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

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ODDS AND ENDS ...

- Two guys who can tend to fight the football, Justin Watkins and Xavier Williams, had good first days catching the ball. Each has the speed to gain separation and their hands were reliable for the most part all day.

- Penn State running back commitment Ricky Slade can scoot, and he flashed that speed numerous times. He’s also not that big, and that was evidenced by a shot he took from linebacker Merlin Robertson in the team play when he was leveled and his feet left the ground. There’s no tackling to the ground in practice but Robertson didn’t seem to care, so maybe Slade was taken by surprise.

- Kwatrivous Johnson could be the surprise of the first couple of days. He was the second biggest offensive lineman I saw, and in practice he played very well at guard (not his position at the next level) with great arm extension and footwork. Mississippi State could have a steal here.

- Five-star KJ Henry came to play on Sunday. The Clemson signee was dominant in run, had a very good one-on-one session in pass rush and held the edge and batted down a pass in team work. He’s still filling out his frame slowly, but his instincts and motor are at a high level.

- The defensive backs had a good day overall on both sides, as many made big plays. Steve Stephens, DeMarvion Overshown, D’Shawn Jamison and Olajiah Griffin led the way for Team Highlight and I liked what I saw from Myles Sims and Asante Samuel, among others on Team Spotlight. Rough quarterback play can be attributed in some ways, but that can’t be the only reason, as these guys came to play.

- The linebackers were very physical. In addition to Robertson’s big hit on Slade, I saw Lamb and Mitchell also make big hits on fills during run plays. Quay Walker is also very aggressive and if this holds up, the game itself should be a physical battle.

- PJ Mustipher had himself a very good day. The Penn State signee showed the ability to rush the passer from inside not only in one-on-ones but also in team play.

- I thought Ole Miss signee Elijah Moore had a good day and he was utilized properly. He’s a catch-and-run talent with great speed and he got the ball in position to run quite a few times.

- Delone Scaife continues to show how good he is. Playing inside, he again showed patience, footwork and good extension to simply ride opponents outside the danger zone.

- West Virginia defensive lineman Dante Stills had a solid one-on-one session showing quickness off the snap, a nice arm-over move and some power. He’s going to be a good one for the Mountaineers.

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ALABAMA QUARTET OFF TO GREAT START

Alabama had 18 commitments going into the Early Signing Period, and 14 of those have signed. Out of the six participating in the Under Armour All-America game this year, four really stood out on Day One.

Starting on the offensive side of the ball with wide receiver Xavier Williams: He showed good speed and his hands were strong Sunday. He made a couple of very nice touchdown grabs within a 5-minute span that drew big celebrations from his teammates. On defense, Stephon Wynn, Jordan Davis and Quay Walker showed up often. Wynn played strong at the point of attack and was not pushed back often. Davis was outstanding in the Team session applying constant quarterback pressure. He would have had at least three sacks if they were going live. Walker, the only one out of this group that did not sign earlier this month, was one of the fastest linebackers on either team. He closed on the ball extremely well and the Tide will have to work hard to hold off Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee for Walker.

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WIDE RECEIVERS SHOW UP

The quarterbacks were up and down on Day One, but the guys they were throwing to made plays on the ball for them. Justin Shorter and Xavier Williams have already been mentioned, but the Alabama and Penn State signees really stood out at receiver. On Team Spotlight, Ole Miss signee Elijah Moore got into the end zone with a leaping grab and he got behind the secondary showing his downfield speed, too. TCU signee Te’Vailance Hunt was very consistent and he showed good speed. Like Hunt, Joshua Moore is out of Texas, and he displayed great ball skills and made a few tough grabs along the sideline. Moving over to Team Highlight, Justin Watkins, who will announce his decision this week, was a star. He showed a great burst, quick cuts and he was tough for anyone to stay with in coverage. Texas A&M commit Jalen Preston is a strong receiver and he used his size against the defensive backs. He high-pointed a ball for a touchdown grab on an underthrown ball that was impressive.

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Jacob Copleland

THE SITUATION: Copeland was committed to Florida and would have likely signed with the Gators if the coaching change hadn’t taken place. These days, however, things have become a bit more open. Copeland is considering Alabama and Tennessee in addition to Florida. Texas A&M could get involved, should a pending official visit to College Station go well. Never count out Nick Saban, but Florida has positioned itself to get Copeland’s last official visit and holds a slight edge based on that. The four-star wide receiver will announce his choice on signing day.

THE PICK: Florida

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2019 #Rivals100 LB Nakobe Dean of Horn Lake (MS) has shown up at #Future50 and he’s a target for #RollTide and #GoDawgs. After thinking on it, he said he’d have to pick #Bama in the championship game.

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4. On the recruiting front there has been some news ...

I learned that Stanford looks like the team to beat for Top247 linebacker Dax Hollifield.

That LSU still leads for top-ranked cornerback Patrick Surtain and that Georgia’s monster class could ultimately include his five-star cornerback teammate Tyson Campbell. Alabama is battling for both as well with Miami the other major player for Campbell.

That Top247 running back Harold Joiner wanted to sign with LSU during the Early Signing Period before pushing his decision to February.

Tennessee is now the leader for Top247 linebacker JJ Peterson following the hiring of Jeremy Pruitt but it’s still hard for me to totally rule out the Crimson Tide.

As far as the in-game commitments, I still like Oklahoma for Top247 cornerback Brendan Radley-Hiles and Purdue for Top247 receiver Rondale Moore. Earlier this week I changed my prediction to UCLA for Top247 offensive lineman Chris Murray and I’m still riding with the Trojans for St. Brown.

Top247 offensive tackle Rasheed Walker is legitimately torn between Penn State and Ohio State, so with the Buckeyes getting the last official I still like my 247Sports Crystal Ball forecast in favor of the Buckeyes.

UCLA still looks like the program to beat for Top247 defensive tackle Tyler Manoa and I don’t think Nesta Silvera will flip from Miami.

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Former Alabama star Landon Collins has spoken. A former protegee of Kirby Smart during their time with the Crimson Tide, Collins declared himself on team “Roll Tide” against the Bulldogs.

Regardless of Collins’ affinity for Georgia’s head coach, the New York Giants two-time Pro Bowler will “always” side with Alabama.

“Of course Alabama on top,” Collins said during an interview with ESPN’s First Take. “ I appreciate my man Kirby Smart over there. I love him to death, but he’s going to have to take this 'L' this time. I say (Alabama) at least by two touchdowns.”

Collins played three seasons under Nick Saban with Smart as his defensive coordinator the whole time. He owns a championship ring from Alabama’s 2013 BCS title, and became an All-American in 2014 before he declared for the NFL draft. Collins was a 247 Sports Composite five-star recruit out of Geismar (La.) Dutchtown in the class of 2012.

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