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

2019 has lots of potential No. 1 recruits, and 18 other things I learned at The Opening Finals

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2. I expect Alabama to finish with the top class, one year after its No. 1 streak ended. The Tide already have the No. 1 ranking, and I like their chances for five-star running backTrey Sanders, four-star center Clay Webb, four-star tight end Jahleel Billingsley, four-star defensive tackle Siaki Ika, four-star receiver Siaki Ika, and Thibodeaux. Alabama reloaded its staff with great recruiters, and it is paying dividends.

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The typo regarding Ika and Thibodeaux as 4 star receivers is still up, I will correct it once they realize the mistake.

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19. The Opening was dead. “This is supposed to be fun. They’re making it way too serious,” a top QB told me. Players didn’t seem to celebrate big plays like they have in past years. The dome was empty, as the public wasn’t allowed in for many of the sessions, which made for a lame environment. In the past, the event was held at Nike Headquarters outside Portland, and employees were encouraged to come out and watch the competition. The security was repeatedly rude to parents for no reason. The playlist was stale and repeated itself way too often, when the music was loud enough to be heard, which wasn’t often. The schedule changed frequently with little or no notice, making it tough for parents to know when their kids were participating. There was no announcer for the lineman challenge portion, so it was tough to know who was participating. Many didn’t even realize the final lineman competition was even going on. Oh, and there were no concessions, despite temps in the triple digits. Adidas also got the jump on Nike by having the Rivals.com 5-Star Challenge the two days before The Opening. Parents said their kids had tired legs from competing for almost a week straight. Hopefully some of the issues caused by the new location can be ironed out in Year 2.

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I did not like the Opening this year and this is probably why.

Well unlike some staffs *cough* LSU *cough* Surtain *cough* Saban doesn't put all his eggs in one basket. Get a big bodied WR on board now if you can then if you do pull the flip off down the road the other guy might end up feeling called to play closer to home all of a sudden


With that said, I am cheering like hell ya'll land your other top WR targets

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Class of 2019 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: XBox >>>>> PlayStation Edition

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The XBox is the Dodge Charger of gaming systems.

LINK

Alabama commit Christian Williams enjoys 'football heaven'

Daphne defensive back and Alabama commit Christian Williams spent four days competing against the nation's elite high school players at The Opening in Frisco, Texas.


Daphne's Christian Williams competed at The Opening 2018 in Frisco, Texas. (Josh Bean | jbean@al.com)
What did he learn while covering the likes of Georgia commit Jadon Haselwood, Auburn commit George Pickens of Hoover and Tennessee commit Ramel Keyton, all future SEC foes?

"Honestly, it's like football heaven," Williams said. "It's a lot of new people, new personalities, new techniques, new ways to the game. It's a lot to soak in, a lot to learn from. I felt like I got way better, with my football IQ mostly.

"Now I know what to do in each situation," the four-star defensive back continued, "like why I do what I do and why coaches call what they call. I really enjoyed it."

Williams was one of seven Alabama high school players who competed at The Opening, a four-day recruiting showcase sponsored by Nike and held at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys training facility. Several other Crimson Tide commitments competing, including Thompson quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.

The 6-foot-2, 182-pounder committed to Alabama in April after finishing his junior season at Daphne with 27 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. Opposing quarterbacks rarely challenged him, and allowed just 119 points in 11 games.

After four days at The Opening, Williams said he can be even better this fall.

"I'd say I got better at reading the quarterback, I guess," he said, "and I got better at playing man coverage."

Quick was one of seven Alabama high school players who competed at The Opening, a four-day recruiting showcase sponsored by Nike


Williams said he's unlikely to graduate from high school in December, meaning he'll likely play basketball and run track as a senior. He also indicated he'll take all five of his allotted official visits and has tentative plans to make an unofficial visit to Florida State later this month.

How does Williams feel about his Alabama commitment? "Pretty solid, yeah," he said.

Williams played on Team Hype in The Opening's 7on7 tournament, a roster that included Alabama commits Taulia Tagovailoa, linebacker Shane Lee and receiver Demarcco Hellams. Running back Trey Sanders, who de-committed from Alabama in January but is still considering the Crimson Tide, also played on Team Hype.

Williams and Lee even roomed together at The Opening.

"We got to know each other a lot," Williams said. "All the Bama commits on our team, we kept it tight and some chemistry going."

So the rules are when you are a thousand post you have to give a roll tide...sooooo

So does that mean he isn't a early signee?

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So the rules are when you are a thousand post you have to give a roll tide...sooooo

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I like both of those guys a lot too. And as we've seen, surprise commits seem to be the norm for this cycle, outside of the in-state kids.

I've seen indications Bama likes Milton Wright a lot, that he wants in, has been asked to hold off and is willing to wait for a while. But as they say, 'cruitin' is fluid.

ETA: A while back Ystar was chanting "Soon" about Tuitele on the reg. I guess he's cooled on him.