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re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition
Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:48 am to TideSaint
Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:48 am to TideSaint
quote:
It was hard to spot Auburn quarterback commit Joey Gatewood on Saturday when he wasn't chatting up five-star receiver Justyn Ross.
The 6-foot-5 Ross is the state of Alabama's top prospect and made the trip to A-Day from Phenix City.
Gatewood has been committed to Auburn for more than a year.
"I talk to him weekly, (almost) daily," Gatewood said of Ross. "Every time, (I tell him), I'm going to make him my receiver."
Does it work?
"I'm confident," Gatewood said with a smile. "But we'll see."
Ross said he's thrown with Gatewood before at various camps.
"He's recruiting me real hard," Ross said. "He just wants a long wideout to play with and he says I'm that guy.
"He's a real good dude and a great quarterback. I've been to camps with him a lot and he's real good."
Gatewood said his biggest takeaway from the trip was the Auburn offense. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham hit 16 of 20 passes for 267 yards in his performance.
"They started dropping back more and throwing it," Gatewood said. "Jarrett had a couple of deep passes. I liked that. I was excited."
Gatewood said the only real doubt he had with Auburn centered around how new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey would work in the pass game, but those doubts were squashed.
"He's a great guy, great coach and has a good plan," Gatewood said.
More from a chat with Gatewood:
- Gatewood will only play quarterback this year for Bartram Trail. Last year, he played several different positions. Currently Gatewood is a four-star recruit ranked No. 90 overall and as the country's top athlete. But he said the only position he talks to Auburn about is quarterback.
- Gatewood also listed Pensacola, Fla., four-star receiver Jacob Copeland as another main target he's focused on. Copeland said Sunday he's down to Auburn and Florida and, like he said last month in New Orleans, he'll commit at the Under Armour All-America game.
- Gatewood said other schools really aren't trying to flip him because "I really stopped responding."
- The 6-foot-4, 226-pound Gatewood said he's working with someone in his hometown to get back in the groove of being a quarterback every day.
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Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:49 am to TideSaint
quote:
Quarterback commitment Joey Gatewood visited Auburn for A-Day as both a recruit and recruiter.
Gatewood watched from the bleachers Saturday as the Tigers’ new offense, led by new coordinator Chip Lindsey, produced more than 500 passing yards during the game. And Gatewood watched as he sat next to five-star receiver Justyn Ross and four-star running back Asa Martin, both of whom also visited Auburn.
“My biggest takeaway (from the game) was the offense,” Gatewood said. “It was great. Jarrett (Stidham) had a couple of deep passes and I liked that. I wanted to see what things would be like with (Lindsey), and it’s great. I’m excited.”
Gatewood is working to get Ross and Martin both to sign with Auburn. He spent a lot of time with the two throughout the day.
“They already know everything about Auburn; I’m just trying to get them to come with me,” Gatewood said.
Gatewood feels confident at least one of the two, if not both, will join him in Auburn’s class.
“Justyn, he’s going to be my receiver,” Gatewood said. “I’m pretty strong with him. I probably spent more time with him today than anybody.”
As for his commitment, Gatewood doesn’t have any concerns about Auburn. Not anymore. Not after what he saw on Saturday.
“No doubts,” Gatewood said. “The offense is perfect. I am excited.”
Gatewood also is excited about his senior season. He played quarterback, running back and wide receiver last year. This year, it’ll be different. Gatewood will be a full-time quarterback again.
“I’ll be back at QB,” Gatewood said. “I’m excited. I’ve been throwing daily, working on getting better.”
Rivals ranks Gatewood, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 225 pounds, the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback in the class and No. 118 in the Rivals250.
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Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:50 am to TideSaint
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Cental-Phenix City's Justyn Ross had been told by the Auburn coaches that the new offense would include more passing, and the five-star wide receiver got to see first-hand on Saturday that they were telling the truth.
Ross was one of many top recruits in the crowd at Auburn’s A-Day game, which included a combined 511 yards passing between the two offenses.
“I actually saw them do what they said they were going to do,” Ross said. “It was very important to me to see it. It's why I made it a priority to be here.”
Ross watched as sophomore quarterback Jarrett Stidham completed 16-of-20 passes for 267 yards. He saw freshman Malik Willis finish 8-of-12 for 111 yards.
“I liked what I saw; I liked it a lot,” Ross said. “They were throwing it around a lot. They have really strong arms and the receivers made a lot of plays.”
Sophomore receiver Nate Craig-Myers, who caught five passes for 154 yards, also caught Ross’ attention. So did Marqus McClain, the redshirt freshman receiver who had a 69-yard touchdown catch.
Ross didn’t travel to Auburn only for the game. He spent time throughout the day with Auburn receivers coach Kodi Burns and hung out with Auburn quarterback commitment Joey Gatewood.
It was Ross’ fourth visit to Auburn since January, and a fifth one is planned for June 3.
“I’ll be back or (Big Cat),” Ross said.
Rivals ranks Ross, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 195 pounds, the No. 3 wide receiver in the 2018 class, the No. 1 player in Alabama and No. 19 in the Rivals100.
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Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:52 am to TideSaint
Pierce Quick and Clay Webb.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:52 am to TideSaint
Myles Mason rocking Auburn gear.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:53 am to TideSaint
At least Justyn Ross wore neutral colors.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:53 am to TideSaint
Coynis Miller too.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:56 am to TideSaint
quote:
— Elite 2019 Amite (La.) wide receiver Devonta Lee said LSU and Florida State have really made a charge for him. Teams like Alabama and Texas A&M will be in the mix as well. Right now, he’s taking things slow.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:57 am to TideSaint
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— Four-star Scotlandville Magnet (La.) cornerback Kelvin Joseph has been committed to LSU for more than a year, but he could open things up soon. Joseph holds offers from Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and others.
I'm getting a "Shaun Wade" type vibe on Joseph. Everyone thinks he is going to flip to us all the way up to January and he still signs with the school he's been committed to throughout the entire process.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:58 am to TideSaint
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— Texas has emerged as a frontrunner for four-star Houston (TX) Heights cornerback Jalen Green. However, Green still likes LSU a lot and plans to visit again in a couple of weeks. He also likes Oregon, TCU, Penn State and a few others.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 8:59 am to TideSaint
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North Charleston (S.C.) Fort Dorchester quarterback Dakereon Joyner is planning to visit Alabama on April 22 for A-Day, he reaffirmed on Sunday.
If we are taking a project at QB this year I'd rather go after the kid from Montgomery to be honest.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 9:06 am to TideSaint
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Evan McPherson, a talented kicker from Fort Payne, announced his commitment to Mississippi State on Saturday.
The 6-foot, 165-pound McPherson is the top-ranked kicker in the country, per Kohl's Kicking.
A partial scouting report on McPherson, per Kohl's Kicking (click here for rest): Ball striking is repeatable, it explodes off his foot and his ability to call on his "A" ball is D1 ready right now. He showed one of the premier kickoff legs in the 2018 class by winning the Kickoff competition at the 2017 Underclassman as well. He is currently ahead of the entire 2018 field in his ability to lock in and hit the same ball rep after rep."
Miami, Iowa State and Army were among other schools who have offered McPherson before his Mississippi State commitment.
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Well this sucks. I thought we had this kid in the bag, but if Bulovas is as good as I hope then we won't miss him much.
Best of luck at Mississippi State.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 9:07 am to TideSaint
quote:
Visits to Alabama and Auburn over the past week have made an impression on Justyn Ross, the state's top prospect, but the Central-Phenix City receiver still isn't ready to narrow his recruitment down yet.
The 6-foot-5 Ross, now a five-star recruit and the country's No. 22 prospect, was impressed with Auburn's A-Day performance. He also feels good about where Alabama's offense is following a trip to Tuscaloosa last week, and he plans on going to Alabama for its A-Day game on April 22.
But his mother is serving our country overseas in Kuwait and won't return until June, so there's no recruiting conversations in the Ross household for now.
Jarrett Stidham threw for 267 yards and freshman Malik Willis threw for 157 yards on Saturday.
"I liked it a lot because when they told me they were going to pass the ball and they did it," Ross said. "They really showed me what they can do in the passing game.
"They were telling me they were going to throw the ball, but I didn't know for sure if they were. Now, I've seen it for myself."
Ross went to Tuscaloosa last week on a day where Alabama didn't practice, but it gave him a chance to talk again with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
Like all receivers, Ross wants to see his top schools throw the ball.
"It was a nice visit," Ross said. "Coach Daboll is a real cool dude, a down to earth dude and I feel like he's going to open up Alabama's playbook, too."
Ross spent time with Auburn quarterback commit Joey Gatewood, whose recruiting pitch is that "he wants a long wideout."
"It's real important (to have a good relationship with a team's quarterback commit)," Ross said. "You've got to have a good bond with your quarterback to play good."
Alabama does not yet have a quarterback commit for this class, but Ross' good friend Markail Benton signed with the Crimson Tide to play linebacker in February.
Ross has been offered by many of the nation's top programs. He said aside from Alabama and Auburn, he's hoping to get to Clemson sometime.
LINK
Posted on 4/10/17 at 9:12 am to TideSaint
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If we are taking a project at QB this year I'd rather go after the kid from Montgomery to be honest.
+1
Posted on 4/10/17 at 9:32 am to CapstoneGrad06
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CapstoneGrad06
I knew you'd like that.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 9:34 am to TideSaint
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Alabama interested in intriguing athlete
BUFORD, Ga. — The first thing you notice about Richard Jibunor is how overly nice of a person he is. Jibunor says ‘sir’ at the end of each of his sentences and thanked me for talking to him, which isn’t common.
Jibunor, a 3-star athlete from Athens (Ga.) Christian High School, moved to America from Nigeria in 2014. He started playing football just two years ago and still is learning the game.
“I just told my coach after my freshman year that I wanted to try football,” Jibunor told SEC Country at the Atlanta Opening regional. “He told me that he would love to have me out there and he would teach me how to play. I had just come off of being a track champion in states. I just picked up the game and I fell in love with it.”
The other characteristic about Jibunor that stands out is his willingness to compete no matter what. Jibunor is wanted by programs as a linebacker. At the Atlanta regional two weeks ago, he played defensive end after noticing other highly ranked recruits on the offensive line.
He had never played defensive end before. He didn’t even know what the position was called in our interview. The coaches at the event showed Jibunor some techniques and he came away as the camp’s defensive line MVP.
“I talked to a bunch of the top offensive linemen and knew they were coming to the camp,” Jibunor said. “I really wanted to go up against them, so I decided to come at defensive line.”
At a different camp last weekend, Jibunor played cornerback, with his hand in the dirt like a defensive lineman, and ran step-for-step with some of the top wide receivers in attendance. Needless to say, Jibunor is still learning the game of football.
He moved from Nigeria to Athens, Ga. as a foreign exchange student. His mother sent him to America to escape religious unrest in Nigeria. He hasn’t seen his mother since he came to America in 2014, but they do talk on the phone often about his recruitment, life in America and accomplishing his main goal — going to college.
“There’s better education here. It’s just a better place to live. Everything is just better,” Jibunor said. “Nigeria is really like here, except the difference is you don’t have much electricity, water or food there.”
Both Alabama and Auburn have offered Jibunor scholarships despite how raw of a prospect he is. Perhaps because the 6-foot-3, 206-pound prospect has been clocked in the 40-yard dash at a sub 4.5 second time. The Crimson Tide are in contact with Jibunor often via defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.
Jibunor, who was invited to the prestigious Opening Finals event in Oregon this summer, has been talking to Pruitt ever since he started playing football.
“He was the one recruiting me at the time when he was there,” Jibunor said. “It feels like I’ve known him forever.”
That relationship with Pruitt has Alabama high on Jibunor’s list of favorite schools. While he doesn’t have an official list, he did name Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee and Georgia, despite not having an offer there yet, as standouts.
“Alabama is one of my favorite schools,” Jibunor said. “I talk to Coach Saban every once in a while. They’re very high on me, and they really like me. They are very high on my list. I don’t have any favorites yet. I just have schools I am really focusing on and Alabama is one of them.”
The Crimson Tide are recruiting Jibunor as an outside linebacker/strong safety, he said. He’s not picky when it comes to where he plays in college. Like these camps he’s been at, he’ll play anywhere.
He hasn’t visited Tuscaloosa yet but is planning on going soon because he said he’s heard how nice it is from his friends. When he does commit to a school, which he’s expected to do before his senior season begins this fall, he knows what he wants.
“I am looking for a school that has a good educational program where I can really learn,” Jibunor said. “I also want to find a coaching staff who can make me into the best player I can be.”
Auburn appears to be the school to beat right now. He’s been there more than any other school plus the Tigers have two Nigerians on their roster who he has a friendship with. That may be a key influence when it comes time to making a decision.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 9:35 am to TideSaint
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Important visitor coming to town next week
As Alabama continues to sort through its quarterback options in the Class of 2018, one prospect with an offer at the position will be in Tuscaloosa next week.
Kereon Joyner, a 4-star dual-threat prospect from Fort Dorchester High School (North Charleston, S.C.), will be on campus for A-Day. Joyner recently released a top 5 of Alabama, Georgia, N.C. State, Oregon and South Carolina. The Gamecocks are believed to be the favorite. South Carolina offered Joyner a scholarship when he was in eighth grade.
“I know that place in-and-out,” Joyner said a few weeks ago. “It’s only like an hour away from my home.”
Joyner has only visited Tuscaloosa that one time when he played safety at camp his freshman year. The Tide offered him as a defensive back originally but it wasn’t until a few weeks back where Alabama extended a quarterback offer his way.
He likely will have to return to Tuscaloosa to throw for the coaches in early June and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll likely will travel to Charleston when the evaluation period begins in mid-April to see him throw.
Joyner is scheduled to make his commitment on June 18, which is Father’s Day. His father, Damond, died of a heart attack at age 35 in his sleep. Joyner was only 9 years old when he lost his father.
The nation’s No. 9 dual-threat quarterback told SEC Country he’s hoping to build a solid relationship with Daboll before making his decision on a day to honor his father.
“I want to sit down with the new offensive coordinator and ask him what he thinks of me and see what he thinks my strengths and weaknesses are and what I need to work on,” Joyner said. “I really want to build a relationship with him in the next few months. Three months isn’t that long.”
There’s no denying his familiarity with South Carolina, but he says the lack of visits to Alabama doesn’t hurt its chances with him because he knows what he’d get there if he chooses that school.
“Everyone knows Alabama is one of the best programs,” Joyner said. “There’s really not much I want to know about them that I don’t already know. Everybody wants to get that exposure and get to the league. That’s the ultimate goal. You can get that at Alabama.
“Alabama is one of the best programs, if not the best. They are definitely at the top of my list because they have great coaches. Coach Saban develops athletes all over the field. He’s a great coach.”
Posted on 4/10/17 at 9:38 am to TideSaint
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2019 athlete, teammate of big Alabama target, picks up dream offer
Jammie Robinson, a 2019 athlete from Crisp County High School (Cordele, Ga.), only had offers from Tennessee-Chattanooga and Georgia Southern entering Sunday. He went to bed with one more.
Robinson, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound prospect, added an offer from the Crimson Tide on Sunday night after receiving the news from his coach at Crisp.
“Coach Derrick Ansley told my coach I was offered as a nickel back and star,” Robinson told SEC Country. “I was shocked once my coach told me and my mom the awesome news. Me just making my mom proud is the best feeling.”
Robinson said he’s been to Tuscaloosa plenty of times and said the atmosphere is amazing. He’s hoping to get back to Tuscaloosa soon but doesn’t know when. He’s also unsure of when he’ll make a commitment, but when he does, expect Alabama to be in it until the end for him.
“It is a dream school because when I was younger I grew up watching Alabama every year in a national championship basically and I was like I want to be part of a winning program and a disciplined program,” Robinson said.
The targeted teammate is OLB Quay Walker.
Posted on 4/10/17 at 9:40 am to TideSaint
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NEW ORLEANS — Some of the nation’s premier skill position prospects gathered in New Orleans on Sunday to compete in Pylon’s Louisiana Bootleggers Invitational tournament. In a field full of elite talent from Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, Houston-based Fast 7v7 walked away with the championship.
Nonetheless, there were standout performances from quarterbacks, wide receivers and defensive backs on several teams. SEC Country was in attendance for pool play and the tournament to provide analysis.
Here were the tournament’s top performers:
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