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

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I don't think we can pull Surtain. His dad is really good friends with LSU's DB coach.

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QUARTERBACK

Committed: 1 — Joey Gatewood. The 4-star recruit committed to Auburn way back in December of 2015 when he was a sophomore. Even though other schools have pursued him and the Tigers would like to add a second quarterback, Gatewood remains solid.

Spots to fill: 1

Top of the board: Justin Fields. The No. 1 overall recruit nationally in the 247Sports rankings, Fields has visited Auburn multiple times this year and threw for the coaches in July. Florida State and Georgia are thought to be the other top contenders. According to Fields, he will not announce his college choice until sometime during the season because he wants to watch his top schools play. The Tigers staff believes Auburn has a legitimate shot. Meantime, Fields has developed a friendship with Tigers quarterback Jarrett Stidham. The highest amount of confidence seems to be coming from the Georgia side.

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RUNNING BACK

Committed: 1 — Shaun Shivers. The diminutive Shivers (he’s in the 5-feet-7 range) is not an every down back, but an all-purpose back. Blessed with great speed, in addition to getting carries out of the backfield he should get the ball on jet sweeps and in the return game.

Spots to fill: 1

Top of the board: Four-star back Asa Martin of Decatur (Ala.) Austin appears to be the top target at this time. He’ll announce his commitment Aug.24. Right now, Auburn and Alabama appear to be the front-runners. Apparently, the Tide is confident. But Auburn also seems to like its chances. Our intel suggests it’s still too close to call.

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RECEIVER

Committed: 1 — Shedrick Jackson. The nephew of Auburn great Bo Jackson has developed into a solid recruit — one blessed both with size and athleticism. His development over the past year has Auburn excited.

Spots to fill: 2-3

Top of the board: Matthew Hill, Justyn Ross and Seth Williams. There doesn’t appear to be a clear-cut No. 1 receiver on the board. Rather, Auburn has prioritized each of these three about the same. Hill is expected to decide soon and most think the Tigers are the favorites. Auburn is battling Alabama and Clemson for Ross. With Williams, there is a feeling Auburn might have emerged as the front-runner but Alabama is lurking.

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LINEBACKER

Committed: 1 — Michael Harris. The 4-star recruit committed to Auburn in July. Georgia and Ohio State were the other primary players in his recruitment.

Spots to fill: 1-2

Top of the board: JJ Peterson and Quay Walker. Auburn has prioritized the 4-star recruits from south Georgia equallly this cycle. Many think Peterson is an Alabama lean, but he has visited the Tigers three times this year. Walker is committed to the Tide — but other schools think he can be flipped. Walker attended Auburn’s recruit cookout in July.

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Jackson-Olin four-star defensive tackle Coynis Miller has a top five of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Louisville and Oregon, but two schools have an edge.

Miller said that Auburn and Florida are standing out, "mainly because I've got a great relationship with both of the (defensive line) coaches and the staff. I feel very comfortable there."

The key figures here are Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner and Florida defensive line coach Chris Rumph. Miller has developed a great relationship with both and could see himself playing for them at the next level.

On Garner: "It's like we just knew each other for a long time, that type of relationship. We can talk about anything."

On Rumph, and his recent Florida visit on the weekend of July 22: "I loved it when I went up there. The coaches showed a lot of love, showing me around and showing me how they do things. Real good (relationship with Rumph). I talk to him just about every day. He just hit me up a couple of hours ago, telling me to have a good day and a good practice."

On Alabama: "They're still in the mix. I still talk to (offensive line and area recruiter) Coach (Brent) Key a lot. (Defensive line) coach (Karl) Dunbar, I talk to him a little bit. They're still in the mix.

"I just have to get a better relationship with Coach Dunbar. Me and Coach Key have a good relationship, but he's not going to be my position coach."

On Louisville: "Just a great school. I love coach (L.D.) Scott, the defensive line coach. He's a good person. I really want to get down there for a game and see what it's like. I've been for a junior day."

Miller hasn't visited Oregon yet, but is being recruited hard by former Alabama assistant Mario Cristobal, the Ducks' offensive coordinator. Miller said his first official visit could be to Oregon this fall, but he hasn't set it up yet.

No other official visits have been set, but Miller said one could be for the LSU game the weekend of Oct. 7.

Interestingly enough, Miller said he almost committed to LSU at one point.

"When I got there, I just felt it (earlier this spring)," Miller said. "I was about to pull the trigger then, but something told me to wait until I got home. I waited untiI got home, and they stopped talking to me for a while. So I made the right choice (to not commit on the spot). They stopped talking to me for a while."

Miller originally wanted to commit somewhere before the season, but now says, "it'll just come whenever it comes. I just had to slow things down."

Miller said he'll take official visits to his top five schools "as long as they keep talking to me," but said he'll take some unofficial visits to games this fall.

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LSU regains lead for RB Harold Joiner

LSU jumped out in front for Harold Joiner early this spring after the Tigers extended an offer his way during an unofficial visit to Baton Rouge in March.

From there, it got complicated.

LSU padded its lead throughout the spring, but after a wild five-day span in which Chris Curry, Tae Provens and AJ Carter committed, that lead was weakened … drastically.

Joiner, from Mountain Brook High in Birmingham, Ala., countered by trimming his list of top schools to six, purposefully excluding his longtime leader, LSU, and replacing the SEC West power with UCLA, Texas, Michigan State, Auburn, Alabama and Southern California.

LSU’s hold on Carter didn’t last long. Louisiana’s top-ranked running back flipped back to UCLA and remains solid in his pledge to the Bruins. Provens may be projected for a role in the Tigers backfield, but his commitment was taken as an athlete. Curry was LSU’s first running back commitment, but his role has yet to be defined.

Once running backs coach and area recruiter Tommie Robinson was able to clarify that to Joiner, LSU regained its lead for the 4-star tailback. Yet again, the Tigers are in an opportune position to land a commitment this fall.

“They were pushing me pretty hard to try and get me to come down and they were telling me that they were shocked that they weren’t in my top six,” Joiner told SEC Country. “They have fully redeemed themselves honestly. Now, I’d put LSU and Michigan State at the top.”

Not much had changed for Joiner once Robinson was able to explain the plan for LSU’s 2018 recruiting class.

Joiner, the No. 151 overall prospect in the class and the No. 6 running back, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, was reminded he was a top priority for the Tigers. Robinson’s sustained push proved a lot to the 6-foot-3, 218-pound Alabama native, especially through June and July when LSU’s lead began to fade.

“Well, I’ve always felt at home there and I love the energy that the players give to each other. I really just love the hype around LSU,” said Joiner. “I know that it’s a business when recruiting and they would have stopped recruiting me if they really didn’t want me.”

Tommie Robinson’s push behind the scenes

After Joiner unveiled a head-scratching top six that did not include LSU, the 4-star prospect opted to go silent for the next few weeks. That allowed him to take a step back from the media and focus solely on his recruitment.

That time away from the limelight allowed Joiner to reconnect with the Tigers running backs coach and get the answers he needed about a potential future in Baton Rouge. Where did he fit into LSU’s backfield plans and what was the deal with the swarm on commitments they took in June?

Robinson’s responses helped LSU regain steam with the prized target.

“It has been crazy actually,” Joiner said. “I’ve actually put LSU back on the board because they told me about the three backs that committed. Now, they have two backs committed and it turns out that one [Carter] de-committed and another back [Curry] is actually a fullback. The other guy they picked up [Provens] is actually an athlete, so that still leaves a spot for me.”

With a spot in sight, LSU again had to press reset on its pursuit of Joiner. After all, Robinson kept the 4-star running back abreast of his plans for the team’s elite high school prospect camp in June, but Joiner didn’t expect three commitments to follow.

When the two Alabama natives touched base in July, Joiner was reminded he was a priority for LSU in the Class of 2018. His role was more clearly defined than the other running backs that Robinson was recruiting and was what he wanted to hear.

“He told me that he was going to offer one back, but he was nothing compared to me,” said Joiner, laughing. “So, I waited and then he let two more backs commit. I was just like: ‘They don’t need me. Whatever.’ At that point, they didn’t offer anybody as a tailback or a running back, so I knew that they still wanted me.”

Since then, it’s been more of the same.

LSU has continued to pursue Joiner with a head of steam — harder than any other school — selling him on the fact that Derrius Guice and Darrel Williams are entering their final seasons in Baton Rouge and there is an opportunity to see the field right away as a freshman. As a result, the Tigers have worked their way back to the top for the U.S. Army All-American.

“They say that I’m a big back and that they need me,” Joiner said, “and I have a great chance of playing my freshman year. That’s pretty important because I’m trying to make it to the league as fast as possible.”

“LSU’s staff texts me every other day. They’re asking how my day is and things like that. They would never stop texting me … even when I didn’t answer. Their effort to get me is amazing and I don’t think any school has reached out to me as hard as LSU has.”

What’s next for Joiner?

Joiner is nearing a decision.

Alabama’s No. 4-ranked prospect could finalize his plans as early as September and commit soon after. He estimates that two, maybe three games into LSU’s 2017 season is the estimated timeline to decide.

“Just so I can see how they look,” Joiner said.

The blue-chip running back will officially visit LSU on Oct. 14. A weekend later, Joiner will take an official visit to UCLA for Oct. 21.

Other schools will likely have a chance to host Joiner for official visits. Those teams and dates have yet to be finalized.

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