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

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A year after both Alabama and Auburn missed out on the top-ranked player in the state, the Crimson Tide and Tigers now look to seal the borders on 5-star offensive lineman Clay Webb.

Webb, the nation’s No. 1 center according to the 247sports composite rankings, has already narrowed his focus to a handful of schools, including Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Clemson and Florida, but he’s in no rush to make a decision. That likely won’t come until after his senior season. It’s good news for teams vying to make up ground — but it could be bad news for Alabama, his perceived leader.

In this SEC Country featured video, our recruiting experts at Alabama and Auburn break down the latest in Webb’s recruitment. He has players pulling him to both Tuscaloosa and Auburn, but Webb is being meticulous in his decision-making.

Who is Clay Webb?

Clay Webb is a 6-foot-3, 297-pound 2019 football offensive line recruit from Oxford, Ala.

Where does Clay Webb rank?

Webb is a 5-star recruit, the No. 1 player in the state of Alabama and the nation’s No. 1-ranked center, according to 247sports.

When will Clay Webb commit?

During the Atlanta Opening regional, Webb said a commitment will not occur until after his senior season in high school, likely in December around the early signing period.

What are Clay Webb’s top schools?

While Webb has not set an ironclad top-school list, he’s said that Alabama and Auburn have an advantage because of proximity. In addition to those two schools, Florida, Georgia and Clemson are seen as the out-of-state schools with the most realistic shots.

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Man I wanted Ani

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Closer to Columbia, South Carolina continues to trend for four-star safety/running back/athlete  Jaylen McCollough (Powder Springs, Ga./Hillgrove). Four out of the last five predictions on 247Sports Crystal Ball have been for the Gamecocks who are now even with Florida State (most of the predictions for the Noles came last spring when Jimbo Fisher and his staff were still in Tallahassee) at 33 percent of the predictive expert vote. Alabama has 27 percent currently with Tennessee having a single vote that came recently.

Link: McCollough Crystal Ball Predictions

McCollough is one of the top all-around athletes in the Atlanta metro area for the 2019 recruiting cycle. He’s big, he’s fast, he plays fast and is known as hard worker. In addition to the Tide and Noles, Auburn is a factor in his recruitment. He has a national-level offer lists that includes Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida, Southern California and LSU in addition to the schools previously mentioned.

McCollough is the No. 4 safety prospect in the nation for the 2019 cycle per 247Sports Composite rankings. He is the No. 86 overall prospect nationally and the No. 12 overall prospect in the state of Georgia. Linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler is his area recruiter. Defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson and head coach Will Muschamp also have been helping to lead the charge. 

Anderson and McCollough could very well be the next two prospects to commit to South Carolina, though you never can predict that with any accuracy as these types of decisions only come when the prospect and his family are ready. On Anderson, it probably will be May. On McCollough, the feel here is to put him on a “mild” commit watch for the next 30-60 days and if he does not pull the trigger on a pledge, then take him off and understand things have opened back up a bit. 

VIP SCOOP on McCollough

Regardless, as things currently stand for South Carolina on the recruiting trail, the Gamecocks are trending with these two out-of-state, Top 250 national prospects the most of late.

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Ani Izuchukwu, a 4-star weakside defensive end from Davidson Academy (Nashville, Tenn.), looked to be an Alabama lean for several months as he’s visited Tuscaloosa numerous times since moving to America from Nigeria a few years ago. However, do not expect him to commit to the Tide when he announces his decision, which could happen as early as Wednesday night.

Izuchukwu doesn’t have a committable offer right now. If he wants to commit to Alabama at a later date, he’ll have to perform well at the Tide’s summer camp in June.

The nation’s No. 14 weakside defensive end is being recruited as a Jack linebacker by the Tide, and Alabama is in a good spot with numerous targets at the position such as 5-star prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux and 4-star prospects Kevin Harris, Lloyd Summerall and Derrick McLendon. Alabama also has a commitment from 4-star outside linebacker King Mwikuta.

Alabama is in excellent shape with a majority of its top linebacker targets in this class. To name a few that the Tide are strongly in the mix for: 5-star inside linebacker Nakobe Dean, 4-star junior college inside linebacker Lakia Henry, 4-star inside linebackers Christian Harris, Mohamoud Diabate (can play Jack), Kalen DeLoach, Shane Lee, Vonta Bentley and Steele Chambers.

Look for Izuchukwu to commit to Mississippi State when he makes his decision.

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Welcome to SEC Country’s daily Roll Tide-ings, a rundown of everything happening in Alabama Crimson Tide recruiting with Chris Kirschner.

In this edition, we talk the latest with one of Alabama’s top Jack linebacker targets.

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Alabama has several top-rated Jack linebacker targets it is recruiting this year, with Harris being one of them. The nation’s No. 1 overall recruit in the 2019 class, Kayvon Thibodeaux,  visited Tuscaloosa for his first time last week as well and left very impressed.

But make no mistake about it, Harris is a top target for the Tide. He was one of the most impressive players at Nike’s The Opening Atlanta regional camp in March, which was loaded with top prospects.

At The Opening, Harris was named one of the top 5 defensive linemen in attendance. He also ran a 4.76-second 40-yard dash and had a 36.4-inch vertical. His 4.13-second short-shuttle time was the fastest among defensive linemen and the fourth-fastest overall.

His testing numbers and performance in 1-on-1s earned him an invite to arguably the most prestigious camp for high school football players — The Opening Finals, which will be held in Frisco, Texas, at the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility this year.

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When Harris does make his decision, it’s not going to be purely football based. Harris wants to major in aerospace engineering when he gets to college. He’s been fascinated with aviation since he was a little kid.

He didn’t get a chance to meet with the dean of engineering when he visited Alabama last Thursday. He also didn’t meet with the dean of engineering at LSU when he was there, but he did get a chance to explore the college in Baton Rouge.

Harris said the conversations he’s had with the staff members at Alabama, LSU and Miami make him comfortable with his decision to play at one of those schools.

“I’ve talked to lots of people at these schools, and I have a good feeling about all of them,” Harris said. “I feel like these schools give me the best opportunity for me to get what I want to get done.”

The nation’s No. 4 weakside defensive end has a couple of elite teammates at Grayson High School in 5-star linebacker Owen Pappoe and 4-star tackle Wanya Morris who are scheduled to make their college decisions on May 5.

There’s a chance Harris makes his decision that day, too. “I am thinking about doing it then, too,” Harris said. “I would say it’s more than likely I do it on that day. I feel like I’m ready to get things wrapped up.”

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