re: Class of 2019 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: That's a Wrap Edition

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Alabama keeping current with social media

Over the weekend, offensive line coach Brent Key and defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski tweeted the hashtag #ROLL1N9. I confirmed with Alabama commit Quick, who also tweeted the hashtag, that it will be the Tide’s official slogan for the 2019 recruiting class.

To my knowledge, this is the first time Alabama has a hashtag for its recruiting class. I’m not sure if the coaches are going to start acknowledging verbal commitments like other schools do and tweet the hashtag when a player chooses the Tide, but it’s just another example of the team becoming more current with social media. Alabama, in my opinion, is well behind schools such as Clemson and Ohio State, which make fancy graphics for recruits and acknowledge commitments on Twitter.

Quick, who has shut down his recruitment and is locked in with the Tide, told me that the Tigers constantly would send him graphics.

"Clemson is the best [on social media],” he said. “They would send me sick edits every single day. I loved it. My dad and I have been telling [Alabama] they gotta catch up in social media and all that stuff.”

We have already seen the assistant coaches be more vocal on Twitter since the start of the new year. Perhaps Alabama is getting with the times and will utilize social media when it comes to recruiting.

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Toledo (Ohio) Whitmer defensive end Cavon Butler now holds two offers after Pittsburgh offered on Monday to go along with an existing offer from home-town Toledo.

Butler's 6-foot-4, 265-pound frame and the ability he shows on the film from a junior season in which he recorded 12 sacks, 91 tackles (16 for loss), and 23 quarterback hurries, should continue to draw him interest from more schools. It is not lost on him that the Rockets were first to offer though.

"It means a lot to get an offer from your hometown," he said, "especially growing up watching them and having family go there."

The first Power 5 offer from the Panthers was further proof that he is on the right track after what he describes as a rocky start to high school and his recruitment.

"It’s amazing to know what you can do when you honestly learn about the academics because it’s been a roller coaster for me," Butler said. "My freshman and sophomore years were kind of slow, but I made big sacrifices and started grinding on the books."

He will continue to learn more about Pittsburgh's program, but he already is familiar with the field they share with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.

"I know they play at Heinz Field and that’s NFL exposure already right there," he said.

The next step for Butler is take some visits and continue getting in front of more programs.

“I plan on visiting Pitt in a couple weeks and Ohio State this spring,” he said. “And I’ll get to Georgia, Georgia Tech and Alabama in the summer.

Butler said he is hearing from Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Purdue and “a lot more.”

He was a first-team All-Ohio selection last season and also earned All-District honors and made The Toledo Blade’s All-Blade team.

This winter, he participated on Whitmer’s basketball team and threw shot put on the school’s track team last spring.

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On Sunday night, the nation's No. 9 wide receiver, Mycah Pittman, released his top 10 schools on Twitter.

Making the in alphabetical order includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA, and Washington State.

The Calabasas (Calif.) product recently travelled to Tuscaloosa for Junior Day.

"It was awesome, felt like I was at home," Pittman told 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong following the visit. "They welcomed me in open arms."

At 6-feet, 195 pounds, Pittman is rated the No. 9 receiver and the No. 52 overall player in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

The 247Sports Crystal Ball currently favors the Gators at 60 percent.

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ALABAMA

Over a dozen quarterbacks claim offers from Alabama, but the two you hear the most about are located in their own backyard. Both have connections to the Crimson Tide, too. Will they sign another Tagovailoa? Tua led them to a national title and his younger brother Taulia is a top target. Then you have Paul Tyson, the great grandson of Paul "Bear" Bryant. Those are two to watch.

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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Jacob Conover has a handful of favorites and the four-star quarterback is almost ready to make a decision.

“I want to be committed by the end of April or early May,” Conover said this past weekend at the adidas West Coast Invitational.

“When you’re committed, you can start building the class with that team. Wherever I go, I want to start building that class to make sure we have a good 2019 class.

“With the new rule that you can start taking officials in April I want to start doing that. I’ve been talking to some schools to set up officials so that will be good.”

Arizona State, BYU, Alabama and Oregon State are the four serious contenders for the Chandler, Ariz., quarterback with one other team still hanging around at this point.

“I’m starting to narrow it down,” Conover said. “I want to keep Stanford in the mix even though they haven’t offered. We’ve been communicating a lot. They take a long time but we’re going to see if we can work something out.”

The four-star standout is growing more familiar with the new Arizona State coaching staff and will continue to learn more about the Sun Devils. BYU is a major player since Conover will go on his Mormon mission after high school and he has other connections to that school as well.

“I want to see it progress,” Conover said of ASU. “I’ll be able to go to practice these upcoming weeks. Coach (Herm) Edwards brings a new energy and I like coach (Rob) Likens and the offense he brings so it will be fun to watch.

“(BYU’s) Kalani Sitake is just a phenomenal head coach. The new offensive staff he’s brought in is exciting, not only the recruits but the team that’s there. Gunner’s (Romney) brother is a quarterback there now and I’ve been able to get feedback with what they’re doing there so it’s been cool.”

Alabama and Oregon State are definitely players as well.

“With Tua (Tagovailoa) coming in, it kind of opens up some new windows,” Conover said of the Crimson Tide. “It was exciting to watch them throw the ball more.

“(Oregon State coach) Jonathan Smith is a great guy. It’s kind oh my hometown being from Oregon so it would be cool to go back up there.”

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The hectic recruitment of Quavaris Crouch has him questioning everything he is hearing from coaches, colleges, and players. The No. 1 player in the Rivals100 out of Charlotte (N.C.) Harding University isn’t in a rush to make a decision and he is still feeling his way through this spring period. In the video above, Crouch talks about the schools that are doing a good job recruiting him, who he has the best relationships with, where he will visit next, and much more about the schools that he wants to learn more about.

NOTES…

-Crouch thinks a lot of schools are doing a good job recruiting him but some of his best relationships are with coach Bentley from South Carolina, coaches Tennessee, and coach McGee from Georgia.

Tennessee- Crouch will visit Tennessee next weekend with Rivals250 wide receiver Khafre Brown. Will be Crouch’s second visit and wants to get closer to the coaches and players. He has a good relationship with coach Pruitt and his area recruiter. He likes what the offense is going to look like and thinks his running style would fit well.

South Carolina- Crouch wants to see them play and compete this year. He hasn’t visited recently but wants to get back soon so he can see what system the new offensive coordinator is putting in.

Georgia- Crouch thinks Georgia will be hard to beat on the field in the future. He talks to former five-star running back Zamir White and is building a relationship with him. He is helping Crouch work through the recruiting process. Crouch also talks about his relationship with Thomas Davis, who is helping him train.

-Crouch is still deciding whether he wants to play running back or linebacker.

-He still likes Michigan and talks to Alabama a little bit but he wants to visit those schools more so he can get a better feel for them.

-Crouch wants to visit Florida and Florida State during his spring break. He will probably visit South Carolina and Clemson too because they are pretty close to home and easy for him to get to.

-The coaching staff movement has made it hard for Crouch to stay familiar with certain schools and coaches.

-Crouch is really interested in Notre Dame and wants to learn more about them. He likes the prestige at Notre Dame and the fact that it is a religious school.

RIVALS' REACTION...

Crouch is having a difficult time deciding what he likes and doesn't like about certain schools an coaches. Each time he does an interview it seems like he is less sure about the schools he likes. Tennessee has done a nice job staying on him and they are doing everything they can to make him feel comfortable. South Carolina continues to be one of the schools that reaches out to him the most. Georgia hasn't quite turned up the heat on Crouch yet but his relationship with Zamir White and having Dawgs legend Thomas Davis consistently around him bodes well for Georgia.

Crouch should have a busy spring break with visits to Florida and Florida State in the works. Both schools have plenty to show him and they will need to take advantage of their time with him if they hope to be considered serious contenders.

Watch out for Notre Dame. A visit to South Bend could really help the Fighting Irish turn into a serious contender. Notre Dame has shown what they can do with dominant downhill runners and big, athletic linebackers.

Michigan and Alabama remain in the conversation but Crouch seems more focused on learning about other schools that have piqued his interest so far. Don't be surprised if Crouch eventually refocuses on these two schools down the line.

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Nathan Pickering expects to be back at Auburn ‘soon’

Nathan Pickering was expected to be at Auburn earlier this month, but he had to rearrange his plans.

Still, as I mentioned earlier in March, Pickering planned to reschedule for later in the month. The 4-star defensive end from Seminary, Miss., hasn’t returned yet, but he plans to in the near future.

“Soon,” he told SEC Country on Monday evening.

Pickering originally hoped to reschedule for March 24-25, which is this weekend. As of Monday night, he wasn’t 100 percent certain whether he’d come this weekend versus wait a week, or until the spring game. But one thing is certain: Auburn is on his mind and has been the entire spring.

“They obviously will be a factor. When I put my top schools out, Auburn will be high on it. I loved it. … I’ll definitely be back. Anytime I get a chance to come, I’m coming,” Pickering said. “[Rodney Garner], he’s cool. He’s like a father figure to me. He seems like someone who I would love to be coached by.”

Auburn plans to host a solid contingent of prospects (more below) this weekend. It won’t be a junior day, per se, but it will be a star-studded group on campus nonetheless. Many of Auburn’s top Mississippi prospects will head to Atlanta this weekend for the Nike Opening Regional at Buford High School. It’s a convenient time to swing by the Plains.

Pickering, however, won’t participate in a Nike regional until the Dallas event in April.

Pickering, the nation’s No. 50 overall prospect, is Auburn’s No. 1 defensive line priority in the 2019 class. He last visited Auburn on Feb. 12 with his close friend and fellow 2019 target Dannis Jackson, a wide receiver.

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I don't even remember us offering this kid, let alone him being high on our priority list.

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KN put up a list of Ten Most Wanted for AU. Here's quick rundown

1.) 5* LB Owen Pappoe
2.) 4* OT Wanya Morris
3.) 4* RB Noah Cain
4.) 5* C Clay Webb
5.) 4* CB Kaiir Elam
6.) 4* RB John Emery
7.) 5* LB Nakobe Dean
8.) 5* WR Jadon Haselwood
9.) 3* TE Luke Deal
10.) 4* OG Keiondre Jones

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Kevin Harris had a big 24 hours a little over a week ago and that time period has created a new list of favorites for him.

The 6-foot-5, 210 pound weakside defensive end out of Loganville (Ga.) Grayson added offers from Florida State, LSU and Miami on March 8, then one day later, Alabama came in with an offer.

Three of those schools stand out.

"There are some others I am still looking at, but LSU, Miami and Alabama are my top schools," said Harris. "I thought about it, I talked to my parents about it and I really feel those four schools can help me grow as a student-athlete.

"Each of those schools have have great coaches, they can each help me develop for the NFL, neither is far from home and I feel they can get me where I want to go."

The four star has not visited too many schools this year, but he was in Baton Rouge this weekend. It is a big visit for him because his family is from Louisiana.

He called LSU his "dream" offer when the Tigers pulled the trigger.

"I have taken many trips to Louisiana and I grew up a big LSU fan, so I know a lot about them. My dad is a big fan of LSU, I still have a lot of family there, so when LSU offered, it was huge for me and my family.

"I saw on the visit that LSU has great people on their staff. The team as a whole is like a brotherhood and everyone there is linked together. They are very competitive and they bring a lot of intensity with everything that they do."

One of LSU's biggest rivals is Alabama. Nick Saban coached at LSU before going to the NFL, then ending up in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide does not have to do much to impress.

"Alabama is Alabama and it speaks for itself," said Harris. "Their track record speaks for itself, it is an offer I dreamed of getting and they put out so many great players.

"I really think my game is similar to Tim Williams, so I watched him a lot when he was there and he did very well. I will be getting over there soon to see what it is like."

Mark Richt recently hired Jess Simpson to coach his defensive line and there is a little connection there for Harris. Simpson used to be the head coach at Buford (Ga.) and Harris' current high school coach worked under him.

Simpson offered Harris quickly and it working to get him on the Hurricane's campus.

"Me and coach Simpson had a great talk and we really connected. He coached with my head coach and I know he is a great coach. He really wants me to come down for a visit, so we are talking about setting that up. I would love to get down there soon."

A visit to Coral Gables is next. Harris will visit Miami next weekend and a visit to Tuscaloosa is being discussed by the Harris family because a decision may not be too far off.

"I do not know exactly when I will commit, but I definitely want to have it behind me before my senior year," said Harris. "I want to find the perfect school and then get everything handled.

"I have the offers and I just have to find the right school now."

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