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

quote:

---

As previously reported, five-star defensive end Micah Parsons and Top247 receiver Tommy Bush are locked in for official visits to Nebraska the first weekend in October when Wisconsin comes to town.

I'm also hearing Top247 cornerback pledge Brendan Radley-Hiles and Oklahoma running back commit T.J. Pledger are expected.

Huskers four-star receiver commits Joshua Moore and Cameron Brown are slated to be in as well.

Five-star athlete Talanoa Hufanga could be in that weekend as well. The Huskers staff also remains in touch with Alabama defensive end commit Cameron Latu and would like to get him in for the game too.

---

quote:

---

Where do Alabama's top prospects play during Week 6 of the Alabama high school season?

Here's where the A-List - AL.com's ranking of the state's top 15 senior prospects - play this week, as well as a look at three other Auburn commitments.

1. Justyn Ross, WR, Central-Phenix City- Ross and the Class 7A, top-ranked Red Devils host 6A power Opelika.

2. Jalyn Armour-Davis, ATH, St. Paul's- The Alabama commitment will get a week to rest his injured knee as the Saints are off.

3. Coynis Miller, DL, Jackson-Olin- Miller announced his final three and a commitment date on Tuesday. Jackson-Olin hosts Calera.

4. Asa Martin, RB, Austin- The Class 6A, top-ranked Black Bears are off this week. Auburn commitment Martin has run for 860 yards and 13 touchdowns in five games.

5. Seth Williams, WR, Paul Bryant- The Stampede host crosstown rival Central-Tuscaloosa on Thursday.

6. Harold Joiner, RB, Mountain Brook- Joiner will enjoy an off week after running for three touchdowns in a double-overtime win over Spain Park.

7. Jack West, QB, Saraland- Class 6A Saraland hosts 7A Murphy.

8. Andres Fox, DL, Mobile Christian- The Class 2A, No. 1-ranked Leopards welcome Marengo.

9. Shedrick Jackson, WR, Hoover- The Bucs are off this week.

10. Tank Jenkins, OL, Park Crossing- The Thunderbirds host Gadsden City, which has won back-to-back games.

11. James Foster, QB, Sidney Lanier- After beating rival Carver-Montgomery, the Poets face another crosstown foe in Jeff Davis.

12. Myles Mason, DB, Hewitt-Trussville- The unbeaten Class 7A Huskies host 6A Center Point.

13. Tae Provens, RB, Madison County- The LSU commitment has missed the past three weeks with an ankle injury. Madison County hosts Guntersville.

14. Allen Love, DL, Huffman- The Ole Miss commitment plays at McAdory.

15. Cam Taylor, QB/ATH, Park Crossing- The Missouri commitment and his Class 6A Thunderbirds step up in classification to host 7A Gadsden City

---

quote:

---

Central-Phenix City coach Jamey Dubose doesn't know where top prospect Justyn Ross will play college football next year, but he's pretty sure where the five-star wide receiver will be in five years.

"This kid will be in the NFL one day," Dubose said. "There is no doubt in my mind. He has the talent level, the maturity and the mindset. Every intangible you need to be successful in this sport, Justyn has it. He also is a delight to be around every day. You don't see many guys like this come around."

The 6-foot-4, 197-pound Ross, who is No. 1 on AL.com's A-List of top senior prospects in the state, released his list of top five colleges this summer. Auburn, Alabama, Clemson, Florida and Florida State were the schools on the list. Dubose said Thursday the decision likely will go down to National Signing Day in February.

"What Justyn has told me is that he will probably wait on the decision and all the programs on his list have said they will ride it out with him," Dubose said. "I don't think any of those schools have any intention of pulling out of the recruitment."

Dubose, who has coached plenty of talented athletes at previous stops in Prattville and Florence, said Ross has handled the recruiting process "wonderfully."

"Justyn is probably one of the best I've ever had," Dubose said. "He had a mature attitude when I first met him as a ninth grader. He was mature beyond his years then, and he is still the same way today. That is why I think he'll go somewhere and play quickly in college.

"I've never seen him get rattled in any way. His demeanor is always even-keeled. He doesn't get too high or too low. He's just always Justyn. He's an extremely hard worker and extremely unselfish."

As a junior, Ross caught 38 passes for 663 yards and eight touchdowns in leading the Red Devils to the Class 7A semifinals. His team is ranked No. 1 this year as it heads into Friday's showdown with rival Opelika.

Ross' senior numbers aren't extravagant, largely because Central has outscored its opponents 191-42 and Dubose has relied on reserves in the second half of most games.

In last week's 62-7 win over Smiths Stadium, he caught four passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. He also is returning punts for the first time this year, and he took one back 43 yards for a score last week. Dubose described him as "electric" on special teams, but nothing about Ross surprises him anymore.

"I can't describe some of the catches I've seen him make in practice," he said. "I don't know how to put into words his ability and talent level. In 10 years, everyone will know the name Justyn Ross just like they know the name Julio Jones or any other top NFL receiver."

Opelika head coach Caleb Ross knows all about Central's star receiver. His McGill team knocked off the Red Devils in the semifinals each of the past two seasons. In the Yellow Jackets' 35-21 win a year ago, Ross caught a 40-yard TD pass and had an 84-yarder called back by penalty.

"We obviously knew he was a player," Ross said. "We didn't try any special packages on him. We played our best cover corner (Eric Garror) on him, but he still made some big plays. I think two things separate him from a lot of people - his route running and his toughness. He is returning punts for them now and you have to have a little courage to do that."

---

quote:

---

KJ Henry still high on Alabama

KJ Henry has been to Tuscaloosa numerous times since he became a national recruit — because of that — and Alabama has positioned itself nicely to land his commitment when he makes his decision in December.

Henry, a 5-star defensive end in the 247Sports composite rankings from West Forsyth High School (Clemmons, N.C.) who would play the Jack linebacker, hasn’t visited Alabama yet this season. But he has kept up with the Crimson Tide on TV. And he’s impressed with what they have done so far.

“Doing what they usually do, dominating,” Henry told SEC Country’s Hale McGranahan. “I expect nothing less from them. Coach [Nick] Saban, honestly, has all of those guys in check. To be a part of that program right now, I know they’re smiling. They’re looking very well this year.”

The nation’s No. 2 weakside defensive end hasn’t set his official visit to Alabama yet, but he said he’s hoping he gets all of his officials in before the season ends. His next visit will be to Virginia Tech on Oct. 21 for the Hokies’ game against North Carolina. Not too many people in the recruiting industry talk about Va. Tech with Henry, but he told me during the summer that the Hokies were recruiting him the hardest.

What may work into Alabama’s favor with Henry when it comes to visits is the fact that his father, Keith, is the running backs coach UNC-Charlotte. Obviously, with the season underway, his father can’t make it on his official visits. But, once the season ends, he can.

“If they come after this season, obviously my dad can definitely be a part of them, but I definitely want to get them through before the season is over,” Henry said. “We’re trying to involve him as much as possible, so we’re just trying to take it team by team.”

Henry’s father has visited Tuscaloosa on multiple occasions before, so one more trip in an official capacity surely wouldn’t hurt the Tide’s chances. Also, the longer he waits to take that visit, the better it is for Alabama with him making his commitment in December. In recruiting, you want to have one of those final trips before a decision is made.

Henry’s mother, Nicole, has accompanied her son on the majority of his trips and broke down what she likes about the school.

“I guess everybody looks at the pros and cons of each program,” Nicole Henry said. “It’s no secret Alabama is the furthest from our house and most would say that’s a factor, but KJ is definitely my child that would go to California or Egypt, no problem. For us, that’s not a factor. Wherever he wants to go is definitely welcomed. The SEC, by far, is a huge contender because of the magnitude. It’s almost night and day from the [other] programs. The stadiums, the following, so Alabama is a big choice because they’re No. 1 [in the country] and Coach Saban is a legend and highly respected.”

The Under Armour All-American is one of Alabama’s top Jack linebacker targets along with 4-star prospects Adam Anderson and Eyabi Anoma and 3-star prospect Andres Fox. The Crimson Tide also have commitments at the position from 4-star prospects Jordan Davis and Cameron Latu. Right now, I have Alabama signing Davis, Latu and Anoma at the position, but Henry is really close to being added to the mix. That’s why his official visit to Tuscaloosa this fall will be important.

“They’ve done a great job. They’re Alabama,” West Forsyth coach Adrian Snow said. “About two years ago, when KJ and I went on a little tour and saw a bunch of places, a lot of people talked about how special their place was and really never mentioned the word special. When you left it, you knew it was special and Alabama was one of those, there’s no doubt about it.”

---

quote:

---

Who do you think Lsu rb commitments will be for 2018?

— philip rose (@phil5060) September 26, 2017

Well, LSU has done a good job of securing two running backs into the 2018 recruiting class early on. That, of course, is 3-star athlete Tae Provens, who will be a running back at the SEC level, and 3-star Florida back Chris Curry.

The two backs committed within days of one another. Curry camped at LSU and before returning home to Lehigh Acres, Fla., he gave Tommie Robinson and Co. a verbal commitment. Some schools such as Nebraska have remained in the mix for the bruising tailback, but the threat of Hurricane Irma prevented Curry from making an official visit to Lincoln, Neb., earlier this month.

Provens made the surprise call by committing to LSU over Auburn and Tennessee in June. While the Tigers were in his top three, he had not made nearly as many visits to Baton Rouge as he did to Tennessee and to The Plains. Provens’ game is unlike Curry’s. He’s elusive, quick and has good size to be used all over the offense. He’s firm in his commitment as well.

LSU is hoping to reel in a third back to round out the 2018 recruiting class. The most obvious and well-known target is 4-star Alabama running back Harold Joiner, who named the Tigers as his leader for a second time this summer. Remember, LSU jumped out to an early lead over the likes of Auburn and Alabama because Robinson was willing to let the 6-foot-3, 218-pound U.S. Army All-American play running back. Other notable schools had offered and were recruiting him as an athlete.

Joiner excluded LSU from his top 6 in June after the team nabbed verbal pledges from Curry, Provens and 3-star in-state running back A.J. Carter, who since flipped back to UCLA and is out of the Tigers’ plans for 2018. After clearing the air with the coaching staff, Joiner against reinserted LSU at the top of his list and is gearing up for an official visit to Baton Rouge for the Oct. 14 game against Auburn.

I fully anticipate that LSU will land Joiner toward the end of his senior season or at the latest, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 6. The one holdup is Alabama’s renewed push for the in-state target. Alabama has whiffed on 5-star target Zamir White (to UGA) and 4-star target Asa Martin (to Auburn). The Tide are working hard to flip both White and Martin, but also have hosted Joiner for a handful of unofficial visits in recent weeks. They are emerging as a serious threat to LSU’s chances.

Option B for LSU is another in-state, all-purpose back such as Anthony “Pooka” Williams. The 3-star Kansas commit earned his offer from the Tigers earlier in September once he shored up some issues on the academic side. Williams is on track to attend summer school and should be able to enroll not too long after. While he is committed to Kansas, he made an unofficial visit to Baton Rouge for the Syracuse game and spoke highly on his relationship with Robinson and New Orleans-area recruiter Mickey Joseph.

Williams is not the downhill workhorse that Joiner is, but he could provide a spark to the Tigers in the passing game, on gadget plays and on special teams. LSU has its work cut out to flip Williams away from the Jayhawks, who took his commitment in February and have continued to work hard to bring him to Lawrence, Kan. LSU is certainly the other team to keep an eye on here.

---

quote:

---

Coynis Miller announcing Oct 14. Thoughts?

— Dan Greer (@MrMufakka) September 26, 2017

Abolverdi: In my recruiting notebook Wednesday, I broke down Florida’s chances along with SEC Country recruiting reporters Chris Kirschner (Alabama) and Benjamin Wolk (Auburn).

I do believe Miller was truly favoring Florida — and maybe still is — after getting blown away on his first visit, but I just don’t know how much weight that will hold when it comes time to make a decision.

Even though he has named the Gators his leader, the in-state appeal of Alabama and Auburn won’t be easy for Miller to pass up. I think Florida needs to get him on campus again to cement its lead and pull off the upset.

---

quote:

---

How could anyone from Alabama want to play for Florida as it stands right now?

---