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

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FWIW BTA says he'd be shocked if Coynis does not end up at AU. Says he's not a ban bet guy but he'd consider it here.

Believes we get a commit or 2 between now & Clemson from names that will make AU fans happy. Recruiting now is in a holding pattern til the dead period ends next Thursday. May be obvious to some but he says the Clemson game is huge for many reasons, implying recruiting is one of them.

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4-star RB Asa Martin: The No. 1 running back in the state of Alabama is set to commit Aug. 24. His decision is down to Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Clemson. Martin hasn’t explicitly eliminated any teams, but Florida’s decision to add Dameon Pierce hinted at the Gators chances. With Clemson’s late arrival, this will come down to an in-state battle that is close despite the public perception Martin will choose the Crimson Tide. For now, that’s where my prediction lies, as well, but that’s subject to change over the course of the next week. There is a growing sense of confidence on Auburn’s side, but there is a similar sentiment in Tuscaloosa, too. Do I think he’s the next in Auburn’s class? I haven’t reached that decision yet, but I do think he’s the next to announce somewhere, so he has to be on the next-to-commit list.

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4-star WR Seth Williams: When wide receivers coach Kodi Burns spoke to the media last week, he hinted the Tigers could hit at wide receiver in the near future. Matthew Hill lived up to that expectation. But Burns’ comments sounded a little more like multiple receivers could join the class soon, as opposed to just one. So who could be the other receiver? Williams makes the most sense. He hasn’t set a specific commitment date or timeline, and truthfully Williams doesn’t reveal much to the media, but Williams fits what Auburn is trying to do. He’s a tall, fast, big-bodied receiver who — since the Auburn cookout — has crept up the Tigers’ wish list and confidence chart.

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For Class of 2019 offensive guard Keiondre Jones, he still has plenty of time to make a decision as to where he’ll continue his football career. However, we know he likes the prospects of playing in the SEC.

The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Jones, rated as the No. 3 guard and No. 48 overall player in the recruiting cycle, released his top 11 destinations on Friday via Twitter.

Over half of them are SEC schools, including the one from his home state.



The 4-star recruit is playing his prep ball at Callaway High School in Hogansville, Ga.

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2020 defensive lineman Bryan Bresee entered the spotlight this offseason with some fantastic camp performances. He earned a number of offers this summer and took visits to Alabama, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State. Bresee breaks down those visits int he video above. He plans on attending the Alabama/Florida State game in early September and will take more visits this season.

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Seth Williams had enough. So did Paul Bryant coach Eldrick Hill.

Two summers ago, Williams was a rising prospect. He just finished his freshman season as a receiver at the school in Cottondale, just minutes away from the University of Alabama's campus.

That summer, he went and camped in front of Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban and then-offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, setting the pace for an offer he would eventually earn.

But he couldn't keep quiet after not getting the ball at a team workout that afternoon.

The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Williams, ranked No. 5 on the AL.com preseason A-List, looked the part of a college prospect even at age 15. But he was still behind two seniors.

Williams thought he should have gotten more balls that day. Hill thought he shouldn't have dropped one of the five he was thrown.

"One day he thought he was (former NFL receiver) Keyshawn Johnson and said, 'Give me the damn ball,'" Hill said. "At that point he was our No. 3 receiver. I can't say all of what I said after that. We threw him five and he dropped one. Our No. 1 guy got seven or eight balls and caught all of them. Same with our No. 2 guy.

"Had you not been complaining about not getting enough balls, you would have had the concentration to catch that fifth ball."

Words were exchanged. It got heated. Williams left the field. Hill understood Williams' "goofy" personality. He was a young player with great physical ability who didn't know how to reign it in mentally. He also called Williams' parents to let them know that Seth didn't have a good day, but he still loved him and wanted to get the most out of him.

"That was one of those days I challenged him to take his tail over to T.A. (Tuscaloosa Academy), catch 20 balls over everybody because you're bigger and better, but that's not going to get you any better," Hill said. "Stay here and compete, if you do something with those five balls, we'll find a way to get you more balls.

"He was smelling himself a little bit and thought he smelled like roses. We had to let him know he still smelled like boo boo. Kiffin told him this and Saban told him that, but when you come over here, you're still our No. 3 guy. We know you don't block back side and know you jog off the ball."

Looking back on it, Williams knew his head got too big because of how he did at an elite college camp.

"They hyped me up pretty good and had me feeling myself," Williams said of his Alabama performance. "I came back to practice and wasn't getting the ball. I was wide open one play and didn't get the ball."

Williams stayed at Bryant. He got more balls. Sure, there were still moments - in the 2016 spring game against Parker, Williams again complained about not getting a ball thrown his way. Hill was in his face and sat him out.

Those days don't happen anymore. Williams can smile about it now and understand that he needed to be humble and grow up. He's emerged as a top senior leader for the Stampede and has college offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Florida State and others.

"He's busting his tail now," Hill said. "The kid is one of the best ones we've got."

Now, Williams blocks on the back side and doesn't jog when he's not getting the ball. He won't come off the field for the Stampede as he'll also play safety, punt and kick off.

While Williams is a four-star receiver, he's open to playing safety in college if it gets him on the field.

"His ceiling on the defensive side is probably higher than it is on the offensive side," Hill said. "He's (late all-pro) Sean Taylor-esque, 6-3 and could be 220ish. Knock your face in the dirt. That's who he reminds me of. He started learning it last year and he's still learning."

Williams' father Robert was a standout athlete at Holt High School. Williams has excelled in everything he has tried and earned all-state honors in three sports last year - first team as an athlete in football, second team in basketball and in track in the long jump and high jump.

Williams was a starting forward on the class 6A state champion Stampede basketball team.

"He's a six- or seven-star as far as I'm concerned," Hill said. "You put him at a 1A school and he'll win a championship by himself."

Williams is also into paintball and fishing. Even if Hill challenged him to transfer to a private school, Williams never seriously considered it. He has unfinished business at Paul Bryant.

"I didn't really want to leave," Williams said. "I knew if I left, I was going to be leaving my friends.

I never had to run full speed and people would fall when I hit them. I had to wake up and figure out that everyone is bigger and stronger than I was."

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