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

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It didn't take long for Shane Lee to make his mind up. After visiting Tuscaloosa for the first time over the weekend, the four-star inside linebacker committed to Crimson Tide (announced on twitter) on Tuesday night over other offers from Clemson, Ohio State, and Penn State, among others. He is the second commitment of the week for UA following Christian Williams announcing his intentions on Monday afternoon.

“I liked it," Lee said of his visit to the Capstone in an interview with BamaOnLine posted earlier in the day. "Just sitting down and talking with Coach (Nick) Saban and him explaining what he looks for and what he does with the program. He talked about bringing in speakers and holding everybody to a standard and making sure everybody is accountable for what they do.

"He said it’s tough, but it’s good for you and will help you grow. Just Coach Saban and what he had to say about his program and how he runs it. It’s just a little different than other places. I think it’s effective. Obviously it works.”

Linebacker is a major need for the Tide in the 2019 recruiting cycle. Lee is the first inside linebacker to join the class that also includes outside linebacker King Mwikuta.

The Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy product is a former teammate of Tide signee Eyabi Anoma. Despite playing with one of the nation's top pass rushers in the 2018 class, Lee said Anoma would not be a factor in his decision. He is also close with UA linebacker Terrell Lewis.

At 6-feet, 240 pounds, Lee is rated the No. 3 inside linebacker and the No. 61 overall player in the class per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings.

Lee is pledge No. 8 for the Tide, which bumps the program up to the No. 4 class in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings, with a score of 181.76.

Offensive coordinator Mike Locksley is the primary recruiter for the elite inside 'backer. Lee told BOL that his family is very close with the Tide assistant who at one point coached at Maryland.

The commitment comes just ahead of A-Day, which is expected to see a number of the nation's top prospects flock to the Capstone for Alabama's annual spring game. Several notable confirmations have already been made, including five-star offensive tackle Darnell Wright, four-star safety Daxton Hill, and four-star cornerback Sheridan Jones, among many others.

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The #Roll1N9 movement is off to a hot start this spring with several big-time prospects jumping onboard. The latest commitment in the class came from four-star inside linebacker Shane Lee just days after he returned home from a visit to Tuscaloosa over the weekend.

“It just felt like it was the right place and right time,” Lee told BamaOnLine. “I was down there for like three or four days, and just talking with my parents, we all seemed to be on the same page. Different conversations we’ve had with different people, it just solidified our thoughts and made us want to take the next step.”

Having seen Tuscaloosa first-hand, Lee has an idea of what he’s committing to. When he told Nick Saban he wished to join the class, the UA coach reiterated what a commitment to Alabama means. “He kind of just explained to me what I was committing to,” Lee said. “The hard work, the willingness to get better, to be a student of the game, stuff like that.”

It’s Saban’s message that resonated with the elite linebacker, ultimately landing his pledge. “Just because everything that it stands for,” Lee said of why Alabama. “Coach Saban talked about hard work and really developing you as a person and a football player. Just the fact that winning is an expectation, not a goal. It’s that kind of environment. You’re either going to get better or you’re not going to be there anymore. I just liked that aspect of it.”

The Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances product, a former teammate of Tide signee Eyabi Anoma, knows nothing will be handed to him at the next level. "Coming in, there are going to be people in front of me so I have to work my way up," Lee told 247Sports’ Brian Dohn. "I want to be a leader of the defense and command the defense, and I want to give my teammates everything I have.

"It's exciting. I have big shoes to fill because of the success of the program and the success of Coach Saban. It's something I've analyzed and evaluated and something I will be ready for as time goes on. It's really exciting."

Lee plans to work on recruiting other top prospects to join him in T-Town. “I’ll definitely try to see who’s really interested in Alabama and see where they’re at and give them all the information I have and why it might be a good choice for them,” he told BOL.

Oftentimes recruits will commit, but keep the door open for other schools. As of right now Lee doesn’t plan to take any more visits elsewhere. “I’m just happy to be committed,” he said. “I’m just going to work to get better.”

At 6-feet, 240 pounds, Lee is rated the No. 3 inside linebacker and the No. 61 overall player in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings.

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... And claims that Dean and Pickering are silent commits.

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I watched Shane Lee's highlights again, since it's been a while. It's hard to judge how well he can shed good blockers. He was unblocked on a lot of the plays. He does appear to read and react quickly, avoid blockers & trash, and take good pursuit angles. He didn't wait on the RBs to come to him; i.e., he did a good job of minimizing yardage gained. Not enough there to judge his pass coverage and open-field play.

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OSU insider has said that Lee was never that high on OSU or PSU boards. He was surprised he was a take for you guys this early.

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Think the 2019 class may be a bit lighter for OSU in regards to top 50 type guys. Of course that is based on right now as these kids haven't even really hit their senior year circuits yet. It will be a good class as you said, but I don't see it challenging (right now) for top 3 classes in the country.

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Alabama landed its 2nd commitment in as many days. Shane Lee, a 4-star inside linebacker from St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), visited Bama last weekend and announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide Tuesday night.

“Coach [Nick] Saban, I am honored and look forward to joining the dynasty you have and continue to create,” Lee said on Twitter.

The nation’s No. 3 inside linebacker per 247Sports is a former teammate of Class of 2018 5-star Jack linebacker signee Eyabi Anoma. With the addition of Lee, Alabama now has eight commits in the 2019 class. Lee is the second linebacker in the class, joining 4-star outside linebacker King Mwikuta.

Getting ILBs this class is of the utmost importance. The Tide will continue to recruit several other inside linebackers, such as 5-star prospect Nakobe Dean, junior college prospect Lakia Henry and 4-star prospect Christian Harris.

Alabama whiffed at inside linebacker recruiting in the 2018 class. The Tide wanted JJ Peterson, but once Jeremy Pruitt left for Tennessee, that was a done deal. The staff also liked Vernon Jackson, but it became apparent that he wasn’t going to sign with Alabama, so they stopped recruiting him.

The staff also liked Brandon Kaho, but he surprisingly signed with Washington. Alabama did sign 2018 3-star inside linebacker Jaylen Moody, who surely was a backup plan for the team. He got offered in the final days leading up to National Signing Day. He’ll likely redshirt this season.

Dylan Moses and Mack Wilson are likely the starters heading into this season. Moses showed that he’s bound for stardom while Wilson has shown that he’s likely the next Tide linebacker who’s going to get selected early in the NFL draft. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him leave after this season. Outside of Moses and Wilson, there are lots of unknowns. Ben Davis hasn’t developed the way we thought he would coming out of high school and Markail Benton hasn’t played yet.

The good news for the Tide is that Dean, Henry and Harris are very high on the Tide and now with Lee on board, they have one of the best inside linebackers in the country.

Here’s a look at Lee in drills: twitter video

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