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

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Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson four-star quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was near Dallas for the past week participating in The Opening Finals. The 5-11, 203-pounder showed off a big, strong arm and a quick release during quarterback drills, one-on-one competition and the 7-on-7 tournament.

When the dust settled, 247Sports National Analyst Luke Stampini had him listed as the No. 8 quarterback at the event when his final rankings were produced.

"While the Alabama commit has one of the strongest arms in the camp, it did not translate to much production on the field," wrote Stampini. "The Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson standout completed 71 of 109 passes for six touchdowns and six interceptions. Ultimately it was the lack of quick decisions that hurt Tagovailoa the most over the weekend. "

Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, committed to Alabama back on Apr. 21 over offers from Florida, Tennessee, Michigan, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Oregon and others. While at the event, Tagovailoa told BamaOnline's Hank South that he is fully committed to Alabama.

"100 percent," he said of how he feels about his pledge to the Tide coming off a visit to Tennessee. "I’m over there every weekend I can be myself over there. That’s kinda it. Training with the guys. It makes me feel like I’m welcome over there. It’s going to be easy to come in because I’m already training with some of those guys."

As a junior, he completed 287 of 435 passes for 3,820 yards, 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also ran for five additional scores.

Per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Tagovailoa is the No. 149 overall player in the country, No. 7 pro-style quarterback nationaly and No. 7 recruit in Alabama from the 2019 class.

According to the 247Sports standalone rankings, Tagovailoa is listed as the No. 150 overall prospect in the country, No. 4 pro-style quarterback in the land and No. 8 prospect in Alabama from the class of 2019.

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Alabama offensive line commit Pierce Quick recorded more than 100 knockdown blocks last year for Hewitt-Trussville.

After four days at The Opening in Frisco, Texas, the 6-foot-5, 290-pounder said he learned techniques that can make him even better.

"I had a really good week here. I was telling people, this is the first camp I've gone to that I've really learned a lot of stuff. They actually teach you a lot of stuff here.

It was more like advanced technique stuff," he added. "Right now, in high school, you're learning the basics. Out here, they're teaching you what you're going to learn in college, so that was the cool part."

Quick 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. He wasn't the only Alabama commit at The Opening, with Daphne defensive back Christian Williams; linebacker Shane Lee, from Baltimore, Maryland; and quarterback and Thompson senior Taulia Tagovailoa among the other future Crimson Tide players.

Much of the action open to media members focused on skill-position players, including a 7on7 tournament. Auburn commit and Pinson Valley star Bo Nix quarterbacked his team to the 7on7 final before falling to a team led by Elite 11 QB MVP Spencer Rattler, an Oklahoma commit.

Quick and the rest of the linemen, meanwhile, were split into offensive and defensive groups and came together for 1-on-1 action.

Quick did not make it to the top 10 linemen -- five offensive and five defensive -- and said he believed AHSAA rules preventing him from wearing pads played a role not getting chosen. "I only lost one rep," he said.

Asked if there was one major takeaway from The Opening, Quick didn't hesitate to answer.

"It was a lot different coming here," he said. "You're not going to be able to just overpower everyone. In high school, it's different, (and) not everybody out there is a five-star."

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11. Desmond Little, DE, Vigor

Height, Weight: 6-5, 210

Offers include: Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee.

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5. Trikweze Bridges, S, Lanett

Height, Weight: 6-3, 175

Offers include: Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Florida State, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Duke.

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3. Vonta Bentley, LB, Jackson-Olin

Height, Weight: 6-0, 218

Offers include: Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Arkansas, LSU, Nebraska, Oregon.

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1. Clay Webb, OL, Oxford

Height, Weight: 6-3, 289

Offers include: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Clemson, Florida, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas A&M.

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FRISCO, Texas — Many of the nation’s best recruits got together at Nike’s The Opening Finals, a big summer showcase event. Here are things I learned.

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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 back Trey Sanders, four-star center Clay Webb, four-star tight end Jahleel Billingsley, four-star defensive tackle Siaki Ika and Thibodeaux. Alabama reloaded its staff with great recruiters, and it is paying dividends.

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