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re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:16 am to TideSaint
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:16 am to TideSaint
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Welcome to SEC Country’s daily Roll Tide-ings, a rundown of everything happening in Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting with Chris Kirschner. Today, we talk the latest with one of Alabama’s top outside linebacker targets.
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Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:17 am to TideSaint
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Adam Anderson committing this Thursday
Georgia is shaping up to be Alabama’s biggest competitor on the recruiting trail, and the two SEC powerhouses will battle it out once again for the nation’s No. 2 outside linebacker this Thursday, according to SEC Country’s Jeff Sentell. Adam Anderson was originally going to announce his commitment after the season, but now he’ll make his decision on his birthday.
Anderson, a 4-star prospect from Rome (Ga.) High School, has seen his recruitment shape up to be a Bulldogs-Crimson Tide battle since he de-committed from LSU during the summer. Before calling himself a Tiger, Anderson was once committed to Georgia. The main reason why Anderson de-committed from the Bulldogs in the first place had to do with two of his Rome teammates, Ja’Quon Griffin and Jamarcus Chatman, being committed to LSU. Chatman has since flipped to Tennessee, while Griffin is pledged to LSU.
I believe Anderson’s recruitment will end with him deciding on the uncommon re-commitment. Alabama felt good about where it stood with Anderson coming out of his visit to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 30 for the Ole Miss game — but as time passed, Georgia started to regain the momentum once again.
It should be noted that while Anderson was in Tuscaloosa for the Ole Miss game, so was 5-star quarterback Justin Fields, who committed to Georgia earlier this month. Every time I saw Anderson on the sidelines or in the stands, Fields was right next to him chopping it up. While Fields was publicly uncommitted at the time, he has known for quite some time that he was going to choose the Bulldogs. Perhaps Fields was recruiting Anderson on that trip? It’s very possible.
Alabama has a puncher’s chance with Anderson, but it’s just a small one at this time. Here’s what he said about the Crimson Tide last month in an interview with SEC Country:
“I’ve been talking to them every once in a while,” Anderson said. “I’m not sure yet if they will get an official visit. I’m focused on my high school season right now. I’m also going to see how their season goes and visit after.”
The main reason why Georgia is viewed as the team to beat on Thursday is because of the hometown pressure Anderson receives to stay home and play for the Bulldogs.
“It’s almost every day,” Anderson said. “It’s great knowing people care about where you go to school, and they hope you go to their school.”
Staying closer to home is important to Anderson because of all the adversity he has faced in his life.
Both his older sister and stepfather died little more than a year ago, leaving his mother to raise Adam and his younger brother, who is deaf, on her own. What’s remarkable about Anderson is he still finds a way to carry on. His Rome High coaches estimate that Anderson walked approximately 6 miles at 6 a.m. to get to church on Easter. He didn’t have a ride.
“I wanted to be there in church on Sundays,” Anderson said in a story by Sentell. “I’ve got a good relationship with God that I hope to keep working on getting better. He’s blessed me with a lot and I want to make sure I know I’m so very thankful for what he’s done for my life.”
That’s the kind of guy Anderson is and one you can root for no matter if he chooses the Bulldogs on Thursday.
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:17 am to TideSaint
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Other Alabama OLB targets to know if Adam Anderson chooses Georgia
The good news for the Crimson Tide is that there are plenty of major targets at outside linebacker and Jack linebacker who are strongly considering Alabama this year. It’s a deep class at the position.
Alabama has two Jack linebackers committed in 4-star prospects Jordan Davis and Cameron Latu. The Tide are considered the favorites to land 4-star prospect Eyabi Anoma when he makes his decision. The team is also strongly in the mix for 5-star prospect KJ Henry, who’s seriously considering Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.
JJ Peterson, the nation’s No. 1 outside linebacker, is expected to choose Alabama when he makes his commitment. Peterson is being recruited as an inside linebacker but definitely could play outside in college.
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:18 am to TideSaint
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Alabama currently has the nation’s No. 24 recruiting class and the 9th best in the SEC, according to the 247Sports composite. The Crimson Tide only have 11 commitments, so for them to be ranked that highly shows how elite this class already is.
Coach Nick Saban himself said the team can only sign 22 Class of 2018 recruits because of the delayed enrollment of Hunter Brannon, Joseph Bulovas and Jarez Parks in the 2017 class because of blueshirting in Brannon’s and Bulovas’ cases and greyshirting for Parks.
How will Alabama fill out the rest of its 2018 class on the defensive side of the ball and on special teams? Here are SEC Country’s latest projections:
*indicates current commitment
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Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:18 am to TideSaint
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DL: Stephon Wynn Jr.*, Bobby Brown, Caleb Tremblay
Analysis: Stephon Wynn has been quiet since he committed to Alabama in July. He said at the time that he’s not expecting to take official visits to anywhere other than Alabama, which he did this past weekend for the team’s game against Arkansas.
There are several schools in the mix for Bobby Brown, most notably Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, in addition to Alabama. Brown will take an official visit to Tuscaloosa this weekend for Alabama’s game against Tennessee where the Tide staff will look to wrap up Brown ahead of his Nov. 2 commitment. He will take an official visit to Texas A&M next weekend. That is a big visit.
Tremblay emerged on the scene in June after a strong performance at Alabama’s camp. It’s hard seeing him choose any other school when he makes his decision.
Confidence level: 70 percent
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:19 am to TideSaint
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LB: Jordan Davis*, Cameron Latu*, Eyabi Anoma, JJ Peterson, Vernon Jackson
Analysis: Jordan Davis couldn’t be any more vocal about his commitment to Alabama. He loves everything about the Tide and has said he’s 100 percent committed.
Cameron Latu committed to the team in August. It’s not known yet if he will take official visits elsewhere, but I don’t expect him to change his mind on Alabama.
Eyabi Anoma has visited Tuscaloosa twice already and is expected to return to campus this fall for an official visit. Alabama and Maryland appear to be the favorites. I fully expect the Tide to land his commitment. Those in Tuscaloosa are very confident on this one.
JJ Peterson has named Alabama his leader for several months now. I’m surprised he hasn’t committed yet. He has said he will make his decision after his senior season, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him commit sooner than that.
Vernon Jackson is Alabama’s most recent commitment. He has already taken visits elsewhere since his decision, which is never a good thing. If he continues taking visits, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Alabama push for others considering that this year’s linebacker class is deep and Jackson actually plays quarterback for his school, so the learning curve on playing linebacker in the SEC will likely be large for him.
Confidence level: 85 percent
This post was edited on 10/17/17 at 11:21 am
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:19 am to TideSaint
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DB: Jalyn Armour-Davis*, Tyson Campbell, Nadab Joseph, Saivion Smith
Analysis: Jalyn Armour-Davis is locked in with his commitment to Alabama. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take official visits elsewhere, but I would be stunned if he flipped his commitment.
Tyson Campbell visited Tuscaloosa in July and things couldn’t have gone better for Alabama’s chances with the team’s No. 1 cornerback target. There’s still lots of time left in Campbell’s recruitment, but this is trending in a positive direction for the Tide. The team is expecting him to take an official visit at some point this fall.
Nadab Joseph de-committed from LSU in August. I was actually surprised he just didn’t flip his commitment to Alabama at the time. The Crimson Tide have been trending for several months now.
Saivion Smith is now at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College after transferring from LSU. The former 5-star prospect has started off hot in JUCO with the Alabama staff being wowed with his progress. With him wanting to choose a school that will offer a chance for immediate playing time, I think the Tide’s wide-open depth chart at corner next season will be too enticing for him to pass up.
Confidence level: 35 percent
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:21 am to TideSaint
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P: Skyler Delong*
Analysis: Delong committed to Alabama over the summer and isn’t planning on taking visits elsewhere. He’s locked in with his commitment.
Confidence level: 99.9 percent
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:24 am to TideSaint
Southeast spotlight: Ten prospects who still could flip
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With high school prospects committing early in the process every year, the number of recruits who flip their commitment also seems to be going up on a yearly basis. Nowhere is that trend more evident than in the SEC, where recruiting battles are really heating up as we head into the final two months before the first wave of prospects will sign.
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:25 am to TideSaint
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OT Cade Mays
Committed to: Tennessee
Challenging: Alabama, Clemson
The latest: Could Mays, a Vols legacy and the longest-standing commit in the school’s class, really flip to another program? It’s tough to see it actually happening, even if there is a coaching change on Rocky Top, but both the Tide and the Tigers have reached out to Mays recently in an effort to get him on campus for a visit. If and when those visits happen, expect there to be some panic among the Vols fans, but it would take quite the impression to end up changing Mays’ mind.
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:25 am to TideSaint
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QB Emory Jones
Committed to: Ohio State
Challenging: Alabama
The latest: Jones tried to keep his interest in Alabama quiet as along as he could, but in today’s world of recruiting with all of the different outlets for news to come out, it wasn’t possible. After spending time with Nick Saban, Brian Daboll and others in Tuscaloosa late in the summer, things seemed to pick up between Jones and Alabama. The five-star quarterback remains committed to Ohio State, but Alabama does not have a quarterback committed and Jones may be their top target. This is a storyline worth keeping up with.
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:26 am to TideSaint
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DE Brenton Cox
Committed to: Ohio State
Challenging: Alabama
The latest: There may be a few other schools trying to get in touch with Cox, but the program Urban Meyer and Ohio State have to worry about is Alabama. Cox had not been to any college games this season until he spent Saturday in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide very much have his attention. Their defensive style of play and the chance for him to see the field early really appeals to him. He will be at Ohio State later this month for the Penn State game, but he is likely to take an official visit to Alabama too before graduating in December.
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:26 am to TideSaint
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CB Jaycee Horn
Committed to: Tennessee
Challenging: Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina
The Latest: What is going to happen here? Does it rest on if Tennessee keeps Butch Jones? Horn was thought to be a South Carolina lean before he committed to Tennessee in August, and he visited the Gamecocks a few weeks ago. He has a great relationship with Will Muschamp and Tavares Robinson there, so if there is one school to watch closely here, it is South Carolina. Horn has also taken visits to Alabama and Georgia this season and his communication with those schools has picked up. With Tennessee having a tough season, Horn and other Vols commits are being watched very closely.
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:27 am to TideSaint
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OLB Quay Walker
Committed to: Alabama
Challenging: Auburn, Florida State, Georgia
The Latest: Walker surprised some with the timing of his commitment to Alabama early in June, but not only were some surprised by the timing, but by the school as well. Auburn inked his former teammate, Markaviest Bryant, in 2017, so most felt Walker would follow. He still may. He has visited Auburn this season, he is very close to defensive line coach Rodney Garner and the Tigers may have some momentum here behind the scenes. He still mentions Florida State and Georgia, but right now, Auburn is the biggest threat to Alabama.
Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:28 am to TideSaint
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TORRANCE, Calif. - Bru McCoy is an excellent wide receiver. And he’s a phenomenal outside linebacker.
So which position does the 2019 four-star from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei prefer?
“Either, or,” McCoy said Friday night after Mater Dei defeated Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco by 10 points. “It’s the hardest question.”
McCoy is on the field all the time and making an impact both ways. He’s used to it, though, after months of grinding it out at practice and preparing himself to never get a break.
That versatility has also made him one of the most wanted prospects in California’s 2019 class.
“Every practice I’m going both ways so I’m used to it,” McCoy said. “A lot of it has to do with the hype coming into the game. It hits the chest. The nerves and everything get going so it does take a toll on my body but I’m able to play through it.”
Taking his time with the recruiting process, McCoy does not have a firm top list or anything yet but he would like to take some important visits during the season to see some game-day environments.
The 2019 four-star said he would like to see Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State but that booking everything has been the challenge.
“I want to (take visits) during the season,” McCoy said. “It’s moreso scheduling with flights and all that stuff. I want to work it out.”
As for which programs are recruiting him the hardest, it’s still a long list. McCoy was at the USC game again on Saturday for its close call against Utah. A bunch of other top programs have made him a top priority as well.
“Most schools have been pretty consistent like Texas, USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Oklahoma, Michigan, Notre Dame,” McCoy said. “Every school has been consistently talking to me and I’ve been building relationships with them.”
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Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:30 am to TideSaint
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According to Patrick Surtain, the solid lead LSU once held when it came to his recruitment has dwindled.
Not long ago, the five-star defensive back didn’t mind tossing out LSU’s name when asked to name the frontrunner to land his commitment. It was a line he spent nearly a year repeating. Other schools have always been in the hunt, but Surtain was never shy about the pecking order. At a time the battle was the Tigers’ to lose.
At a time.
These days, Surtain’s tune has changed ever so slightly. LSU is still very much in the mix, sure, but the conversation about his leader has a different tone.
“It’s all the six schools together,” Surtain said on Friday. “They’re sort of grouped together in a little tight bunch now.”
Surtain’s “all six schools” comment refers to his finalist, which he reiterated as LSU, Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Clemson and Florida. And while he admits that his recruitment has tightened up in recent weeks, he says that has nothing to do with LSU’s up-and-down season.
“Nothing happening [at LSU this season] matters to me because I know they fight hard,” Surtain said. “LSU fights through adversity a lot. None of that really matters to me, though”
And so the Rivals100 prospect will have an unobstructed look around. He’ll evaluate each finalist one final time before making a choice. His final information-gathering mission will likely start in the midwest.
“I was planning on visiting Ohio State soon,” Surtain said. “It’s probably going to be the Penn State. … Ohio State spends time telling me just how much of a valuable player I am and that they can’t wait to get me up on campus.”
Surtain says he hopes to visit each school in his final six before making a commitment announcement. And while nothing on that front is set in stone just yet, he’s starting to zero in on a date.
“Signing Day is what’s on my mind right now … the one in February.”
Surtain, who attends Ft. Lauderdale’s American Heritage High School, is ranked as the No. 1 cornerback and the No. 3 overall prospect in the class of 2018.
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Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:31 am to TideSaint
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Tanner McKee returned to USC this past weekend as he continues to build a relationship with the coaching staff and gauges their interest in him.
By the sounds of it, USC is warming up even more to the four-star quarterback from Corona (Calif.) Centennial.
“Talked with coach (Clay) Helton in locker room before game,” McKee said. “They say they would love for me to be a Trojan.”
USC has not officially offered McKee yet but there is definitely mutual interest and a big visit could be coming up.
According to the Corona Centennial standout, USC has always been closely followed and he’s been invited back down to spend some more time with the coaching staff and with starter Sam Darnold, who could be a top NFL Draft pick.
“I grew up an SC fan and it’s nice they are close to home,” McKee said. “They are in my top group of schools. (Helton) wants me to go down and watch film with Darnold. Hoping I can do that in the next month or so.”
McKee is the only prospect among the top 18 pro-style quarterbacks that has not committed yet and the four-star does not seem to be in any rush.
He still plans to take a two-year Mormon mission after high school so McKee is not overly concerned about which programs are landing quarterback pledges this recruiting cycle. USC is still without a quarterback commitment in its 2018 recruiting class.
Recently, McKee took an unofficial visit to UCLA and an official to Texas. Both trips went really well. He’s still planning to see Washington, Stanford, Alabama and BYU presumably before making a commitment.
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Posted on 10/17/17 at 11:44 am to phaz
Likely a scholarship to a smaller school. Wish he could walkon, though.
Posted on 10/17/17 at 12:14 pm to TideSaint
Don't really see Bama taking 5 LB in this class. It is already the deepest position on the roster.
Need 5 DB and 4 DL, with Parks being the 5th DL.
Need 5 DB and 4 DL, with Parks being the 5th DL.
Posted on 10/17/17 at 1:03 pm to remaster916
Jordan Davis will be a DE, so in reality that list would have only 4 LBs. I'm sure we'll likely start him at Jack LB like we (frustratingly) do everyone else, but the mods I tend to listen to all say that the plan is for him to eventually be a DE.
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