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

Sheffield was a little more than impatience. His family was apparently influenced by Mo Smith's family. They were both prep players in the Houston area.

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Yea Kendall sheffield could have been starting this year and next. I know guys want to come in and make a impact right away but it dosent always happen. Good things happen to those who wait. I think BJ Emmons could have had a breakout season next year if he had stayed.

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What's sad is there is talks for removing any barriers to transferring(conference restriction, year you have to wait, etc) which would essentially give CFB a free agency

Steve Wiltfong CB'd Justin Fields to Georgia.

I wished we still had Burgess-Becker for secondary depth.
He played well on special teams his freshman year and was obviously Ridley's best friend.
Very surprised when he left.

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Honestly, Sheffield just isn't very good right now. He might develop, but he's not a very good DB yet.

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Yeah, I hated to see him go but he hasn't wowed me yet.

Back to back years we signed two 5 star CBs. Marlon Humphrey and Tony Brown, then Minkah Fitzpatrick and Kendall Sheffield.

Marlon was a solid 2 year starter after RSing (could've been absolutely lockdown this season) and then went on to be a 1st round pick, he's being eased in but is playing well as a rookie in the NFL.

Tony Brown has had some off the field issues, but his talent has always been evident. Senior who has a defined role on this team that he's pretty solid at.

Minkah has been a 3 year guy for us that has played at a lot of different positions. Can play all 6 spots in the secondary, likely a 1st round pick.

Sheffield obviously we talked about.

Overall, 3/4 worked out.

Also thinking about to those couple of classes, Hootie Jones and Ronnie Clark were Safeties in one of them and Ronnie Harrison the next year. Harrison has been a 3 year guy for us who has played really well, though with some temper problems at times. Hootie is just not really forging a role, I expected him to be star but I was probably blinded by the measurables. I thought Ronnie Clark would be a really good hard hitting guy too, but he moved to offense and injuries have derailed his career. Still, we're Safety U.

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Minkah has been a 3 year guy for us that has played at a lot of different positions. Can play all 6 spots in the secondary, likely a 1st round pick.

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I think he is the best corner Saban has had come out. Could see him going top 5 if a team needs one.

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Just like Ardarius Stewart. He hated it when the coaches at the AL-MS All Star Game put him at DB and hated it when Bama briefly moved him there.

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Speaking of Stewart, I thought he'd play a bit more than he has for the Jets.

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The nation's No. 1 quarterback and overall player, Justin Fields, will announce a college decision on Friday morning during a pep rally at his high school. 

The Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison product is coming off an official visit to Alabama over the weekend. 

"Coach (Nick) Saban's system sets players up for success when football is over," Fields told 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong. "Coach (Brian) Daboll's offensive mind, that gets you ready for the next level." 

Other contenders for Fields include Florida State, Georgia, and LSU. 

The Bulldogs have the lead on the Crystal Ball as of Thursday evening. 

The 6-foot-3, 221-pound signal caller is one of a number of quarterbacks Alabama is after. Others include Ohio State commit Emory Jones, four-star Tanner McKee, and Kentucky commit Jarren Williams. 

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LINK

CBs are rolling in for Fields to Georgia.

I hope we can still land Luke Ford now.

Have seen a couple guys say we may not even take Ford, even if Wood-Anderson spurns us, due to needs at other positions. DWA is viewed by our staff as a one-and-done type talent and the type of TE that doesn't come around very often. OJ Howard-esque. I don't know. Maybe the info is wrong.