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re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition
Posted on 4/4/17 at 12:48 pm to TideSaint
Posted on 4/4/17 at 12:48 pm to TideSaint
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Tanner McKee is one of the nation's elite quarterbacks, currently rated the No. 4 QB in the nation and No. 29 player nationally.
He combines a live, accurate arm, quick release and the ability to stress a defense with his legs as well. His ability to escape pressure and run for positive yards surprises people as you don't see many 6-6 quarterbacks who can move around like McKee can but it's definitely a strength of his.
On the recruiting front, McKee hit the road last week and in successive order, visited Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, North Carolina and Duke. Every school minus Duke had already offered McKee prior to the visits and the Blue Devils offered him earlier today while he was on campus.
We caught up with McKee on his flight home to get his quick thoughts on each of the five programs and where his recruitment is at moving forward:
Alabama: "Coach Saban and Coach Daboll are awesome. I loved how intense and efficient they practice. Coach Saban doesn't miss anything and wants things done exactly how they should be. That's why they are so good."
Auburn: "I had lunch with Coach Lindsey, the OC and he's a good guy. They are looking to throw more and think I would fit their system well. I liked the facilities as well."
Georgia: "I loved the coaches there. Coach Chaney is the type of guy who when you meet him, you feel like you've known him your whole life. He has a lot of knowledge and a great sense of humor. Coach Smart was great too, really down to earth and I like their offensive system as well."
North Carolina: "Coach Fedora was awesome. I can tell he really cares about his players. He gave me some great advice about the recruiting process and choosing a school. I really got to know Coach Heckendorf as well. He's a great guy who loves developing quarterbacks and they have a great business program as well."
Duke: "Coach Cutcliffe is old school in a good way. He built his program on caring about your teammates and trust. He is an awesome guy who has helped develop some great quarterbacks. He is still good friends with Peyton and Eli Manning. Their system is very similar to what we run at Centennial HS and it's a great school academically as well."
McKee said he enjoyed all the visits and didn't have a favorite trip among the group.
"Overall, I was really impressed with all the schools," McKee said. "I can't really pick out one ore two and say I liked those visits the best, they were all great. The visits for me were about gathering information and I have some serious thinking to do now. It's going to be a tough choice for me.
"My recruitment is unique because I'll be going on my (Mormon) Mission right out of high school. Every school said they're totally fine with the Mission thing, which I really appreciate. Every school brought in Mormon athletes to talk with me and show me where they go to church.
"I know most of these coaches haven't dealt with a kid who is choosing to serve a mission so I'm thankful they're willing to work with me. Coach Lupoi at Bama said he has family that are Mormon but I know it's new for everyone else. Since I'm taking a mission, I'm in no rush to make a decision and could still take a few official trips in the fall. I would love to see a game out there in the South, I've never been before but I heard it's awesome."
Next up for McKee will be a visit to UCLA this Saturday and then a visit to Texas the first weekend of May. BYU is also heavily involved and McKee just visited the Cougars to see their Spring Game last weekend.
"It was fun, it rained during the game but I still had a good time," McKee said. "I spent some time with Tanner Mangum and was able to sit down and watch film with Ty Detmer. I've been to BYU more than anywhere else and I have a strong comfort level.
"This whole process is really tough. I'm learning there are a lot of great schools with great coaches who are good guys too. I need to find the place where I'll be happy and where I can be developed on and off the field."
At this point, there is no timeframe for when McKee will make a decision. Most quarterbacks like to commit early, sometime in the spring/summer but with McKee taking a Mission right out of H.S, he'll basically count towards the '20 class so there's no urgency on his part.
LINK
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Posted on 4/4/17 at 12:49 pm to TideSaint
New five-star, four-stars in 247Sports Composite
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The changes in the recruiting industry-generated 247Sports Composite for the 2018 class following the latest updates begin with a new addition to the overall top 10.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 12:50 pm to TideSaint
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The changes in the recruiting industry-generated 247Sports Composite for the 2018 class following the latest updates begin with a new addition to the overall top 10.
Houston (Texas) Lamar cornerback Anthony Cook moved up seven spots to No. 9 overall. The U.S. Army All-American is now the industry’s top prospect in the state of Texas and nation’s No. 2-ranked cornerback prospect. Current 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions for Cook include LSU (40 percent), Texas (30 percent) and Ohio State (20 percent).
Posted on 4/4/17 at 12:50 pm to TideSaint
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The top prospect in Alabama moved up nine spots to No. 22 overall and added a fifth star. Phenix City (Ala.) Central wide receiver Justyn Ross now ranks as the nation’s No. 4 wide receiver prospect and recently mentioned Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Florida State as his favorites. The in-state Tigers have the early lead on the Crystal Ball.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 12:51 pm to TideSaint
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New Four-Stars
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Nine prospects added a fourth star in the industry-generated ranking, including Columbia (S.C.) Spring Valley linebacker Channing Tindall who scored the highest Nike Football Rating at The Opening Regional in Atlanta.
LB Jack Lamb - 420 to 224
WR Lawrence Keys III - 422 to 251
DE Joseph Ossai - 344 to 253
RB Tavion Thomas - 433 to 278
LB Channing Tindall - 397 to 281
CB Donald Johnson - 406 to 297
WR Miles Battle - 404 to 306
CB Sevyn Banks - 525 to 314
LB Brandon Kaho (BYU) - 346 to 331
Posted on 4/4/17 at 12:52 pm to TideSaint
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Here’s a look at some of the other prospects moving up and down following the updates, including players currently committed to Notre Dame and Miami.
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UP
S Derrik Allen (Notre Dame) - 51 to 45
DE Eyabi Anoma - 120 to 51
LB Payton Wilson - 107 to 85
OG Dylan Wonnum - 126 to 89
WR Mark Pope (Miami) - 105 to 91
S Steve Stephens - 122 to 98
LB Dax Hollifield - 110 to 100
QB Tanner McKee - 136 to 102
ATH Talanoa Hufanga - 125 to 107
WR Jaylen Waddle - 166 to 121
WR Chase Cota - 186 to 127
CB D'shawn Jamison - 159 to 129
ATH Devon Williams - 327 to 139
ATH Braden Lenzy (Notre Dame) - 162 to 140
LB Cameron Latu - 218 to 162
WR Jordyn Adams - 187 to 172
DE Elijah Wade - 222 to 199
OT Rasheed Walker - 225 to 201
ATH Bryan Addison - 317 to 228
WR Tommy Bush - 311 to 245
WR Solomon Enis - 312 to 265
CB Gemon Green - 393 to 343
S Julius Irvin - 394 to 365
ATH Leddie Brown - 470 to 396
WR Khalil Shakir - 1048 to 473
Posted on 4/4/17 at 12:52 pm to TideSaint
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DOWN
S Jaiden Woodbey (Ohio State) - 25 to 31
WR Brian Hightower (Miami) - 39 to 66
OT William Barnes - 67 to 74
S Josh Proctor - 71 to 88
QB Cameron Rising (Oklahoma) - 83 to 109
OT Darrell Simpson - 102 to 116
LB Alston Orji - 128 to 141
OC Tommy Brown - 98 to 142
WR Manuel Allen - 100 to 158
WR Chase Williams - 118 to 168
CB Marcus Johnson (USC) - 152 to 206
LB Bo Calvert (USC) - 224 to 244
Posted on 4/4/17 at 1:14 pm 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 discuss the latest with 4-star defensive back Christian Tutt and junior college tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson.
LINK
Posted on 4/4/17 at 1:15 pm to TideSaint
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Tutt getting more comfortable at Alabama
Christian Tutt is a tough recruit to read. In one sentence, Tutt says his commitment on May 30 will come down to either Alabama or Florida State. Less than five seconds later, he says he “can’t lie” and indicates Georgia still is in the mix.
Tutt, a 4-star cornerback from Thomson (Ga.) High School, is coming off a Monday trip to Tuscaloosa — a visit in which he called the best one he’s taken to Alabama since his recruitment began his freshman year.
“That’s a dream school,” Tutt told SEC Country. “Everything about the visit just went so well. I’m just getting really close to committing. I love everything about Alabama.”
To be clear, his close-to-committing comment was just in reference to his upcoming commitment next month. Tutt will privately make a decision before May 30, but he won’t announce it publicly before then.
May 30 is very special to Tutt. That’s the day of his older brother’s birthday. He would have been 22. Chris Tutt died in a single-car accident on June 2, 2016. Chris and Christian were very close, so the latter felt like making the biggest decision of his life so far on his older brother’s birthday was a good way to pay homage to him.
Family is very important to Tutt. A college that feels like home is one of the most important factors in the school he ends up picking. He feels like Tuscaloosa is a good representative of his home located in a small suburb of Augusta, Ga.
“Tuscaloosa is not a big city. It’s kind of a country town,” Tutt said. “I like that. I don’t live in a big city. I live way out in the country. They got some good barbecue places just like home.”
Alabama has one of those guys who makes Tutt feel like he’s at home — defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who, like Tutt, is from the country. Tutt and Pruitt have been close to each other since the recruit was in the eighth grade. Pruitt was one of the first college coaches to see Tutt’s ability and potential. That matters to Tutt.
The main reason why the Alabama staff likes Tutt, he says, is because of his versatility. Pruitt believes he can play cornerback, safety, star or money in any of the Tide’s schemes. In his 1-on-1 conversation with Nick Saban on Monday, Tutt said the coach told him that he would have a great chance to step in and make an immediate impact because of the defensive backs who are going to leave after this season. Tony Brown and Anthony Averett are seniors and Minkah Fitzpatrick is a likely candidate to leave for the NFL draft after this season.
“I definitely think there’s a chance to play early, but I know nothing is going to be given to me,” Tutt said. “I’m going to have to come in and compete. I’ll have to earn everything I get. Everyone out there is hungry and they all want to get out on that field to get to the next level. I’m a dog. I’m going to get one of those spots.”
One of those spots he could get is Fitzpatrick’s, who he had a chance to talk to on Monday. Fitzpatrick got to play at Alabama as a freshman and he told Tutt to not pay attention to what outsiders may tell him about early playing time there.
“He told me that it’s a great place to be,” Tutt said of Fitzpatrick’s message to him. “He told me how it seems like everyone thinks if you go to Alabama, you won’t play and won’t get experience. You can’t say that, though, because you never know how things are going to pan out.”
The nation’s No. 18 cornerback will visit Florida State this week, he said, and will finish off the weekend with a trip to Athens to see Georgia. Tutt will return to Tuscaloosa in 18 days for A-Day.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 1:17 pm to TideSaint
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Commit watch on for Tuesday visitor?
Dominick Wood-Anderson, the nation’s top junior college tight end in the Class of 2018 from Arizona Western (Yuma, Ariz.), will be in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday evening. Commitment watch will be on for Wood-Anderson.
Wood-Anderson has said in previous interviews that Alabama and Louisville were his top two schools, and the Cardinals didn’t make his since-deleted top 6. But he told SEC Country why Alabama is one of the schools he’s giving a closer look.
“It’s somewhere where I’m going to come in and make an immediate impact and somewhere that’s going to give me the best shot to be a top 5 tight end in the country my first year and be a top 20 draft pick after my second year,” Wood-Anderson said.
He said seeing O.J. Howard’s success in the NFL combine and the chatter of him possibly being a top 10 pick in the draft next month definitely help Alabama’s case of possibly landing his commitment.
The Tide signed two tight ends in the Class of 2017 in Major Tennison and Kedrick James, but they would like to add at least one more in the Class of 2018. Wood-Anderson is one of the top, if not the top, target at the position.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound prospect has three years to play two when he transfers to an FBS school.
This post was edited on 4/4/17 at 1:17 pm
Posted on 4/4/17 at 1:18 pm to TideSaint
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Welcome to SEC Country’s daily Auburn football recruiting notebook with Auburn recruiting beat writer Benjamin Wolk. Today, we talk with Auburn No. 1 offensive target Justyn Ross about his growing presence on campus. Also, there is a 2019 defensive back with early interest in Auburn, who was the first to offer.
LINK
Posted on 4/4/17 at 1:19 pm to TideSaint
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State’s No. 1 prospect sets date, talks passing game
AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn’s most regular recruiting visitor returned last weekend.
Top wide receiver target Justyn Ross has been on the Plains more than anyone in the 2018 class. Ross attended multiple Auburn games last fall. Since National Signing Day, he has been on Auburn’s campus three times — a junior day, spring scrimmage and a softball game.
Perhaps No. 1 on the Tigers’ wish list, Ross has been to Auburn so much that there isn’t much left for him to learn. He’s moved from the educational stage of his Auburn recruitment to finding the right personality fit.
“It’s really just the same thing when I come up here now. It’s just a lot of fun hanging out with the coaches and everything,” Ross said. “Nothing really (left to see at Auburn). I’ve done seen everything now. It’s just about building up a relationship now.”
So far, Ross’ closest recruiting relationships are with Auburn wide receiver coach Kodi Burns and Alabama defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley. Those two in-state schools are the programs Ross said continue to recruit him harder than any other program, which confirms what many have believed for a while.
Ross isn’t in a rush, however.
As he waits for his mother to return from active duty overseas, Ross will keep doing his due diligence. He’ll eventually want to make a few more out-of-state trips — Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Clemson, Michigan and others — but he knows he has plenty of time to make a decision.
He’s set a flexible timeline for his decision.
“Right now, it’s National Signing Day,” Ross said. “But if I’m going to commit, I’ll go ahead and put it out there if I know.”
Many believe it to be an Auburn-Alabama battle.
That’s what all the tea leaves say, but Ross wants it known that several out-of-state suitors, including Clemson who he’ll visit this week, are as much in the running as everyone else. Auburn and Alabama are afforded the proximity to build relationships, which allows the state’s No. 1 prospect to make three visits in five weekends to Auburn.
That number will grow to four on Saturday when Ross returns for A-Day.
Ross has seen the new quarterback situation as recently as Saturday. He has been impressed, but that development will key his decision down the stretch.
“They look real good. I see that Coach (Chip) Lindsey is open to throwing it a lot, so it should be a fun year for them. It’s very important because as a receiver you’re going to want the ball. You’ve got to have somebody to give you the ball. It’s very important,” Ross said. “I want to see that they can throw the ball. We know they can run the ball. It’s basically about seeing them throw it.”
How much does that passing-game change make Auburn a factor than it would’ve a few years ago?
“It does put them in a better spot. If I was back then when they weren’t throwing the ball at all, they wouldn’t be where they are right now,” Ross said. “The thing about Auburn is they’re lacking a little at the receiver position, and they have a quarterback that came in and can sling it … I’ll watch all fall just to see what the quarterbacks are looking like at each school.”
Ross doesn’t have a set list. He wants to remain open until his mother comes back so he can consult her and take a few more visits.
With that said, there is a perception out there he’ll stay in-state. Much of that has to do with relationships. Aside from coaches, Ross has developed relationships with two former high school teammates since before his recruiting days — John Broussard at Auburn and Markail Benton at Alabama.
Benton and Ross are particularly close.
“Benton (recruits me harder). I’m with him every day,” Ross said. “It’s a little factor, but not much because, at the end of the day, I’m going to make the best decision for me.”
What helps separate Auburn?
“The people. I’d have to say the people. I’m getting a relationship with everyone around here. … Absolutely (important). It’s going to be my home for the next 3-4 years. It’s real important,” Ross said.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 1:20 pm to TideSaint
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2019 DB from Georgia has early Auburn love
There is something special about that first offer.
At least that’s how 2019 defensive back Jalen Alexander from Grayson (Ga.) feels. He only has one so far, and because of that, that program will have a supreme advantage when the rest of the college scene comes to its senses.
That program, for Alexander, is Auburn.
“It feels great to get that first offer from a big school like Auburn. It just motivates me to grind harder and stay focused on my grind and get better,” Alexander said. “That means a lot to me because I know a lot of schools have been saying that Jalen is too skinny and we’ve got to wait. When Auburn pulled that trigger it really motivated me. Now I can really get back to the grind.”
Alexander made his second trip to the Plains on Saturday, but it’s been a while since his first. He visited the Tigers two seasons ago for an Auburn-Ole Miss game at Jordan-Hare Stadium when Travaris Robinson was defensive backs coach.
Since then, the 6-foot, 160-pound cornerback has picked up recruiting momentum, including the recent offer from Auburn. Alexander said he thinks South Carolina and Clemson are the next schools closest to pulling the trigger, but he has received interest from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and others as well.
The Tigers will have an edge even when those schools offer.
“I seen how they practice, how their coaches interact in practice. I seen how the coaches are so interactive with the kids and how they love them and love to protect them and feed them and stuff like that,” Alexander said. “What stands out to me is how much the coaches actually care for their players, how they treat them even when it doesn’t have anything to do with football. It’s how they treat them. They want to take care of them and protect them. It’s just family.”
Posted on 4/4/17 at 1:21 pm to TideSaint
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Here’s a look at the other notable prospects expected to make the visit to LSU on Saturday:
Leon O’Neal Jr., 4-star S (Cypress, Texas) — 2018
Joshua Moore, 4-star WR (Bradenton, Fla.) — 2018
Jordan Moore, 4-star CB (Yoakum, Texas) — 2018
Jalen Green, 4-star CB (Houston) — 2018
Brennan Eagles, 4-star WR (Houston — 2018
Jaylen Waddle, 4-star WR (Bellaire, Texas) — 2018
D’shawn Jamison, 4-star CB (Houston) — 2018
Casey Thompson, 4-star QB (Moore, Okla.) — 2018
Bryson Jackson, 3-star WR (Houston) — 2018
Ta’Zhawn Henry, 3-star APB (Houston) — 2018
Alexander Williams, RB/CB (Orange, Texas) — 2018
Starrland Baldwin, 3-star CB (Houston) — 2018
Israel Mukuamu, 3-star S (Bossier City, La.) — 2018
Erick Hallett, 3-star CB (Cypress, Texas) — 2018
Christian Young, 3-star S (Richmond, Texas) — 2018
Taye Barber, 3-star WR (Cypress Texas) — 2018
Jordan Whittington, WR (Houston) — 2019
Thomas Gordon, TE (Houston) — 2019
Dwight McGlothern, CB (New Caney, Texas) — 2020
Jacobi Bellazin, WR (Baker, La.) — 2020 (TCU commit)
Posted on 4/4/17 at 2:47 pm to TideSaint
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Tanner McKee was busy last week, as the Corona, Calif., four-star quarterback made trips to Alabama and Auburn, among other schools.
McKee saw Alabama practice last Thursday and visited Auburn on Friday.
Alabama has offered the 6-foot-6, 220-pound McKee, who is ranked as the No. 6 pro-style quarterback and No. 102 player nationally in the 247Sports composite.
Auburn has not, but the Tigers are evaluating McKee. Auburn has a quarterback already committed in Jacksonville, Fla., four-star Joey Gatewood.
"I hung out with coach (Chip) Lindsey, the (offensive coordinator)," McKee said. "He's a really nice guy. They have a great program."
He said he may hear in a week or two whether Auburn will offer or plan to watch him throw.
McKee was one of the first prospects to get an offer from Alabama after offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was hired.
"Coach Daboll was awesome," McKee said. "Very knowledgeable and down to earth. I sat in on the quarterbacks meeting and learned a lot from him. (Head) coach (Nick) Saban was great, too. Love his attention to detail and how he runs his team."
McKee's situation is unique, though. He will take a two-year Mormon mission upon graduation from Centennial High School. He plans to make a commitment before then, but wouldn't be a 2018 signee.
"All of the coaches said it was totally fine," McKee said. "They view me more of a 2020 recruit as a result."
McKee said Alabama's campus was nice, and the warm weather in the south certainly resonated with him being in southern California. But the interactions with the coaches may have stuck out the most.
"The coaches were all really good to me and spent a lot of time with me," McKee said. "That meant a lot."
McKee said he is visiting UCLA on Saturday and Texas the first weekend of May. He said earlier that Alabama may see him throw during Centennial's Scout Day.
LINK
Posted on 4/4/17 at 3:04 pm to TideSaint
LINK with Video
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Video from the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp, presented by adidas. Part two focuses on the top defensive linemen:
Josh Landry
Jalen Redmond
Ron Tatum
Dennis Osagiede
Tyler Lacy
Jayden Jernigan
Israel Antwine
Posted on 4/4/17 at 3:05 pm to TideSaint
LINK with Video
quote:
Video from the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp, presented by adidas in Dallas. Part one focuses on the top offensive linemen:
Demarcus Marshall
Elton Ndoma-Ogar
Rafiti Ghirmai
Bryce Bray
Nigel Brannon
Posted on 4/4/17 at 3:07 pm to TideSaint
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ALABAMA
Biggest Need: Defensive Line
The Latest: Alabama has a big need on the defensive line, and it needs to sign a strong unit this class. It is not just defensive ends or defensive tackles; Alabama needs both. The Crimson Tide may sign as many as five up front along the defensive line, as there is a lack of depth on the current roster. Of course the Tide will target the best of the best, but it will start with in-state prospects Coynis Miller and Jalen Cunningham.
Posted on 4/4/17 at 3:08 pm to TideSaint
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Despite a hulking group of offensive linemen and a sharp-throwing bunch of quarterbacks, defensive players still found a way to make an impact at the Dallas Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas. Out of a strong group of standout players, here are 12 that were the best of the best.
LINK
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