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

quote:

---

Hialeah (Fla.) Champagnat Catholic cornerback Nadab Joseph is trending to Alabama at 100 percent on the Crystal Ball after decommitting from LSU last Thursday.

The four-star corner tells BamaOnLine he plans to take an official visit to Tuscaloosa for the LSU game in November.

"They basically let me know I'm the guy they want," Joseph told BamaOnLine following his most recent visit to Alabama in July.

The Tide offered Joseph during a visit to camp in June.

At 6-foot-1.5, 180 pounds, Joseph is rated the No. 24 cornerback and the No. 225 overall player in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

---

quote:

---

Alabama currently has the nation’s No. 26 recruiting class and the eighth-best in the SEC, according to the 247Sports composite. The Crimson Tide only have 10 commitments, so for them to be ranked that highly shows how elite this class already is.

Nick Saban said the team can only sign 22 Class of 2018 recruits because of the delayed enrollment in the 2017 class of tackle Hunter Brannon, kicker Joseph Bulovas and defensive end Jarez Parks. Brannon and Bulovas were blueshirted and Parks was greyshirted.

How will Alabama fill out the rest of its 2018 class on the offensive side of the ball? Here are SEC Country’s latest projections:

*-indicates current commitment

---

quote:

---

RB: Asa Martin

Analysis: Since Asa Martin picked up an offer from Alabama at A-Day, the Crimson Tide have gained significant steam with the in-state prospect. Before he got his offer, he told SEC Country he didn’t think he fit in the Tide’s offense. He has changed his mind on that. He’ll announce his commitment on Aug. 24. He’s down to Alabama, Auburn, Clemson and Florida, and all signs are pointing to Alabama right now. The Gators added a commitment from former Tide running back commit Dameon Pierce, so that’s one less team in the mix for Martin. Auburn felt good with where it stood with Pierce, so I would expect the Tigers to turn up the heat these next 10 days.

Confidence level: 75 percent

---

quote:

---

TE: Luke Ford

Analysis: Luke Ford makes his debut in our projections after Dominick Wood-Anderson committed to Texas. Wood-Anderson had told the Alabama staff the morning of his commitment that he was going to choose the Crimson Tide only to commit to the Longhorns. Ford has said that Alabama leads for him, and that hasn’t changed, but he is also considering Georgia. He has said that he wants to play with 5-star quarterback Justin Fields in college. If Fields chooses Georgia, Ford to the Bulldogs becomes a strong possibility.

Confidence level: 55 percent

---

quote:

---

Rodney Garner’s D-line recruiting plan

There is what Rodney Garner wants and there is what Garner will receive.

Auburn’s defensive line coach has been blessed with a 10-deep group the last two football seasons. He has no plans to stop the trend. The 2017 recruiting class brought in three more potential contributors — Markaviest Bryant, Alec Jackson and Tyrone Truesdell.

While final numbers haven’t been guaranteed in the Class of 2018, Garner won’t shy away from being greedy. He wants as many linemen as coach Gus Malzahn will give him.

“I’d like to sign like six. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get six. That would be a dream world for me. But I’m praying for five. But six would be awesome,” Garner said. “That would be what I want. I’m not saying that’s what I’m getting. Right now, that’s not what I have. It’s not allocated right now. Right now, it’s probably going to be more like five.”

Garner already has one defensive lineman secured in the class: Daquan Newkirk.

Newkirk has been committed to Auburn since he failed to qualify out of high school. He’s gone the junior college route, and both sides have honored their commitment to one another. Newkirk is a 290-pound recruit who will be an interior lineman for the Tigers.

So, with one interior spot secured, what else would Garner like to add?

“I’d love to get three inside and three outside. That would be a wish list, one of those being inside right now,” Garner said.

Let’s assume Garner’s low-ball wish happens. That means the Tigers land five recruits, likely three inside and two edge rushers.

The most likely defensive tackle with Auburn right now is Coynis Miller. He has wavered about committing before the season or after, but his most recent announcement appears to be favoring the latter. The wait likely hurts the Tigers, but Auburn should still feel like it’s in solid position with Miller.

Garner isn’t able to publicly comment on specific recruits, at least by name. But he did make an intriguing mention of one prospect who he believes Auburn is in solid contention to land.

“I’ve got a kid that I feel like we’re real close to getting that could actually, probably be like a hybrid early on, so he could play like a strongside end because he’s about 260 [pounds] right now,” Garner said. “He’s got great length, great hips, some initial quickness. I like his toughness. He can play end early on, but with him being 260 now, he’s probably going to be like 290 or 300 and could possibly move into a three-technique and you’ve got more of the athletic D-linemen. That would be perfect for me if I were to get him with the other two inside guys.”

Potential names to remember among pure defensive tackles: Miller, Jalen Cunningham, Tramel Walthour and Timaje Porter.

Based on Garner’s comments, it sounds like the Mystery Versatile Prospect above would go alongside Newkirk and one of the four choices above (in that order).

But the Mystery Versatile Prospect caught my attention, mainly because of the obscurity of the profile Garner provided.

One name to watch that hasn’t been mentioned much who closely fits that description is Caleb Johnson, a 3-star defensive end from Northside (Ga.). Johnson is listed as a weakside defensive lineman at 6-4 and 250 pounds, but it’s certainly possible his weight has increased since the last documentation.

It’s worth nothing Johnson has a pinned tweet at the top of his page personally thanking Garner for giving him the offer in May. Johnson also received official offers from Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, LSU and Louisville.

Again, that’s just me putting my detective hat on to read into what Garner said.

That also leaves the outside linemen Garner covets.

“Then try to get two really dynamic-type guys that can affect the game as speed rushers. Then one other strongside end-type guy that can really play on the tight end,” Garner said.

The top two edge rushers of interest are Richard Jibunor, who could be close to committing, and Georgia commit Caleb Tannor. Flipping Tannor won’t be easy, but he’s likely to shop around a little bit this fall, especially with Auburn.

But assuming Jibunor lands with the Tigers, there still would be room for a strongside end. Andres Fox is No. 1 choice there, but he might be trending elsewhere at this time. If the Tigers were to miss, Kayode Oladele would be a viable secondary option.

---

quote:

---

Keep an eye on Savion Smith, former L6U CB signee (5*). Sounds like we're after him pretty hard.

---