For example) one of the things he told me was they have one safety committed; one cornerback committed; and somebody else (in secondary) was going to also commit. He really put it out there. Some coaches, they don't want to tell you that because they feel like it will run you away. But he's been real with me."

Clemson

Mason: "Their football facilities are second-to-none. It's amazing. Like, they have a big fieldhouse, it's amazing. (My favorite area was) the game room."

LSU

Mason: "My dad, he played with the assistant head coach/running backs, coach Tommie Robinson. They were best of buds, roommates in college (at Troy State). That tells me that if I went there, I would really have somebody that would look out for me. He even told me if I came there, he'd make sure I was taken care of."

---

quote:

---

Jarrett Bell making his commitment Monday

We haven’t talked much about Jarrett Bell in this space before Monday, but maybe we should have.

Bell, a 2-star guard from Norco (Calif.) High School, will announce his commitment around noon ET on Monday, according to a source close to the recruit. Alabama is the expected choice, and, yes, despite his 247Sports ranking, Bell does have a committable offer. For what it’s worth, Bell is ranked as a 4-star prospect on Rivals.

The 6-foot-5, 285-pound prospect was a star at the Crimson Tide’s offensive line/defensive line camp and was offered after his performance in Tuscaloosa. It’s been a good summer for Bell, who also was named the offensive line MVP at Southern California’s camp. The Trojans, however, didn’t offer Bell a scholarship. Other offers aside from Alabama include Arizona, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico and Washington State.

What’s interesting about Bell’s Alabama offer is that none of the coaches even knew who he was when he arrived at the camp. He was so impressive that now it’s likely that Bell will be a Crimson Tide commit on Monday.

I expect Bell’s ranking to rise this season as he gets a full year of playing offensive line under his belt. He’s mainly played on the defensive line, but he will play offense for the Tide, if he commits and signs.

Bell’s max bench is 365 pounds, his squat is 525 pounds, and his power clean is 315 pounds. Those are impressive numbers for a kid entering his senior season.

---

quote:

---

Small note on Xavier Williams

Xavier Williams, a 4-star wide receiver from Chaminade-Madonna High School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), told SEC Country that his official visit to Alabama is set for the Tennessee game on Oct. 21. Williams is 100 percent firm with his commitment to the Crimson Tide and has become the unofficial leader of the team’s 2018 class. He’s consistently in the ears of other top recruits.

---

quote:

---

Alabama landed its 10th commitment in the 2018 class on Monday afternoon when California 3-star offensive lineman Jarrett Bell chose the Crimson Tide over Arizona and Washington State among others.

Before July 18 of this year, the coaching staff had no idea who Bell even was. Bell visited Tuscaloosa for the first time on that day with his trainer, former Southern California linebacker and NFL fullback Jordan Campbell, who now runs Winner Circle Athletics.

Campbell, who was the nation’s No. 3 inside linebacker in the Class of 2007 according to Rivals.com’s rankings (Chris Donald was No. 1 and Rolando McClain was No. 2.), so he is very familiar with the recruiting process.

Campbell told Bell that once he registered for the camp and the coaches saw him, they would start to take notice because he’s 6-foot-4 and weighs 290 pounds. That’s exactly what happened.

“They started to follow him with a camera and then moved him up to the top group,” Campbell told SEC Country. “I told him that every rep you take, you need to stand tall and continue to be at the front of the line and lead the group. They’re going to have to ask who you are eventually. When he got to positional drills, some of the other guys were struggling with technique. Jarrett is very coachable and applied what the coaches were telling him in the drills.”

Bell has primarily focused on the offensive line for three months now. That’s one reason why before his commitment to Alabama, he was a 2-star prospect on the 247Sports Composite. He’s now a 3-star prospect.

He hasn’t gone to any recruiting showcases where reporters could get a good look at him. Bell has instead focused his attention on the weight room and on the football field where he’s transitioning to offensive line full-time.

There are some doubters, though, when you base your decision on why Alabama would take a low 3-star prospect, who is projected to play center. Campbell has an answer for that that should make Tide fans happy.

“When you’re 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, only have 14 percent body fat, can run a sub 5-second 40-yard dash, a 4.4 shuttle time, have a 30-inch vert and can bench 225 pounds 18 times, that’s NFL combine numbers. I would know from playing in the NFL that he is what they are looking for. There aren’t many at center who are as athletic as him, have over a 3.0 GPA and can get his teammates lined up. He’s a no-brainer.

“When you put together all of his training and what he’s done on the field in the past three months and where he’s going to be when he gets to Alabama, you want that kid on your team.”

The nation’s No. 24 offensive guard can squat 550 pounds, deadlift 525 pounds, bench 405 pounds and rep 225 pounds 18 times. Those are impressive numbers for a player who’s just entering his senior season of high school.

Alabama’s coaches, before they offered Bell a scholarship back in camp, wanted to get Campbell’s opinion on if he felt his client belonged in Tuscaloosa.

“They asked me if he was tough and I told them that I wouldn’t have brought him there if he was soft,” Campbell said. “He’s tough as nails.”

Bell will enroll at Alabama this upcoming January. Once he got the scholarship offer last month, there was no doubt that the Crimson Tide was going to be the school he picked.

“Alabama is the best school in the country,” Campbell said. “Where else would he want to go? Guys get drafted every year on the offensive line from there. I played at USC when Pete Carroll was there, and just like at Alabama, you have a great opportunity to play at the next level.”

---

quote:

---

Justin Watkins down to Alabama, LSU and Florida

Justin Watkins got the full experience of what it’s like to visit Alabama a few weeks ago when he was in Tuscaloosa for the Champions Cookout. He had visited Alabama before for a 7-on-7 tournament, but he didn’t get to see much of the school on that trip.

Watkins, a 4-star slot receiver from East Ridge High School (Clermont, Fla.), left that visit with all of the information he needs about the school.

“Honestly, I didn’t know anything about it before going,” Watkins told SEC Country. “There’s no other place to be than Alabama. It’s what you want to see and where you want to be at. You get the best training. You get the best coaching. You get the best technology. All of that.”

While that quote sure seems like the top-5o prospect is favoring the Crimson Tide at this point, Watkins said he doesn’t have a top school at the moment. He is, however, down to Alabama, Florida and LSU. A decision isn’t coming until National Signing Day, or shortly before. Watkins has de-committed from three schools (Florida State, LSU and Texas) and he says he wants to take his recruitment slowly now.

He broke down why he would choose each school as of today.

On Alabama: “The reason I would choose Alabama is because of the coaching staff. They have the best coaches. Nick Saban would really prepare me for the league and build me into a man. I feel like I could develop into a young man faster there.”

On Florida: “Florida was a school I grew up liking. It’s really close to my family. It would be a place close to my family where they could come to almost every single game.”

On LSU: “Before I committed there, I had never been there until I went a few weeks ago. When I went there, it just felt like a family. I like the coaching staff a lot. The thing I like about LSU is when I de-committed, they always told me they would remain on me. They never stopped recruiting me.”

Watkins said Florida isn’t coming after him too strongly. That’s likely because the Gators have commitments from five receivers and they’re the favorites to land one of the fastest recruits in the country in Anthony Schwartz. This is shaping up to be an Alabama-LSU race.

“My closest relationships are with the LSU staff,” he added, “but Alabama is pushing me the hardest.”

Alabama is very high on Watkins and 4-star slot receiver Jaylen Waddle, who is the team’s top target at the position. Watkins had a committable offer for the Crimson Tide before Slade Bolden, a 3-star athlete who’s expected to play slot at Alabama, committed last week. It’s unclear right now where Watkins stands with Alabama, but it’s hard to see the Tide turn down one of the nation’s best prospects if he wants in. Spots are tight in the 2018 class, but Alabama always makes the numbers work out in the end.

“Coach Saban told me that when he watched my film, it was like no other,” Watkins said. “He said it was one of the best films he’s watched from a high school kid.”

The future fashion designer said he’s in contact with wide receivers coach Mike Locksley and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll almost every day. Daboll’s career in the NFL and his five Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots help Alabama’s chances with Watkins.

“We talked about that a lot,” Watkins said of his conversations with Daboll. “He was talking to me about some of the guys he had coached in the league. He was telling me all of the different things he would do to get me the ball, like putting me in open space, reverses and swing passes.”

If Alabama has space for Watkins as we get closer to National Signing Day, it seems likely that he’ll be a Crimson Tide commit.

---

quote:

---

Quavaris Crouch at the next level

When Crouch thinks about which position he’ll play at the next level, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound prospect envisions himself as a running back in a pro-style system. Harding University High School coach Sam Greiner believes Crouch could play a couple different positions, depending on how much he grows over the next year or so.

Crouch’s primary duties are at B-back in Harding University’s Wing-T offense, but he also plays linebacker and defensive end.

“He’s probably the best defender, one of the best defenders in the country,” Greiner said. “It’s just that, at the high school level, when you play running back, he’s that good at it, too. And that helps the team a lot more.

“Secondarily, he plays defense. If we had him going both ways the whole time, we’d wear him out before the end of the season. I’m trying to, dadgum, keep his mileage down a little bit and spot-play him, but he’s special. He’s gifted.”

Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables is among the coaches pursuing him for that side of the ball.

Big, bad Alabama

Coach Nick Saban has signed several 5-star running backs over the course of his impressive run at Alabama, including Najee Harris, Damien Harris and T.J. Yeldon. Bo Scarbrough, a comparable prospect to Crouch, signed as a 5-star athlete before the Tide lined him up in their offensive backfield.

Crouch met Scarbrough while visiting Tuscaloosa earlier this summer for a camp.

“It was really good, but I thought of it all as a learning experience, because they’re the top level, so if you learn everything up there, I feel like you’ll be OK going anywhere else,” he said. “I was just taking everything they had and putting it toward me, so I can become a better player.”

The lineage of running backs at Alabama, according to Crouch, has its pros and cons.

“[The] pros are they have good backs. They develop their backs. They’re big backs. They’re strong. They’re fast. They’re physical. That’s all a good thing. Most of them, if you do good there, you’re a first-round draft pick,” he said. “The cons are the backs get overworked, beat down, things like that, but I don’t pay too much attention to that, because they’ve got all the resources there for your body to become better: ice baths and massages, so I don’t really pay too much attention to that.

“I’m a football player. It comes with a lot of banging, so I’m not really worried about it. I’m a tough guy.”

---

quote:

---

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thanks to some early ground work by running backs coach Bobby Bentley, South Carolina is very much in the mix for 5-star running back Quavaris Crouch.

The Gamecocks gained a quick leg up on the competition when Bentley offered Crouch in the spring of his freshman year, a few months after arriving to Columbia from Auburn with coach Will Muschamp.

Crouch, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound prospect from Charlotte’s Harding University High School, is now ranked by the 247Sports composite as the No. 1 running back in the Class of 2019. Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia and Michigan are just a few that have hopped into the mix with South Carolina.

“That’s my first offer,” he said. “[Bentley] took a chance on me when nobody else would and he’s always been there encouraging me, telling me, so that will play a little role in [my] recruiting.

“Once you’re up there, it’s hard to tell the real from the fake, because everybody is just trying to tag along, not trying to miss out on anything, but [Bentley] was there. He took a chance on me first, from the beginning.”

Crouch added, “I like coach Bentley a lot. That’s my guy. He’s a really good person. I go down there and I see him a lot. I’ve got a good relationship with him, Muschamp as well. I’m getting to know all of the players and everything. I have a good relationship with South Carolina, too.”

Along with South Carolina, Crouch is comfortable with Alabama, Michigan and North Carolina, but he’s not ready to declare them as a lead group. Far from it, actually.

His focus is squarely on his current team, not his next one.

“I’m just trying to win here in high school, trying to get everybody to do what they’re supposed to do in high school,” he said. “Me focusing on [recruiting], I feel like I’m taking away from my team and not allowing them to get the 100 percent of me, of helping them and getting them better and me buying in and helping them, too.”

---

quote:

---

Andres Fox is down to 4, but has a leader

MOBILE, Ala. — Andres Fox is down to four, but more accurately, he’s narrowed the field down to one.

Fox, a 6-foot-4, 232-pound edge rusher from Mobile, Ala., recently named a final four of LSU, Alabama, Auburn and Stanford, and made unofficial visits to each of those campuses over the last month. When he returned home, he spent his final free week of summer going over his options and mulling his decision.

Eventually, he and his family settled on one school.

The 3-star pass rusher is keeping his leader private because he is not 100-percent sold on his decision — at least yet. Two of his four finalists are still in the mix, while the fourth has fallen off a bit after a recent visit.

“I already have a plan of where I want to go, but I’m just giving it a little time and I’m waiting,” Fox told SEC Country. “I’m undecided on the other two, but I’m keeping them just in case and seeing who’s real.”

When asked for a hint about his leader, Fox kindly replied: “I went to the school, but I can’t say because then you’ll know. LSU is recruiting me the hardest still.”

That might be the biggest hint that Fox could provide because he made visits to Auburn and Alabama in July, then returned to Stanford later in the month. His final visit was to Baton Rouge on July 30 when the LSU players reported for fall camp.

How did Fox decide upon these four as his finalists? How did a leader emerge from the pack?

“It’s all about the fit,” he said. “Where do I belong at? I was looking at the environment and stuff like that.”

More specifically, the school that is secretly at the top for Fox made a lasting impression on the top-20 weakside defensive end. The environment checked out both on the field and in the classroom.

So, another hint about which school is actually out in front?

“It’s just the kind of players that are there,” he said. “They all want to be great and being around a lot of great people, they’ll push you to be the best person in the classroom and on the field.”

---

quote:

---

Why a recent stop in Baton Rouge was critical

LSU is recruiting Fox is the hardest.

Evidence: Ed Orgeron is personally spearheading his recruitment himself.

The Tigers coach is notorious for FaceTiming with the Alabama pass rusher. He hosted him for a spring football practice and again on July 30 when the LSU players reported for fall camp. Fox took in team and player meetingswith Orgeron to get a better feel for life with the Tigers.

“I hung out with Coach O the whole day and he showed me how badly he wanted me,” Fox explained. “We went over academics. I got to go into meetings with the players and what it feels like to be a Tiger. Coach O was just talking to the whole team. It was great. He’s very hype.”

Fox also added that he could definitely envision playing for Orgeron.

Orgeron has played a key role recruiting several front-seven prospects in recent years. In the Class of 2018, he is responsible for personally courting Jarell Cherry, a BUCK just like Fox.

Getting attention from LSU’s head man has not gone unnoticed.

“It’s an honor,” Fox admitted. “For real. I would hate to disappoint him.”

Fox made the return visit to Baton Rouge along with his parents and little sister. For his mother and father, it was their first time on LSU’s campus.

Their focus, naturally, was on academics. Fox aspires to major in silver engineering, so the family toured through campus and got a close-up look at LSU’s engineering program.

Together, Fox and his parents agreed on his private leader, but he added his mother has given the seal of approval to each of the schools in his final four.

“They really liked it and it was my mom’s first time [at LSU],” he said. “It was pretty cool and I had to let my mom see all of my top-four schools. It was important because my mom hadn’t seen LSU and I really liked everything about it. She would be comfortable with whatever decision I made.”

“The engineering program was great,” Fox added.

It’s also worth noting that the 6-foot-4, 232-pound prospect is naturally a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end. LSU is recruiting Fox to play the BUCK, the same position currently occupied by those such as Arden Key, Andre Anthony and K’Lavon Chaisson.

Fox is being conditioned to play a stand-up edge rusher role for Mobile Christian — which they refer to as the JACK — and sees snaps at defensive end in three- and four-man fronts. He also sees action as a wide-9 end in certain looks.

Part of the reason why is to get Fox ready for his role next year. Several of the schools in his top four employ a 3-4 defense, including LSU.

“I’m just getting ready for whatever position they want me to be at, but I think I’ll grow to be a defensive end,” said Fox. “That’s what I’ve played my entire life. [But LSU is recruiting me like] Arden Key. I like that, but it’s new, though.”

---