Started By
Message
re: Class of 2019 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: That's a Wrap Edition
Posted on 6/7/18 at 6:45 pm to TidalSurge1
Posted on 6/7/18 at 6:45 pm to TidalSurge1
LINK ]Five Iron Bowl Recruiting Battles (BamaOnLine)
quote:
The Iron Bowl is widely regarded as the most heated rivalry in college football. Auburn took the most recent contest on its way to an SEC West Championship last season. Prior to that the Crimson Tide had taken five of the last seven matchups.
It comes as no surprise that Bryant-Denny Stadium and Jordan Hare Stadium aren’t the only venues that the rivalry unfolds within. Each year the two in-state programs go head-to-head on the recruiting trail for some of the nation’s top prospects both within the state borders and beyond.
After only signing a pair of in-state players in the 2018 cycle in cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis of Mobile and tight end Michael Parker of Huntsville, Nick Saban and staff have already capitalized on the wealth of talent in-state in 2019 landing commitments from five of the state’s top 10-ranked players.
Auburn holds commitments from two of the state’s top 10 players in quarterback Bo Nix of Pinson Valley (who would absolutely shock the recruiting world if he went elsewhere) and wide receiver George Pickens of Hoover.
As mentioned above, the state of Alabama is loaded with talent in the 2019 cycle. Three of the state’s top 10 players are currently uncommitted, and only one of the uncommitted prospects may actually be considered an Iron Bowl battle (at least right now). This means the Tide will meet the Tigers, and others, for top recruits outside the state lines.
Here, BamaOnLine takes a look at five recruiting battles in which both Alabama and Auburn are heavily involved, if not the two teams going head to head.
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 6:50 pm
1
Posted on 6/7/18 at 6:45 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
CLAY WEBB, 5-star OC, Oxford (AL)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 289 pounds
Player Rating: No. 1 OC, No. 12 overall
Crystal Ball: 100 percent to Alabama
The state of Alabama’s top player, Webb admitted early on that Alabama and Auburn were essentially his top two considering he was most familiar with the in-state schools after taking numerous visits to each. Over time, other programs have worked their way into the mix, notably Georgia, and caught the Oxford (Ala.) native’s attention.
This is a recruitment that will run all the way up to the Early Signing Period as Webb has no intentions of announcing a decision prior to that. While Webb is giving each team a fair shot, it wouldn’t surprise anybody if the Tide and Tigers were two of the last teams standing come decision day.
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 7:23 pm
Posted on 6/7/18 at 6:45 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
GEORGE PICKENS, 4-star WR, Hoover (AL) — Auburn Commit
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 199 pounds
Player Rating: No. 15 WR, No. 94 overall
Crystal Ball: 100 percent to Auburn
Pickens committed to Auburn almost a year ago and has yet to waver from that decision. Alabama didn’t offer the Hoover product until last month. The Tide doesn’t have a wide receiver in its class yet, and Pickens is emerging as one of the top targets in the cycle for Alabama at the position.
The Tide has already landed one Hoover product in 2019 in three-star kicker Will Reichard. Can it make it two? The Tide staff still has some time to work its way into the mix despite offering late, and has two of the top quarterbacks in the country committed.
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 7:23 pm
Posted on 6/7/18 at 6:46 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
TREZMEN MARSHALL, 4-star ATH, Homerville (GA) — Georgia Commit
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 236 pounds
Player Rating: No. 6 ATH, No. 98 overall
Crystal Ball: 91 perent to Georgia
It’s not often a recruitment could be turning into a battle between two programs neither of which a recruit is currently committed to, but that looks to be what could potentially be shaping up for the Top100 athlete from the Peach State.
Despite committing the Bulldogs at the end of April, Marshall is still fielding interest from other programs, notably Alabama and Auburn, the two schools he visited at the end of last week and the early part of this week. Alabama likes Marshall as an inside linebacker, a major position of need. Does the Tide’s clear path to playing time win the recruiting battle?
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 7:25 pm
Posted on 6/7/18 at 6:46 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
JAREN HANDY, 4-star DE, Hattiesburg (MS)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 278 pounds
Player Rating: No. 9 SDE, No. 109 overall
Crystal Ball: 83 percent to Ole Miss
Like Alabama, but probably even more so in this cycle especially, the state of Mississippi is chock-full of big-time talent in the class of 2019. Alabama already holds one commitment from the Magnolia State in Oxford product Brandon Turnage, and would like to add to that total with elite defensive linemen and linebackers available.
One of those defensive linemen is Jaren Handy. The one-time LSU commit is a big target for both Alabama and Auburn, and has visited both programs so far this spring. If today were decision day, like Webb, don’t be surprised if the Tide and Tigers are the last two standing.
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 7:28 pm
Posted on 6/7/18 at 6:46 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
NAKOBE DEAN, 5-star ILB, Horn Lake (MS)
Height/Weight: 6-feet, 215 pounds
Player Rating: No. 1 ILB, No. 27 overall
Crystal Ball: Georgia 31 percent
Alabama and Auburn are certainly not the only programs currently involved for the nation’s No. 1 inside linebacker. They are, however, two of the teams pushing hardest for the five-star ‘backer from just outside Memphis.
Dean will be on campus at Alabama and Auburn on back-to-back weekends for official visits later this month. This weekend Dean is expected at Texas A&M.
The Crystal Ball reads in favor of Georgia, followed by Ole Miss, Alabama, and LSU. Dean hopes to major in engineering at whichever program he decides on. He doesn’t plan to make a decision until the fall at the earliest.
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 7:23 pm
Posted on 6/7/18 at 8:23 pm to TidalSurge1
Jordan Davis’s Mom said that he’d enroll last Monday in hopes that his act would finally be where it needs to be but it wasn’t. Doesn’t look like Davis will make it.
Posted on 6/7/18 at 8:33 pm to Footballfan1234
No chances left to retake the test?
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 8:43 pm
Posted on 6/7/18 at 8:49 pm to TidalSurge1
One more chance I believe but he’s took it 4 times and hasn’t made it yet. It’s not looking likely.
Posted on 6/7/18 at 8:54 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Damn I'm ready to be home back where the AC is run with sense.
Ready for you to be back Brother. I’ve missed using the pool.
Posted on 6/7/18 at 8:57 pm to Garfield
You're a cat.
You're probably not using it right.
You're probably not using it right.
Posted on 6/7/18 at 8:59 pm to Footballfan1234
quote:
One more chance I believe but he’s took it 4 times and hasn’t made it yet. It’s not looking likely.
Hate it for Davis - love his attitude/personality. Hope it works out for him, but thankfully he wasn’t an immediate need. I think (if he keeps his attitude) he’ll be very successful eventually but I think he’s currently a couple years away from contributing and wasn’t at a position of need (unless he’s gained 50 pounds).
Posted on 6/7/18 at 9:03 pm to Remiden
[quote]You're a cat. You're probably not using it right [quote]
SMH at you and Saint both blaming me for the new pool liner.
SMH at you and Saint both blaming me for the new pool liner.
Posted on 6/7/18 at 9:08 pm to Footballfan1234
quote:
One more chance I believe but he’s took it 4 times and hasn’t made it yet. It’s not looking likely.
Damn, I'm not one to question his academic support amd I'm sure we helped but statistically speaking after taking either standardize test twice your score is unlikely to change drastically and most likely will drop slightly. You should be encouraged to take the alternative test (in this case the SAT) as the format and style of questions may be more favorable to your test taking style. Standardized testing in college admissions is so infuriating for a number of reasons.
ETA: This is assuming he took the ACT all 4 times.
Good luck to him on his last go round.
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 9:13 pm
Posted on 6/7/18 at 9:09 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
No chances left to retake the test?
There are test dates in June and July.
Much too late for him to enroll for summer.
Even if he took the June test, I'm not sure the results would be back in time for him to start fall practice with the team in July. If it's multiple choice, I think you get results in a couple of weeks. If it's also writing, that takes two or three weeks longer.
Posted on 6/7/18 at 9:14 pm to Evolved Simian
LINK ]A top Alabama DB target talks music producing, his love for Crimson Tide
Noa Pola-Gates is one of Alabama's top cornerback targets in the 2019 class.
Noa Pola-Gates is one of Alabama's top cornerback targets in the 2019 class.
quote:
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 its top defensive back targets.
Noa Pola-Gates expected to visit Alabama this month
Noa Pola-Gates, a 4-star defensive back from Williams Field High School (Gilbert, Ariz.), didn’t like football the way he does now when he was a freshman. Pola-Gates played the majority of his ninth-grade year on the junior varsity team, so he was looking for a backup plan in case football didn’t work out.
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 9:39 pm
Posted on 6/7/18 at 9:14 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
Music was that plan. “I’m in love with music, and I’ve always wanted to take it a notch higher than just listening to it,” Pola-Gates told SEC Country. “I want to bring a new style to music. I just want to bring a more diverse and well-rounded sound, so it could be rap music as well as reggae music. I just want to make something that sounds different.”
Pola-Gates, one of the Crimson Tide’s top defensive back targets in the 2019 class, has produced over 100 beats — primarily rap — he estimates. He’s in a group at school, consisting of around 15 students, that’s called Pink Saturn. All of the members of Pink Saturn share similar interests such as creating music and fashion design. The group has already had some success in Arizona.
“We are all into music and clothing,” Pola-Gates said of Pink Saturn. “We produce music and we have opened up for concerts. We make shirts and denim jackets, too. We have opened up for local artists and my friends opened up for [rapper] MadeinTYO and Playboi Carti.”
The Polynesian Bowl commit, whose favorite rapper is Lil Baby, said there’s nothing that particularly inspires his creative mind. He normally goes into a local studio with his friends and whatever mood he’s in, he tries to replicate that through the beat he produces.
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 9:26 pm
Posted on 6/7/18 at 9:14 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
Music was going to be the path he primarily focused on until his sophomore year. That’s when football became fun for him. “I got the chance to play on varsity at my school that year,” Pola-Gates said.
“I started getting into the season and at first, it was tough because the majority of the guys were seniors. I was the young buck coming in trying to control stuff. Once we started to like each other, we just hit it off from there and I started having fun.”
But it wasn’t until the beginning of this year where his recruitment, and a legitimate possibility to play college football at the highest levels, took off. Pola-Gates attended the U.S. Army All-American Bowl national combine in San Antonio in early January and was one of the top performers.
He ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash posted a 37-inch vertical with a 10-foot standing broad jump. To put that into perspective, his vertical jump would have been tied for the eighth-best mark at this past year’s NFL combine for all cornerbacks. His 4.4 40 time also would’ve ranked eighth-best.
To go with his 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame, it’s no wonder why Alabama and several other powerhouse programs are treating Pola-Gates as a priority. Pola-Gates, after visiting Alabama for the first time in February, told SEC Country at the time that the Crimson Tide led for him.
Not much has changed, but there are other schools now in pursuit.v“As of right now, my recruitment is still open,” Pola-Gates said. “Alabama is definitely up there. I would say they are in the lead, pretty much. Oregon, Penn State, Texas, USC and Arizona State are also in the mix for me.”
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 9:57 pm
Posted on 6/7/18 at 9:14 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:>>> Highlights - hudl
The state of Arizona’s No. 5 overall recruit plans on returning to Tuscaloosa in a couple of weeks, and is bringing his family. He only brought his mother in February, but the plan is to bring his father and siblings this time around.
“I just want my dad to fall in love with the place,” Pola-Gates said. “My mom and I already fell in love with it, so I need my dad and other siblings to fall in love with it, too.”
It’ll be an important visit for Pola-Gates. The plan is to wait until December to commit, but he admits that it’s possible a decision could come earlier than that. With Alabama holding an edge right now, it’s possible he could decide to choose the Tide if everything goes well.
Since visiting in February, defensive backs coach Karl Scott, special teams coordinator and his primary recruiter Jeff Banks and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi have stayed in touch with him almost every day. Pola-Gates is being recruited mainly at cornerback, but the coaches have also talked to him about playing nickel back and safety, too.
He only has one official visit set right now and that’s to Penn State on Sept. 29. Alabama will get one this fall, but he hasn’t locked in a date yet.
Pola-Gates is aware of the Alabama buzz surrounding him, despite him showing interest in schools such as Oregon, Penn State, Arizona State and Southern Cal. He says he feels like there’s a reason why many in the recruiting industry feel like Alabama is going to be the school he ends up choosing.
“To be honest, my interviews that I have done sound very convincing that I’m going to Alabama,” Pola-Gates said. “I just love the people that are out there in Tuscaloosa. The opportunities are wide open. I’m just ready to take everything by storm.”
Note: Pola-Gates and his family's visit to UA is scheduled for the weekend of June 21.
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 10:38 pm
Posted on 6/7/18 at 9:48 pm to TidalSurge1
quote:
Added Noa Pola-Gates and Eric Gray
TOP TARGETS ~ Commit Timelines - All dates subject to change
Running Back
5* RB Trey Sanders - December - LINK
4* RB Jerrion Ealy - Ole Miss Flip Target - NSD Feb. - LINK
4* RB Keilan Robinson - wants to decide before fall but no timeline - LINK
4* RB Eric Gray - end of June - BOL VIP LINK
Receivers & Tight Ends
4* WR/S Milton Wright - no timetable - LINK
4* WR Mycah Pittman - likely early Oct after OV's - 247 VIP LINK
4* WR John Metchie - no timeline - may commit sooner than later
4* WR/S Zion Puckett - looking to decide near end of senior football season - LINK
Offensive Line
5* OC Clay Webb - likely in December - LINK
5* OT Darnell Wright - January - LINK
3* OG Kamaar Bell - planning July announcement - LINK
Defensive Line
5* DT/E Ishmael Sopsher - National Signing Day Feb.- LINK
5* DT Faatui Tuitele - prior to senior season - LINK
4* DE Nathan Pickering - currently January at the earliest - LINK
4* DT Siaki Ika - likely December - LINK
Linebackers
5* OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux - November/December after official visits - LINK
5* ILB Nakobe Dean - likely December commitment - early enrollee LINK
4* O/ILB Mohamoud Diabate - early December - LINK
4* ILB Christian Harris - end of summer/beginning of fall before senior year - LINK
Defensive Backs
5* S/NB Daxton Hill - possible summer commit - BOL VIP LINK
5* CB Andrew Booth - looking to make decision before senior football season - LINK
4* S/WR Devonta Lee - National Signing Day Feb. LINK
4* S/NB Nick Cross - prior to football season - BOL VIP LINK
4* CB Tyrique Stevenson - planning early fall decision - LINK
4* S/WR DeMarcco Hellams - prior to football season - BOL VIP LINK
4* CB/S Noa Pola-Gates - planned December commitment, but decision could come earlier - LINK
3* CB Marcus Banks - between June 30 and July 3 - LINK
Possible Summer Commits per TidalSurge:
Fairly likely summer commits: Milton Wright, Christian Harris, Tuitele, Marcus Banks, Daxton Hill, Nick Cross, McCollough, Andrew Booth, Kamaar Bell.
Might (imo) commit this summer: John Metchie, Demarcco Hellams, Keon Zipperer, Pola-Gates, Isaiah Rutherford.
This post was edited on 6/7/18 at 10:51 pm
Page 339 of 1558
Latest Alabama News
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News