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

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OTHERS WHO IMPRESSED

LB Ethan Barr (Dallas), LB Kendrick Blackshear (Dallas), DB Te’Cory Couch (Miami), LB Brandon Gary (Orlando), DB Myles Heard (Houston), DB Hunter Henry (Houston), DB DJ James (Mobile), DB Travis Jay (Orlando), DB Jarrian Jones (Mobile), DB Chester Kimbrough (Mobile), DB Semar Melvin (Miami), DB Taiwan Mullen (Miami), LB Bryce Robinson (Dallas), DB Jared Pedraza (Dallas) DB Omar Simpson (Miami), LB Ezrah Thibodeaux (Houston), LB Marcus Tillman (Orlando), DB Hakeem Vance (Mobile), LB Curley Young (Houston)

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Hewitt-Trussville underclassmen Dazalin Worsham and Malachi Moore have two full high school football seasons remaining.

But SEC coaches already know about the Hewitt duo.

Worsham, a 6-foot-1 receiver, and Moore, a 6-foot cornerback, have received multiple SEC offers as two of the state's top prospects in the Class of 2020. They are part of a star-studded Huskies roster that includes 2019 Alabama commitments Paul Tyson at quarterback and 5-star offensive lineman Pierce Quick.

"It helps all of us," said Moore, referring to his teammates who are juggling recruiting and preparing for the 2018 season. "We push each other each and work every day to get better. We force each other to stay humble."

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Worsham has received more than 20 offers, including Clemson, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia. He's already visited Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, South Carolina, Georgia, Duke, N.C. State, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Moore has more than a dozen offers, l Auburn, Oregon, Tennessee and Florida, and said Alabama and LSU have shown interest.

Both said they expect to begin narrowing their lists after the summer camp series, but neither has a timetable for making a commitment. Neither player has a recruiting leader.

"It's going great," Worsham said. "I like all the schools recruiting me, and I like going to see what they can show and what they can do."

Added Moore, "It's definitely been a fun experience and definitely shows I can play at the top level of college football, and it shows me hard work pays off."

Worsham has played almost exclusively on offense for the Huskies but said he could log time as a defensive back this fall. Moore, a defensive back, said he's lobbying coaches to play corner and safety and moonlight at receiver, too.

Hewitt-Trussville finished 10-0 in the regular season in 2016 and 2017 and lost to eventual Class 7A champ Hoover in last year's playoff quarterfinals.

Hewitt-Trussville has sent multiple players to college football in recent years, including signees at Arkansas, Appalachian State and UAB.

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For all his football talents, Michael Parker's recruitment ultimately came down to a vital off-the-field trait: Patience.

The 6-foot-6 Westminster Christian tight end ended his senior season with multiple offers in hand, including Auburn. But the offer he longed for - Alabama - had not yet come to fruition. Parker felt that he'd eventually hear from the Tide and he held off on committing, a move that paid off as Alabama finally offered Nov. 18.

"I was willing to wait as long as I needed to," said Parker, who was rated four stars by Rivals and three stars by 247Sports.

The "unknown" aspect of recruiting is what Parker found to be the most challenging part of the process.

"Obviously, for me, what I wanted was Alabama the whole time," said Parker, whose brothers, Jacob and John, walked on at Alabama in recent years. "Not knowing if that was going to happen, that was probably what was the most stressful about it.

"It was a huge relief. I had kind of known for a while that there was a possibility, but obviously it's not for sure until it happens."

Despite the offer from his dream school, Parker waited nearly three weeks to commit.

"I just wanted to step away and make sure that was going to be the best fit for me," he said. "I pretty much knew it was, but with something as big as that, you just want to be sure; it's a decision that affects the rest of your life."

Parker opted not to sign during the early period in December because he felt there was a chance that Alabama would blue shirt him. He ultimately put pen to paper on the traditional signing day in February. That moment capped a journey in which Parker went from having no offers to being Alabama-bound in a span of a year.

"It's a really long and hard process," he said. "It helped me kind of rely on God first and then rely on people that he's put over me, like coaches, family and friends. I just looked to their advice. That's probably the biggest takeaway that I got from it."

Parker didn't start playing football until eighth grade. As the years went on, his size and athleticism began catching the eyes of some coaches. But it was another sport - basketball - that played a key role in getting his recruitment rolling.

"There were several offers where (coaches said), 'Honestly, if it wasn't for your basketball highlights at the beginning of your football highlights, I don't know if we would have offered you,'" Parker said. "That helped a lot."

Parker caught 43 passes for 812 yards and nine touchdowns last season and was selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic. He was primarily split out as a receiver at Westminster. Parker said he needs to work on adding weight and improving his blocking skills when he gets to Tuscaloosa.

"It's extremely exciting," Parker said. "Obviously, for me, this has been my dream my entire life to play at Alabama. Seeing that come true is just crazy. I'm just looking forward to dressing out that first home game; it will be surreal."

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My first dog was a boxer and my grandparents always had one when I was growing up. They switched to Boston terriers as they got older though.

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