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

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One of Alabama’s top targets moves up decision timeline, will now commit on Friday

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The wait for Alabama’s next commitment should end on Friday.

Bobby Brown, a 4-star defensive tackle from Lamar High School (Arlington, Texas), will now make his commitment on Friday instead of Nov. 2. That’s important to note because Brown is scheduled to take an official visit to Texas A&M, arguably Alabama’s biggest competitor, this weekend. Brown told SEC Country that he’s still planning on taking that visit.


Brown visited Tuscaloosa this past weekend for the Tennessee game. It was his first trip back to Alabama since the summer where he performed at the offensive line/defensive line camp and put on a show. He became Alabama’s top DT target at the camp and has been labeled as such since then.

SEC Country spoke with Brown over the summer and it was clear that the Tide had a sizeable lead over every other school he was considering.

“I like being successful and I like working hard,” Brown said. “When I went on that visit, all I saw was success and hard work. That’s what caught my eye.”

Alabama fans should tune in to SEC Country on Friday for what could be a big day for the future of the program.

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So Bobby Brown was our top DT target this class

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You know that these recruits have got to meet Saban's standards and not just the physical standards.

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Rizzy

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Daviyon Nixon weighing his options after Alabama offer

Daviyon Nixon didn’t know what he was going to hear when he eventually called Alabama defensive line coach Karl Dunbar.

Nixon, a 3-star Iowa defensive tackle commit from Iowa Western Community College, checked his Twitter notifications on Tuesday and saw Dunbar had followed him. Nixon then called his father and told him that a Crimson Tide assistant followed him on Twitter.

Once Nixon followed Dunbar back, he messaged the recruit and told him to call. Nixon couldn’t at that time because he had practice and then a meeting afterward. He eventually called Dunbar at 6:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

Dunbar asked Nixon for his up-to-date measurables (6-foot-5 and 300 pounds). To which, Dunbar said Nixon was big enough to play in the SEC at a high level. Dunbar also told him he watched his basketball film from high school and his junior college football highlights. His athleticism is what impressed Dunbar the most.

“He asked me if I could still run down the court and dunk a basketball,” Nixon told SEC Country. “I told him that I could. He then said why not show him that at Alabama.

“I was shocked. I had to ask the coach if he was serious. I didn’t think I’d have this opportunity to get an offer from Alabama. It was just a big surprise. It never dawned on me that Alabama would ever be interested.”

And he has a reason to be shocked. Nixon originally committed to Northern Illinois in the Class of 2017. Most Power 5 programs stayed away from him because it was clear that his academics were going to be an issue.

Iowa kept tabs on Nixon, though. The Hawkeyes believed that he could turn it around. Nixon did ultimately improve his grades, but it wasn’t enough to academically qualify. The Iowa staff helped Nixon enroll at Iowa Western, and the Hawkeyes assisted him in his successful appeal to the NCAA over the summer that will now allow him the opportunity to enroll this spring at an FBS school.

The amount of work that the Iowa staff has put in to make sure Nixon can enroll this spring definitely means a lot to him. That’s why it would be tough for any school, even Alabama, to flip his commitment.

“It would be very, very hard,” Nixon said. “That’s why I’m taking it slow and thinking about everything. I have until December to make up my mind because that’s when I’m signing.”

Now that Alabama has entered the picture, it has certainly made him pause and think about the opportunities he would have with the Crimson Tide. He rattled off what he knows about the university: great academics, family atmosphere, championships and NFL alumni.

One of his good friends, Tyler, attends the school. When Nixon got the Alabama offer on Tuesday (he didn’t post it on Twitter until Wednesday), he told Tyler about it.

“He told me that he loves it there,” Nixon said of Tyler’s experience at Alabama. “He met a lot of people quickly. He told me that I should come down there to visit. I asked him if I came down there what it would be like. He told me that I’d have a great time and meet so many different people. He told me I would love it there.”

Before he posted the offer on Twitter, Nixon told his parents that he wanted to tell the Iowa coaches first. He felt it was the right thing to do after all they’ve done for him over the past few months.

Nixon, who has 29 tackles, 8.5 of those for a loss, and 2.5 sacks this season, said he is planning on taking an official visit to Alabama after his season ends next month.

“I told the coaches that I’m not doing anything and I just accepted the offer,” Nixon said. “I’m just rolling with it right now and weighing out all of my options. I’ll make a final decision after the season and after school is over.”

If Nixon does flip, it wouldn’t be the first time the Tide flipped an Iowa commitment. Current starting offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher was committed to the Hawkeyes for several months before flipping to Alabama. It appears as if Alabama wants Nixon to now do the same.

Getting several interior linemen in the 2018 class is important for Alabama with Da’Ron Payne likely leaving for the draft and Joshua Frazier graduating. Alabama’s top targets at DT this year are Bobby Brown, who will make his commitment next Thursday; junior college prospect Caleb Tremblay; 4-star prospect Christian Barmore; Auburn commit Coynis Miller; and now Nixon.

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There are still a lot of top uncommitted, highly rated prospects in the West even as we close out the regular season. Here is the latest on the top five recruits as we head into November.

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Penei Sewell

Sewell is coming off an excellent official visit to Alabama and the Crimson Tide are absolutely a major contender in his recruitment. The feeling at this point is that Alabama and Oregon are the front-runners but Utah cannot be counted out, yet, especially after the four-star offensive lineman took a trip there and was impressed. The massive prospect’s father told Andrew Bone of BamaInsider.com some really positive things about the family’s visit to Tuscaloosa and there are a lot of reasons why the Crimson Tide could win out. Also, fellow Utah four-star Cameron Latu is committed to the Crimson Tide even though Utah and others are working to flip him. Sewell, who is looking to sign in December, loves Alabama and Oregon, and he’s more intrigued by Utah now. It’s too close to call but a decision could be coming soon.

Prediction: Alabama

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THE STORYLINE

Five-star quarterback Emory Jones continues to say he’s fully committed to Ohio State, but he also continues to visit Alabama. So in the case of the Franklin (Ga.) Heard County standout, will actions speak louder than words?

Jones, who has been committed to the Buckeyes for more than a year, took another visit to Alabama this past weekend for the Crimson Tide’s blowout win over Tennessee. He saw Alabama play Ole Miss as well in Tuscaloosa and was in Atlanta when the Crimson Tide beat Florida State in the season opener.

So will Alabama be able to flip the five-star quarterback?

After Jones took a trip to Tuscaloosa this summer, which seemed unexpected to the Ohio State coaching staff, the five-star player and his mother were on a conference call with Urban Meyer and other coaches as the Buckeyes continued to try to keep Jones in the recruiting class.

Jones has said all the right things about his Ohio State commitment. But if he’s sticking with the Buckeyes, why does he continue to visit Alabama and show so much interest?

FIRST TAKE: ANDREW BONE, BAMAINSIDER.COM

"It's a tough question to answer. It seemed like more of wishful thinking from Alabama fans three months ago. Fast forward, and Jones has watched the Crimson Tide play three times this year.

The interest has always been high from Alabama's side, and it seems vice versa these days for Jones. He will likely wait until after his senior season to make a final decision, and will take at least one more trip to Ohio State. This has become a major, unexpected recruiting battle.”

SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM

“This is a tough one. He’s the quarterback Ohio State wanted early in this class. He’s a good fit for what Urban Meyer wants to do but it’s not like they’re hurting for quarterbacks there.

Then you have Alabama, that has Jalen Hurts, who’s not going to be a three-and-out guy, and then Tua Tagovailoa, and they can recruit quarterbacks at will. He keeps visiting, so there’s something there, but if a kid hasn’t de-committed by now he’s likely to stick to what he originally committed to - but I don’t really have a good read on this one.”

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