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

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After landing two Class of 2019 pledges in the past two days from 4-star quarterback  Taulia Tagovailoa and 4-star tackle  Tanner Bowles, the Crimson Tide’s current haul of 10 commits now ranks No. 1 in the nation, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

The team also received a pledge on Friday from one of the state’s top Class of 2020 prospects in 4-star wide receiver Dazalin Worsham. Alabama landed commitments from 4-star inside linebacker  Shane Lee and 4-star cornerback  Christian Williams last week, too.

Several prospects are on the verge of announcing their decisions, and that means more good news for the Tide is coming. I’m not going to spoil any player’s announcement, but they likely will commit by the end of the week.

Don’t forget that 4-star Jack linebacker target  Kevin Harris is scheduled to announce his commitment on May 1. Harris is expected in Tuscaloosa on Monday.

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The importance of having both quarterback commits on board shouldn’t be understated, either. SEC Country was notified Saturday morning that Tagovailoa was committing to the Tide later in the day. The original plan was to announce in May, but the team really wanted to get some momentum coming out of A-Day, so the family decided to push up his decision.

Tagovailoa was going to Alabama the moment the family moved from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, to Alabaster, Ala., last year. Now he and Paul Tyson, Bear Bryant’s great-grandson, can focus on their senior seasons and help the Tide recruit. Tyson already has started. I don’t expect much public recruiting to be done on Tagovailoa’s end. He’s more reserved.

I know there were lots of Tide fans who asked me about the commitment of Bowles, which happened on Sunday. I’ll admit that I didn’t see that one coming. I was told on Saturday night to watch out for a “surprise” commitment coming. I figured it would be Wright or Sopsher, but I didn’t think it would be Bowles.

Bowles was offered by the Tide in February, and he has gone under the radar in terms of Alabama recruiting because of guys such as Wright, 5-star center Clay Webb and 4-star tackle Amari Kight. I’m told Bowles has the versatility to play any spot on the offensive line, and his status doesn’t affect Wright’s, Webb’s or Kight’s standing with Alabama. Those guys can commit whenever they want.

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Don’t forget that 4-star Jack linebacker target Kevin Harris is scheduled to announce his commitment on May 1. Harris is expected in Tuscaloosa on Monday.

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AmericusDawg

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Two dudes CB'd Antonio Alfano to Penn State.

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Alpha Dog

Clay Webb ( video - twitter, also above) was the highest-rated prospect expected to camp, expected to perform well and did just that. He was the first prospect we witness check into the event and won all but one rep we saw him take before heading home.

The 247Sports Composite five-star took home Alpha Dog honors at the Future 50 event in January and continues another standout offseason a day after visiting the Georgia Bulldogs for their spring game. Though he plays up and down the Oxford (Ala.) offensive line in high school, he worked at center on this day and continued to display some of what makes him No. 1 at that projected position in the class.

Webb plays with a great base, can move exceptionally well laterally and packs a strong, consistent punch against defensive linemen. He doesn't lose leverage battles, has enough patience to avoid lunging or over-extending and plays with enough power to bury the opponent to cap it all off.

We can't say much more positive things about Webb these days, especially when he is trim (as he currently is) and focused on the offensive interior. It's to the point it's a surprise when he loses a rep no matter the opponent or situation. He even won the offense's Big Man Challenge at the end of the event.

That skill and consistency has Alabama, Georgia, Auburn and others pursuing the junior aggressively. Despite being considered a top prospect for at least two years and familiarity on each of those SEC campuses, Webb says he will take his time with the recruiting process. The December signing period is when he currently projects a decision to be made.

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Top Five Defense

1. Christian Williams recently made his commitment to Alabama and looked like a conventional Nick Saban defensive back on Sunday.

The Daphne (Ala.) four-star has put some weight on his 6-foot-1 frame and he can maximize it either at the line of scrimmage or when the football arrives.

Williams plays a physical game and displays great ball skills without drawing a penalty (yes, they had officials at the event).

The effort earned the junior an invitation to the Under Armour All-America Game.

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Noteworthy

King Mwikuta is an outside linebacker projection, committed to Alabama, who worked out at defensive end Sunday.

He won reps with speed and showed some physical ability at the point of contact in addition to solid straight-line speed.

The combination earned him an invitation to the 2019 Under Armour All-America Game.

The Lagrange (Ga.) Troup County four-star also won the Big Man Challenge among his defensive peers.

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Take 3: Chatted a bit with an SEC assistant recently and the subject of recruiting in the state of Mississippi came up. I told him that Auburn, Florida and some others hoped to land some recruits from that state in this cycle. His message to them: Good luck. Having coached both for one of the SEC schools in Mississippi and against them, he really hammered it into my head about how difficult it is to pull top recruits from that state. He figured most would land at State or Ole Miss again in 2019. In other words, the Tigers will have their work cut — in his words. We’ll see. The Tigers do think it’s possible to land a few. Going to be interesting to track, that’s for sure.

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