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

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John Emery may be the most important skill player on Auburn’s board. The 4-star prospect from Destrehan, La., ranks as the No. 5 running back in the country and the No. 72 overall recruit.

Emery is one of two running backs Auburn has in the must-land category (Noah Cain is the other). He’s also a top target for LSU, however, and it’s never easy for out-of-state schools to dip into Louisiana and pick out top targets. Auburn feels like it has a chance with this one.

Emery spent most of his last year visiting LSU on a regular basis without taking trips elsewhere. This spring has been the opposite. He’s focused on out-of-state trips to Auburn and Michigan.  The trip to Auburn left a major impression on Emery and his family. He called the Tigers a “top contender” after his most recent visit and that they were “definitely” expected to crack his top list of schools.

Emery will release that top list of schools on Friday. He expects to cut the list to eight teams. I don’t like to use guarantees in recruiting, but it would be stunning if Auburn isn’t in that group given the fact the Tigers were one of his top two or three after his last visit.

From what I’ve been told, one of the main concerns from the Emery family about LSU has been the potential of him being in a multiple running back class. LSU already has one running back committed in 4-star Tyrion Davis. Cain is also near the top of of LSU’s board. So it’s a potential logjam at running back in the 2019 class.

The big thing for Auburn: When will he return to the Tigers? If he makes it back shortly — Emery called it “right around the corner” — Auburn could soon move into the team-to-beat category.

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LSU holds a commitment from Mississippi 3-star linebacker Zach Edwards, but that doesn’t mean the coaching staff has turned down the heat on the linebackers who are still sitting atop their 2019 board.

Donte’ Starks, a 4-star inside linebacker from John Ehret (La.) High School in New Orleans, and  Nakobe Dean, the No. 2-ranked inside backer in the country from Mississippi, remain priorities for the coaching staff this year. Both blue-chip prospects have visited already this spring and some — like Starks — on multiple occasions.

After the 2018 season, the Tigers will need to potentially replace Devin White in the middle and Michael Divinity at the Field-linebacker position. Behind them, there’s sophomores Patrick Queen, Jacob Phillips and Tyler Taylor, as well as freshmen Micah Baskerville and Damone Clark, who will enroll in June. It’s safe to say that Dave Aranda needs at least two more linebackers to plug in.

Edwards is tentatively holding onto one spot. However, Jaren Handy, who committed on the same evening, has already reopened his recruitment. Edwards hails from Starkville (Miss.) High School right outside of Mississippi State. He has already maintained that his recruitment remains open, so an eventual flip or de-commitment would not be surprising in the least bit.

Even if Edwards were to remain in the class, that would not stop the LSU staff from pursuing Starks and Dean. Starks is one of Louisiana’s premier 2019 prospects ranked just outside the top 100 and named LSU as his leader at this time a year ago. Dean, a top-25 prospect, has been a regular visit on campus in recent months, recently attending junior day on March 17 and has LSU in the lead group along with Alabama and Stanford.

If either Dean or Starks wanted in early, the staff would not hesitate to say yes.

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Alabama Football @AlabamaFTBL
Shop Talk Episode 1 Part 1 available now! Featuring: @juliojones_11 @EJackson_4 @Anderson_365
Full video link: vimeo.com/262299011

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Alabama is now utilizing its latest recruiting tool in a creative way.

Part 1 of the first episode of “Shop Talk” was released Wednesday evening. It’s a series of chats between former Crimson Tide players, and in this case head coach Nick Saban, inside the new barbershop, “Bama Cuts,” in the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility.

The first installment features former Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones, defensive back Eddie Jackson and linebacker Ryan Anderson, and Saban joins the video at the 7:43 mark. Jones, usually reserved, was in a rare, chatty mood during the 17-minute video.

Below are a few highlights from the first part of the inaugural episode, as well as the full video. Part 2 is set to release next Wednesday, April 4, in what seems like a weekly feature.

Episode 1, Part 1 highlights:

-- Jones, who is entering his eighth season with the Atlanta Falcons, is in awe of the barbershop and new features inside the football building. “Bruh, we had four couches, two computers upstairs, a pool table and a ping pong table. … I get lost now when I come here. I had to have somebody walk me over.”

-- The trio recapped their worst times conditioning in college. Jackson asked Jones, “Didn’t y’all run 31 110s or something like that?” Jones quickly corrected him with, “36.” Jackson then asked Anderson what was the most 110s they ran during their time at UA, “30 something?” Anderson: “Hell nah. I’d be at South Alabama.”

-- Saban was all smiles sitting around and talking with his former players. And he told them how much he appreciated seeing them back at their alma mater. “The thing that I don’t get to say much that makes me feel the best -- even about winning games or anything else -- is that all you guys that played here over the last 11 years that I’ve been here, everybody likes coming back. That’s the most important thing to me, is that you like coming back.”

-- Saban and Jones both recalled the former 5-star receiver’s recruitment. Jones wasn’t afraid of competition at Alabama, and Saban shared a story of trying to lure the Foley (Ala.) High School star to Tuscaloosa. “We were sitting in my office, and I was scared to death because we already had four receivers in his class. … So, I was like, ‘I hope it doesn’t affect you that we already have four receivers.’ And he looked me and he said, ‘Coach, I don’t care how many receivers you’ve got.’”

-- Saban remembered the location he met each player for the first time. For Jones, it was in the weight room. For Jackson, it was the cafeteria. For Anderson, it was an upstairs office.

Watch the full episode below.

Shop Talk: Ep.1 Part 1 from Alabama Football on Vimeo

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After shifting around his schedule, one of the nation’s premier 2019 edge-rushers is set to make his way to the Bayou.

Derrick McLendon, the nation’s No. 22-ranked weak-side defensive end, will officially visit LSU for the spring game on April 21 weekend, he informed SEC Country. The 4-star prospect was originally slated to make his first official visit next week.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound pass-rush specialist from Tucker (Ga.) High School recently competed in Nike’s The Opening regional camp in Atlanta, securing a spot in the Final 5 among offensive and defensive linemen. McLendon impressed with his speed coming across the edge.

LSU will have to stave off in-state favorite Georgia for McLendon, as well as Alabama, which at one point was deemed the leader for the Peach State product.

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McLendon talks each of his favorites.

FLORIDA: "Florida was the first SEC school to offer me and I have visited there three or four times, so I have been high on them for a longtime now. The new staff came in and they have been on me from the start. Todd Grantham has recruited me everywhere he has been, so we have a good relationship. The new staff looked out for me and made sure I knew the offer was still valid, so my interest is still high."

GEORGIA: "I have known coach Kirby Smart since I camped at Alabama in 8th grade. I like him a lot and he has always been honest with me. The whole staff at Georgia knows me, so that is cool too. I was up there Thursday for practice and coach [Dan] Lanning showed me some moves and I liked it. I saw Brenton Cox out there getting a lot of reps, so I like how Georgia is playing freshmen too."

LSU: "I have not visited LSU yet, so I am ready to see what is out there. I know Arden Key and he says great things about them and how they helped him develop. They have had a lot of other top defensive linemen too, so I want to check them out. I like how coach O (Ed Orgeron) coached defensive line, so that only helps them."

NC STATE: "I was up there for my first visit a few weeks ago and I was really impressed. I spent a lot of time with coach [Kevin] Patrick and we really have a good connection. We had a good film session and he really broke down how they coached up Bradley Chubb. The development of Chubb speaks for itself. I also like the Raleigh area and the job opportunity there after football."

TENNESSEE: "I know coach Jeremy Pruitt is going to win. He is just that type of guy. He is going to build something at Tennessee, so I like that. I like the vibe up there now too. I also like how I almost know the entire staff from where they coached before. I have been recruited by coach Pruitt, coach [Chris] Rumph, coach [Kevin] Sherrer and coach [Tracy] Rocker, so I am comfortable with a lot of the coaches. I like what I saw up there."

Florida State is a school McLendon plans to visit soon that has yet to offer. Willie Taggart did offer when he was at Oregon, so if the Seminoles offer, they could jump right in this race.

McLendon said he is going to take a long look at the depth charts when he takes visits and does research on his top schools.

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For his height, he really needs to be in the 300-310 range. At 320 he could see some situational snaps, but anything above that will likely prevent him from seeing the field. Diet and run big man!

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McLendon said he is going to take a long look at the depth charts when he takes visits and does research on his top schools.

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