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

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Not familiar with the area, but what is the commute time from the house in Holtville?

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Jalen Cunningham had three days in practice before he made his season debut in St. Clair County, a 56-21 win over Shelby County.

The 6-foot-5 Cunningham had been out for almost three months following left foot surgery. There were torn ligaments and a toe dislocation following an injury early at an Alabama camp.

St. Clair County coach Matt Glover said that Cunningham, a defensive tackle, played around 45 snaps, making six tackles against a Wing-T offense.

"He's still not in perfect condition, but he's in better than what I thought he was going to be in," Glover said. "You could tell he hasn't had a lot of on-the-field practice. He got released (fully) last Tuesday, so he's been doing most of his practicing in shorts and helmets. He hadn't really been able to put pads on until last Tuesday."

Cunningham, a three-star recruit in the 247Sports composite, is one of the state's most intriguing prospects. No one knew about him until Glover got to the school this spring, saw him and made coaches aware. When coaches took a look at Cunningham, most sent offers on the spot.

Cunningham weighed around 363 pounds this spring, though, and colleges - including his top school Alabama - wanted to see him drop the weight. He got down to around 338 before foot surgery limited his ability to do cardio. Glover said he's now in the 340-345 range.

A bigger test will come Friday at Pleasant Grove, a perennial playoff team in Class 5A that runs a spread offense.

"He's been running since the doctor allowed him to start running," Glover said. "He had a little pain in his foot and toe after the game, but he came in Sunday and said he was fine.

"Not being able to get a lot of reps in practice, he's a little rusty, still. But he's big and hard to move in there."

Cunningham will likely be a part of Alabama's class once given the green light to commit. He went to Atlanta for the Crimson Tide's season-opening win over Florida State. Mississippi State, Auburn and UCLA are among other schools continuing to push, though, and he's still listening. Cunningham said he would probably go to Mississippi State's big home game against LSU this weekend.

"I think people are wanting to see about three or four more games to see what he looks like," Glover said.

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Slade Bolden open to playing anywhere at Alabama

Slade Bolden is going to Alabama with the belief that he’ll play slot receiver for the Crimson Tide, but if the team needs him elsewhere, then he’s open to making the switch.

“Coach [Nick] Saban told me clearly that I’m still coming down there as an athlete,” Bolden told SEC Country. “If we need you to play running back or, heck, if we need you to play defense, you can. That’s what he said, but I feel like coach [Brian] Daboll wants me in that slot position.”

Bolden’s versatility makes him an intriguing prospect for Alabama in this 2018 class because if the Crimson Tide land 4-star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, the team’s top slot target, and miss on adding a running back, Bolden could play tailback if needed.

Alabama missed on adding 5-star running back Zamir White, who committed to Georgia, and 4-star prospect Asa Martin, who chose Auburn. Harold Joiner is the next option for the Tide, but LSU and Michigan State currently lead for him. Alabama is squarely in the mix, despite him saying that.

While Bolden, who plays quarterback for West Monroe (La.) High School and committed in August, wouldn’t mind playing a position other than slot receiver; if he had it his way, he’d be a receiver in Tuscaloosa.

“That’s what I’m hoping,” Bolden said. “We sat down and watched film to see what he’s planning on doing with me. I loved it. I feel like it’s a great thing for me. They’re always going to have great running backs, so they’re going to run the ball. I feel like once Coach Daboll gets comfortable down there and Coach Saban gets comfortable [with Daboll’s offense], they’re going to start rolling with it.”

The 5-foot-11, 198-pound prospect chose Alabama over TCU. He earned a committable offer this summer after a stellar performance at one of the team’s camp sessions. What Bolden is talking about with “Daboll getting comfortable” is recruits, specifically wide receivers, were told when Daboll took over that the offense was going to open up more. Justyn Ross, a major WR target, talked about his concerns about Alabama’s offense on Monday.

We’re only two games into the season, and one of those games was against one of the best defenses in college football in Florida State, but Alabama’s passing offense is ranked 112th in the country. It’s not ideal when you’re trying to impress elite wide receivers, but Bolden isn’t worried.

“I feel like they tried to beat up and wear down Florida State,” Bolden said. “It worked. Alabama’s defense is very good, and [Florida State] had a hard time getting past them. I feel like [Alabama] was very efficient. It just shows you that Alabama can put a championship team on the field every year.”

Bolden isn’t planning on taking any visits to other schools not named Alabama. He’s planning on taking his official visit to Tuscaloosa on Nov. 4 for the LSU game, which will be Alabama’s biggest recruiting weekend this fall.

“It’s just a big relief,” Bolden said about being done with recruiting. “I finally found the right place for me. I’m just glad it’s over with. I didn’t rush anything. I was making sure it was right. I’m excited. I know there’s going to be a target on my back being an Alabama commit. It doesn’t matter, though. West Monroe always has a target on our backs anyway.”

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An update on a possible commitment

Vernon Jackson, a 3-star athlete from Boling (Texas) High School, has been on commitment watch since the end of last month. He ended up postponing his decision as Houston and its surrounding cities were pounded by Hurricane Harvey.

Jackson’s school was closed for more than a week because of the hurricane. Boling students didn’t return to class until Monday, which now begs the question: When will Jackson commit?

Boling coach Kevin Urbanek told SEC Country he believes a commitment could possibly come this Friday at the school’s pep rally, but nothing is set just yet. Since his original commitment date, Jackson has taken visits to Texas A&M and TCU, but I still believe Alabama is the favorite to land Jackson, who’s being recruited as an inside linebacker.

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Adam Anderson

ALABAMA VS. GEORGIA

Anderson was at one time committed to Georgia, then he flipped to LSU, and now he is uncommitted. He went to see Alabama play Florida State in Atlanta, he visited Tuscaloosa over the summer, and the Crimson Tide are very much in this race. Some feel Anderson goes back to Kirby Smart in the end, but Anderson is not tipping his hand. Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and Tennessee are still fighting to stay in this race, but it likely comes down to Nick Saban vs. Kirby Smart for one of the top edge rushers in 2018.

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Slade Bolden open to playing anywhere at Alabama

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Damn, is he ok? How did it happen?

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