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re: Class of 2019 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: That's a Wrap Edition
Posted on 3/26/18 at 7:59 am to TideSaint
Posted on 3/26/18 at 7:59 am to TideSaint
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TOP FIVE OFFENSE
Jalen Rivers was the talk of the offensive linemen from start to finish Sunday. The 6-foot-5, 327-pound Orange Park (Fla.) Oakleaf tackle used his great length and base to stave off defenders immediately after initial contact. The sophomore is extremely patient with his pocket protection, and can change direction like prospects much smaller than he. Clemson is one camp he would like to hit this summer, although in-state Miami, Florida and Florida State have all become familiar for the No. 44 prospect in the Top247.
An unexpected visitor showed up just before testing concluded, and Leonard Manuel made up for lost time. His big body and long arms made tough catches look routine and as one secondary assistant coach told 247Sports, "He shouldn't be that quick out of his breaks at that size." The 6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver doesn't lose much speed when he breaks off a route, with plenty of power to drive back to the football when called for. A Miami commitment since November, the Ocala (Fla.) Vanguard star is ranked No. 13 in the entire class of 2020.
Another Miami commitment on the outside shined plenty in Jeremiah Payton. He was the highest-ranked prospect on 247Sports among the expected participants and did not disappoint on the outside. The four-star out of Neptune Beach (Fla.) Duncan U. Fletcher breaks down the defensive backs' cushion in a hurry, with great body lean and power coming out of his breaks. Payton can finish with strong hands, away from his body, all on a 6-foot-1, near 200-pound frame.
Would there have been a touchdown-scoring contest, Ahmarean Brown surely would have come out on top. The diminutive slot wide receiver doesn't slow down in changing direction and can set up defenders early in the route as well. Paired with good top-end speed, he was too much to handle in space and found the end zone more than just about anyone else towards the final competition phase of the day. The three-star is looking to soon visit Kentucky, West Virginia and Maryland -- each of which has offered him a scholarship.
Another offensive trench talent who stood out on a day that that side of the ball won was Darius Washington. The Pensacola (Fla.) West Florida Tech offensive tackle plays with a strong punch and won reps soon after the football was snapped. He got several defenders on the ground with relative ease and mirrored others with great lateral skill. Washington has more than a dozen scholarship offers, with Texas A&M being the most recent offer earlier in the weekend.
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Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:00 am to TideSaint
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CAMP NOTES
-- Rian Davis was invited to the Under Armour All-America Game following his performance. The Weviva defender can play on the edge as a linebacker or defensive end, and he elected to play at the second-level on this day. Clemson, Georgia, Louisville and Houston are in solid shape for his services at this time.
-- The tight end group had multiple standouts between Keon Zipperer, Larry Hodges and Kamari Morales. Zipperer lacks polish, but he is well put-together and fluid in his movement. It's shaping up to be an in-state battle for the Lakeland standout while Hodges, who lined up outside plenty and beat cornerbacks as many as some wide receivers did, is committed to Miami. Morales, who flashed speed and caught the ball away from his body, is a South Florida pledge.
-- Tarian Lee was singled out by Sanders following the event, as he called for the Tallahassee (Fla.) Godby linebacker to get "at least one star" for his talents. The rising-senior has a trio of Power 5 offers with Purdue, Indiana and Rutgers on board to this point.
-- Sanders stole the post-event show in his announcements, along with comical pro-Florida State quips, but his son held his own at the quarterback position. Shedeur Sanders was a standout performer at the Future 50 event and followed it up with another great effort. Few arms, despite many being older, put the ball on the money on a consistent basis like Sanders did. He has good footwork and a smooth release.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:24 am to TideSaint
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-- Invited to the Under Armour All-America Game, Apopka (Fla.) Wekiva's Rian Davis says programs that will remain in the mix for him include Texas, Alabama and Houston. He was at Miami on Saturday for the first time, with positive returns. The four-star outside linebacker says he is currently looking at a decision before the start of his senior season.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:24 am to TideSaint
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-- Committed to Alabama since December, four-star Lakeland (Fla.) Kathleen safety Brendan Gant, remains on board with the Crimson Tide despite pushes from several programs. He has taken recent trips to Georgia and Miami, a pair of programs he will continue to consider. But it's the Hurricanes and fellow in-state Florida State in which he singled out as the top threats to the national champs.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:25 am to TideSaint
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-- Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman Deyavie Hammond didn't participate at the event, resting his knee "tweaked" at a camp last weekend. The former Alabama commitment says the Crimson Tide has maintained the same amount of contact with him since he backed off of the pledge. Florida State is the other program he expects to last deep into his recruitment at this time.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:25 am to TideSaint
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-- Cornerback Fred Davis says Miami is standing out at the moment, though he wasn't ready to name the Hurricanes his leader. The Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian standout communicates with multiple coaches on staff and could soon return for a visit. His next trip, however, will be to the University of Alabama. He doesn't yet have a date set for it.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:27 am to TideSaint
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:29 am to TideSaint
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:30 am to TideSaint
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:33 am to TideSaint
4-star Thompson OL considering Bama and Auburn in wide-open recruiting battle
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At 6-foot-7 and 305 pounds, Thompson offensive lineman Amari Kight is one of the state's biggest football prospects in the Class of 2019.
So big that at least one SEC school found a unique way to grab his attention.
"Mississippi State sent me a whole deck of cards," he said.
Say what?
"There's, what, 52 cards in a deck?" he said. "They sent me 52 letters and each one had a different card in it. That was unique."
Kight, a 4-star prospect in the Class of 2019, is holding his recruiting preferences close to the vest. Kight said he has no immediate timetable for when he'll make a college decision and added he hasn't yet decided where he will attend summer camps.
"I want to find somewhere I can grow and somewhere I feel like I connect with the coaches and players," he said.
Kight holds offers Alabama, Auburn and virtually every SEC school, as well as Notre Dame, Michigan, Oklahoma and Nebraska. He is uncommitted, indicated he has no leader and said recruiting "is going good so far."
Projected as a left tackle in college, Kight is one of the elite offensive lineman prospects in the state's Class of 2019, alongside uncommitted 5-star Clay Webb of Oxford and 5-star Alabama commit and Hewitt-Trussville star Pierce Quick.
For now, Kight said he's busy preparing for his senior high school season after the Warriors finished 12-1 and advanced to the Class 7A semifinals last year.
"We can really do more than we did last season," he said. "We know what it's like to experience being a playoff team and being a top team."
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:39 am to TideSaint
No. 5 athlete wants to get out, see more schools
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HOUSTON — When talking to Trey Palmer, a star athlete out of Kentwood (La.), if you don't bring up recruiting, then you won't be talking about it.
He is focused on academics, training and making himself better all around on and off the field.
Palmer said, "Every time you see me, you will see me better than the time before. That is what I aim for. That is what I work for."
Being a Louisiana native, of course LSU is a school on his list. He quickly pointed out that the home-state school is no higher than anyone else though.
"Everyone is in the same range for me. I do not have any favorites. I have not even thought about that.
"I just haven't gotten out to enough schools to really have favorites yet. I have only visited LSU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. I have to see more place so I can compare schools."
Baton Rouge is a place Palmer is very familiar with and he stays in contact with multiple coaches on the LSU staff. Mickey Joseph is his lead recruiter and those two talk in some fashion almost daily.
Joseph and the other Tiger coaches make sure Palmer knows how important he is to their program.
"LSU is always telling me that my class can change the program," said Palmer. "They say the 2019 class can bring championships to LSU and help the program do special things.
"I hear that a lot from them."
LSU is not the only school that he hears from on a regular basis.
"Texas A&M, Georgia and Florida contact me just the same as LSU. I am always hearing from those four schools through text messages or on Twitter. It is not one school that recruits me the hardest, but all four of them."
The visit to College Station caught his attention and he wants to get back to see the Aggies again. Palmer likes the new staff there and he plans to return this spring or summer.
Visits to Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee are on his to-do list as well in the coming months.
"I just need to see other places to check out what type of environment each school has," said Palmer. "I want to learn more about the academic programs too. I want to major in engineering, so that is an important part to me."
Palmer has no visits scheduled at this time and he does not plan to take any official visits until after his senior season. He does not plan to make his decision until close to Signing Day in 2019, so he is going to keep doing his routine right now and worry about recruiting months down the road.
"I do not care about how many offers I have or what I am ranked," said Palmer. "I am just going to work hard every time and train, take care of my grades and just go thtough the recruiting process.
"I am not even on my phone with coaches all the time. I will be more later, but I am not too worried about that stuff right now. All I am focused on right now is being the best I can be."
Palmer plans to release his top five around mid season.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:41 am to TideSaint
Florida's success at DB has Moore's attention
Someone needs to show Mr. Moore our defensive back recruiting poster detailing how many 1st round DBs we've had in the last decade.
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Malachi Moore plays for a very talented Hewitt-Trussville team in Alabama and he has emerged as one of the top 2020 prospects in his state.
Over a dozen schools have offered the 6-foot, 160 pound cornerback with one being the Florida Gators.
Just over a month after Dan Mullen took over in Gainesville is when Moore was offered and the Gators immediately had his attention.
"Florida has had some good defensive backs and I really liked Vernon Hargreaves, Teez Tabor and guys like that, that played there before," said Moore. "I like guys that play there too — Marco Wilson and CJ Henderson definitely stand out.
"That helps Florida a lot with me. Year in and year out they produce defensive backs, so it is a school I will definitely look at."
Moore has never visited Florida, but he hopes to check it out in the coming months. The offer caught him off guard, but with their history, Florida quickly moved up his list.
"Florida has a lot of tradition and they know how to win. I want to get down there as soon as I can to learn more about the coaches and the program.
"I know Florida always has good athletes, they have a new coaching staff that won at Mississippi State and it is a school I am very interested in."
Someone needs to show Mr. Moore our defensive back recruiting poster detailing how many 1st round DBs we've had in the last decade.
This post was edited on 3/26/18 at 8:42 am
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:57 am to TideSaint
5 things Alabama fans need to know after Atlanta Opening
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BUFORD, Ga. — The Opening made its way through the Atlanta metro area this weekend, luring top talent from Georgia, as well as a handful from SEC territories such as Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.
There was an abundance of talent at each position group. Kardell Thomas, Clay Webb, Nakobe Dean, Christian Williams, Kalen Deloach, Nolan Smith II, Chester Kimbrough, Dominick Blaylock and Jadon Haselwood were the nine Finals invitees from the loaded crop.
Here were some of the top performers, as well as some recruiting updates regarding several of the top prospects and where Alabama stands.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:58 am to TideSaint
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Taulia Tagovailoa sounds Alabama bound
Taulia Tagovailoa, the brother of Tua Tagovailoa, sounds like he’s going to choose Alabama when he makes his commitment. He’s going to take official visits elsewhere, but he admitted that it’s going to be tough for him to choose a school that is not Alabama.
The reason why it sounds like he’s likely going to follow his brother is because he knows how valuable it is that he has numerous close relationships with a significant amount of players already on the team. He’s in Tuscaloosa almost every single week. Other schools just can’t compete with his comfortability at Alabama.
It also needs to be said that the Tagovailoa family relocated to Alabaster, Ala., which is a short car ride away from Tuscaloosa. The convenience for the family if Taulia chose Alabama can’t be undersold. That’s an important factor to note here.
After talking to him on Sunday, it would be a shock to not see him in crimson next season. As for his performance on Sunday, Tagovailoa definitely wowed with some of his throws, but there were some that sailed over the receiver or weren’t in the vicinity of the player. It was windy and chilly in Buford, Ga., and Tagovailoa hasn’t played in many cold environments since relocating to Alabama from Hawaii last year.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 8:59 am to TideSaint
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Clay Webb is a beast, and it sounds like Alabama is the team to beat
Webb is one of the most dominant offensive linemen I’ve seen in person in the three years I’ve covered recruiting. For being almost 300 pounds, Webb moves very well and has excellent bend, which is important for an offensive lineman.
He didn’t lose many 1-on-1 reps on Sunday and he consistently stifled any pressure from whichever defensive lineman was lined up against him.
As for his recruitment, Alabama seems like the team to beat here. He has the closest relationship with offensive line coach Brent Key out of all the coaches recruiting him and he’s good friends with 5-star tackle commit Pierce Quick, who is strongly recruiting him.
Webb sounds like Alabama’s to lose.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 9:15 am to TideSaint
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Nakobe Dean very comfortable at Alabama
Dean, the nation’s No. 2 inside linebacker, was invited to The Opening Finals after a nice showing on Sunday. Dean is a hard-hitting linebacker, but he showed good cover skills against the running backs he went up against and he also displayed impressive pass-rushing abilities.
Dean estimates that he’s been to Tuscaloosa around five times as a recruit. The only school he’s been to more is Ole Miss because he lives about an hour away from Oxford. I’d watch out for Stanford down the road. Dean is an exceptional student who carries better than a 4.0 GPA. Academics are obviously a priority to him. He plans on majoring in either biomedical or mechanical engineering.
Dean said he is always talking with inside linebackers coach Pete Golding and he’s already developed a strong relationship with him. Dean is in the process of setting up another return visit to Tuscaloosa in the coming weeks for a spring practice.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 9:16 am to TideSaint
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In-state prospect has Clemson on top
Vonta Bentley, a 4-star inside linebacker from Jackson-Olin High School (Birmingham, Ala.), told SEC Country that Clemson is his clear leader at this time with Alabama running second.
Alabama was once Bentley’s leader, but the Crimson Tide aren’t showing as much attention to him as the Tigers are. That could be the case because Dean, 4-star prospect Christian Harris and junior college inside linebacker Lakia Henry may sit higher on the board at the position.
Bentley plans on returning to Tuscaloosa on April 13.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 9:16 am to TideSaint
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Alabama needs to offer Auburn WR commit George Pickens
I’m not entirely sure why Alabama hasn’t offered 4-star wide receiver George Pickens out of Hoover (Ala.) High School, but it needs to be as soon as possible. Pickens was one of the top wide receivers in attendance on Sunday as he consistently got open, showed polish as a route runner and demonstrated excellent hands.
Pickens has been committed to Auburn since July of last year.
The lack of an offer to Pickens is confusing to me because Alabama is looking to add a big-bodied receiver in the 2019 class and he’s 6-foot-5. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Alabama offer Pickens a scholarship in the near future.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 9:18 am to TideSaint
5 things Tennessee fans should know about The Opening Atlanta regional
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Jaylen McCollough, 4-star S
McCollough was coming off of a high from a visit in Knoxville.
He has good size at 6-1, 190 pounds to play safety in Coach Jeremy Pruitt’s defense. McCollough is intrigued by the thought too.
The Powder Springs, Ga., native didn’t have his best performance. The drills were more geared for cornerbacks and McCollough didn’t look comfortable pressing on the line. If there was a drill of playing the middle of the field, McCollough likely would have shined.
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DJ Dale, 3-star DT
DJ Dale did pretty well against an offensive line group which featured some of the best prospects in the country. The Pinson, Ala., native used his surprising speed to get past some blockers.
The 6-2, 330-pound Dale visited Knoxville two weeks ago. Pruitt values size and strength at defensive tackle. Dale showed why he’s caught the coaching staff’s eye.
Posted on 3/26/18 at 9:20 am to TideSaint
5-star OL Clay Webb, No. 1 prospect in Alabama, updates his recruitment, sets tentative decision timeline
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State of Alabama’s No. 1 target updates timeline
ATLANTA — When Clay Webb isn’t busy being the No. 1 football prospect in Alabama, he’s wrestling.
Webb helped Oxford (Ala.) High to the AHSAA state duals title this spring. Wanting to place all his focus into that, Webb hasn’t done much with his recruitment since the fall. He expects that to change soon with a few upcoming visits, but he has nothing set yet. For Auburn, keep an eye on the April 7 spring game as his most likely return date.
The quick-twitch offensive lineman re-established himself on the recruiting circuit Sunday at the Atlanta Opening regional. He earned an Opening finals invite following the camp.
With his attention fully turned to football and recruiting, Webb still doesn’t expect to make his decision in the immediate future. He will be an early enrollee, however.
“December, most likely,” Webb said. “I’m going to take my time. I just got out of wrestling season, so I’m about to start on spring practice.”
Webb has been most closely linked to Auburn and Alabama, though Georgia, Florida and Clemson are out-of-state programs keeping Webb interested. He will take a few visits this spring and fall — perhaps a few Midwest and West Coast official visits — but it’s likely to come down to an Iron Bowl recruiting battle.
What will he be looking for?
“Show me how I fit in,” Webb said. “Let me get with the players and show me what it’s like, getting to know the coaches better.”
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