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re: Class of 2019 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: That's a Wrap Edition
Posted on 8/9/18 at 5:38 am to TideSaint
Posted on 8/9/18 at 5:38 am to TideSaint
Battle of Alabama QB commits will be on national TV
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The 2018 regular-season football game between Hewitt-Trussville and Thompson -- led by Alabama quarterback commits Paul Tyson and Taulia Tagovailoa -- will be beamed to football fans nationwide.
Thompson announced on Twitter that the game will be televised by ESPN2 and kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Oct.26, 2018.
The 2018 game between Hewitt-Trussville and Thompson is the 7A, Region 3 finale for both teams, meaning the outcome could decide a playoff spot or which team hosts a first-round playoff game.
Tyson, the 6-foot-4 great-grandson of legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, completed 238-of-336 passes for 3,392 yards with 36 touchdowns and four interceptions last season while leading the Huskies to a second-straight 10-0 regular season and to the second round of the Class 7A playoffs.
Tagvailoa, the younger brother of Alabama national championship hero, Tua Tagovailoa, completed 264-of-423 passes for 3,823 yards, with 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season. The Warriors finished 12-1 and set a single-season school record with 496 points in 2017.
Both teams had undefeated 2017 regular season but lost to Hoover, the eventual 7A champ, in the playoffs.
The game will be the schools' first meeting since 2014, only the third one since 1977, and ninth meeting overall. It will also be played in Thompson's new stadium, which opens this season.
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Posted on 8/9/18 at 5:42 am to TideSaint
So I'm bored doing laundry at night over here and I thought I'd refresh everyone's memory on the type of player we are getting in Kaho.
Most of what I'm going to post is centered around last year's Opening.
Most of what I'm going to post is centered around last year's Opening.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 5:44 am to TideSaint
The Opening: Top Skill Prospects
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Blair Angulo, Mountain Region Recruiting Analyst
The four-star linebacker from Reno (Nev.), Brandon Kaho, hasn't done many events, but he opened a lot eyes in the spring with a standout performance at The Opening Regional in Oakland, where he had the top SPARQ score. Kaho has been committed to BYU for over a year but he's garnered attention from all over and stockpiled the scholarship offers this year, with interest from Alabama arriving most recently and a visit to Tuscaloosa tentatively scheduled for next month. I'm intrigued to see how Kaho stacks up nationally at the linebacker spot, especially in the 7-on-7 setting where he'll be tasked with covering the best running backs and tight ends in the land. Kaho is a smart player who's physical and thrives on contact, so it should be interesting to see how he fares in open space.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 5:54 am to TideSaint
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Evaluation of Brandon Kaho
The first thing you notice when you watch Kaho is his versatility. He can play any of a number of positions, but linebacker is where his future is. He is quick twitch with plenty of athleticism moving in space and sideline-to-sideline with the strength to take on and shed blockers. He can drop back in to coverage and run with backs and tight ends but then also shows capability rushing off the edge and getting to the quarterback. Kaho also plays running back and is a plus runner, able to run between the tackles while showing good breakaway speed in the open field. -Huffman
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:02 am to TideSaint
Getting To Know You - Brandon Kaho (It's from the Washington 247 site, but who cares?)
Tosh said "Hold my beer."
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We got the chance to talk with most of the 2018 recruiting class to do one final interview and each one answered 12 questions that will help people get to know them better. Today's focus is Reno (Nv.) LB Brandon Kaho, the highest rated prospect to sign with the Dawgs in the cycle...
1) Favorite music/artist - "I like reggae and hip hop the most. Post Malone is one of the main artists I listen to. I just like it."
2) What kind of car do you drive? "I don't have my license yet. I'm planning to get it before I leave though."
3) Favorite movie - "I love 'Cool Runnings'. It's a great movie and really inspirational."
4) What will you miss about the recruiting process? "I think getting to know the other recruits and the coaches from across the country. It's great to meet other people from other backgrounds and compete at camps and stuff like that."
5) What won't you miss from the recruiting process? "People on Twitter talking about you and acting like they know what you're thinking. Eventually, I just had to turn it off and not look at it. It's been great since I signed."
6) If not UW, which school would you have signed with? "Alabama and USC were the other schools I liked a lot. They have great football programs and the academics were good too."
7) What was an awkward or funny moment from the recruiting process? "This was kind of awkward -- Washington showed up for their in-home visit with me right in the middle of Alabama's in-home visit with me. I felt bad because I really respected coach (Tosh) Lupoi and didn't want him to be cut short, but when (the Husky coaches) showed up, it was really awkward because he was still talking when the arrived."
8) What will you miss about home? "I have two brothers and two sisters and I am really close with all of them. I'll miss them the most."
9) Favorite meal - "Rice, spam and eggs. It's good comfort food."
10) What do you want to major in? "I'm undecided right now, but I was looking at Sociology or Journalism."
11) Dream job - "I think it would be fun to be an english teacher. One of my favorite teachers was my english teacher and I think it would be great to give back in that way."
12) Something very few people know about you - "I've never been to an NFL game before. Now that I'll be up in Seattle, I'm hoping to get tickets to a game at some point."
Tosh said "Hold my beer."
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:03 am to TideSaint
UW signee humbled by five-star rating
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Brandon Kaho added to his long list of accomplishments and accolades last week when, at the Polynesian Bowl, was recognized as a five-star prospect by 247Sports.
The 6-foot-2, 232-pound inside linebacker from Reno, Nev., signed with Washington last month and will arrive in Seattle this summer as the top-rated defender in the entire West region for the 2018 class.
"Being a five-star means a lot, but it won't change my work ethic and how I see things," Kaho said. "I am very grateful for the ranking and being a five-star, though, and honestly, it made me happy. I've done everything for my city, for my family and myself, and I'm very excited.
"But obviously this is not the end and I'm going to stay focused with school and football. That's what I'm looking forward at the next level. I wanted to be a five-star for a while, but I didn't feel like it was going to happen so I didn't think about it much. It did make me happy when it happened. Making my parents and city proud is something I take pride, but I know I can't stop now."
Kaho was one of six Washington signees at the Polynesian Bowl. He is the No. 1-rated inside linebacker and No. 21 overall prospect in the class, per the 247Sports rankings.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:05 am to TideSaint
Final thoughts from the 2018 Polynesian Bowl
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After spending a week in Honolulu for the Polynesian Bowl practices and then Saturday's game, we got a good long look at several prospects in the game.
Here are some final thoughts from the second Polynesian Bowl.
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Injured Player We Missed Seeing in Game
Brandon Kaho (Washington)
After missing the U.S. Army All-American Bowl with a shoulder injury, Kaho dressed out the first two days of Polynesian Bowl practice. But a nasty finger injury he suffered in the second practice sidelined him the rest of the week and kept him out of the Bowl.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:07 am to TideSaint
Get familiar with the top 2018 players from the West
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One of the biggest benefits of Scout merging with 247Sports is the addition of Scout’s renowned recruiting coverage on the West Coast. On the heels of Wednesday's release of latest Top247 recruiting rankings, the West Coast team of Brandon Huffman, Greg Biggins and Blair Angulo reintroduce us to some of the best talent west of the Rockies in the 2018 class.
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Brandon Kaho
Kaho is a physical tackler who thrives on contact, but he can also make plays in space by chasing down running backs or putting pressure on the quarterback off the edge. Although he might project best inside, Kaho does have the ability to slide around and could be considered one of the more complete players to ever come out of the Reno area. Kaho ranks at No. 32 overall in the 247Sports Rankings and No. 2 among inside linebackers. Alabama has already drawn an official visit and is pushing hard to flip him from a longtime commitment to BYU, and the likes of Washington, USC and Utah also are in line to get trips.
-Angulo
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:09 am to TideSaint
Vai Kaho excited to have BYU offer like his older brother
Interesting.
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This past summer, Vai Kaho headed down to Provo, Utah to try his hand at earning a scholarship in front of BYU’s coaching staff. Accompanied by his uncle Pulu Otukolo, Vai caught the attention of the Cougar staff.
“I showed up to BYU for football camp,” said Kaho. “I was with my uncle Pulu who told to that I had a phone call waiting for me. When I took the phone it was T.O. [Tevita Ofahengaue] the main recruiter for BYU. He told me, ‘Sorry for the late notice’ because they were out of state, I think, at the time. He was using Jack Damuni’s phone and just said that he liked what he saw. He just told me that they would like to offer me a scholarship. So, they pulled the trigger. I was really excited but at the same time I was really relieved.”
While running through drills, Kaho used his size and athleticism to put on a show. His size at his age gives him a versatile edge, where two years from now he could play multiple positions.
“I’m only a sophomore but I’m 6-1, 193-pounds,” said Kaho. “What I’m good at is pass rushing and getting to the quarterback. I’m also good at reading coverages and flying around the ball. Out here at my school I’m playing outside linebacker, but I’ve talked to the BYU coaches and they said they might want me at safety. I’ll do whatever they want me to do.”
During the summer camp, Kaho ran into another BYU recruit, Henry Ikahihifo. After some heated competition, the two forged a close bond.
“Yeah, that’s my little bro!” said Ikahihifo. “We balled out together at the BYU camp.”
“I’m really close to Henry Ikahihifo and we met at BYU’s summer camp,” said Kaho. “He’s already committed to BYU and is a beast! It’s actually kind of funny how we met.”
The two met in a one-on-one drill, setting in motion a close relationship. Unbeknownst to them the two would eventually be offered by BYU making it possible to play together.
“He got me on a one-on-one rep and I was mad at first, so I tried to get back at him on the next rep,” said Kaho. “That’s kind of how we met, so, yeah, ever since then we’ve been really close. That’s my guy right there.”
“Me and Vai got something for BYU,” said Ikahihifo.
Talk about having something for BYU, Vai Kaho’s older brother is none other than famed four-star linebacker Brandon Kaho, who is considered one of the top linebackers in the nation. The opportunity to play alongside his nationally recruited brother at the next level is an exciting proposition for Vai.
“Oh it’s great!” said Kaho. “I was supposed to play with my older brother this year but I transferred. It’s going to be good playing with him at the next level. I’m grateful for that opportunity.”
Vai Kaho has a lot in common with BYU. He’s an LDS athlete whose family cheers for the Cougars. His older brother committed to BYU early for all the reasons that makes BYU a unique place to be for LDS athletes.
“Yeah, I’m definitely considering BYU ever since my brother committed,” said Kaho. “I just really like the program and I like the community over there. BYU and the coaches are very welcoming. I just really like it over there. It’s my church college and I also have cousins that go there.”
When Vai Kaho first received his BYU offer, it was big brother who reached out to congratulate him on his newest accomplishment.
“He congratulated me and told me how happy he was for me,” said Kaho. “He said it was going to be great to be able to play together. My brother contacted me right after the camp and we talked for a little bit. He told me that he was really proud of me.”
Recently, Brandon Kaho put out a top five programs consisting of UCLA, BYU, Utah, Oregon, and Alabama. However, younger brother Vai confirmed he is still committed to BYU.
“He has a top five but he’s still committed to BYU,” said younger brother Vai Kaho.
That’s good news for BYU fans. What will also sound like music to the ears of BYU fans is that Vai Kaho is heavily considering committing to BYU early, much like his older brother did.
“I was going to commit on the spot when I got the offer from T.O, but I guess I have to have a meeting with Coach Sitake or something like that,” said Kaho. “My Uncle Pulu told me that there is a dead period or something like that, so I’m just going to wait to commit to BYU.”
So the commit date will have to wait. Kaho was thinking of making his pledge to BYU while Cougars host rival Utah at LaVell Edwards Stadium on September 9th. Kaho plans to be in attendance for that game while at the same time committing to Coach Sitake in person.
“I going to come up to Utah for the BYU vs. Utah game,” Kaho said. “That’s when I’m going to meet with Kalani, so I think I’m going to commit then. It’s only a matter of time and I’m excited.”
Interesting.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:24 am to TideSaint
Top 10 Outside LBs in the West (2018 Post-Summer Rankings)
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3. Brandon Kaho, Reno (Nev.), Committed to BYU
Kaho was the LB MVP at The Opening Finals after earning the SPARQ MVP at The Opening Oakland regional.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:25 am to TideSaint
Huffman's Stars of Summer- Part One
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The offseason is long these days. In the old days, there used to be the U.S. Army National Combine in January in San Antonio, a 7v7 tournament here or there in March or April, a few Nike Camps in the spring and then The Opening Finals. Now, there are events just about every weekend, big local, regional and even national showcases all throughout the country.
The West was home to a number of them too: The Opening Regionals in Los Angeles and Oakland, the Under Armour All-American Camp in Southern California, the Pylon 7v7 National Championships and Adidas National Championships in Las Vegas, the Passing Down Best of the West and on and on.
Scout was at just about every one you could imagine- between myself, Greg Biggins and Blair Angulo, weekends were full of football during the January-July run.
And I saw a number of top prospects at every position, who impressed and made their case as big prospects before heading into the fall football season.
So with all those players we saw, I decided to name my best performers at each position.
KEY NOTE: This is not necessarily the best PROSPECT at each position or the highest ranked player at each position, but the guy who from among every event I went to, in my opinion, stood above his peers. Some players aren’t ranked as high at their position as others- some are the top guy at their spot and sealed that spot.
And yes, we know that much of this was in t-shirts and shorts, not always in pads, and with the exception of the linemen at The Opening Finals, I didn’t go to another event the linemen were padded. And there were events I personally didn’t go to but Blair or Greg did, so a guy who may have shined at a specific event (i.e., All-Poly in Utah, which Blair covered or Giant Skillz in Southern California that Greg covered), may not be mentioned here because I didn’t see him at that event.
So with that, here are my picks from the West for the best of the spring and summer.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:26 am to TideSaint
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DL- Faatui Tuitele, 2019, Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis
Tuitele was on our 2019 Watch List last summer after his freshman year and was already one of our top prospects in his class. Shortly after helping Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis win a state title in 2016, Tuitele went to the U.S. Army National Combine in San Antonio in January of 2017 and showed why he was so highly touted and heavily recruited already. Then he won the DL MVP honors at The Opening Los Angeles, the lone underclassmen to walk away with MVP honors at that event. He was simply dominant in Los Angeles, easily winning rep after rep. Tuitele is the No. 11 prospect nationally in the 2019 class, the No. 2 defensive tackle in the country and the top prospect in Hawaii. A host of offers are already owned by Tuitele, including the defending national champions, Clemson, plus Washington, USC, UCLA, Notre Dame and Stanford.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:27 am to TideSaint
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LB- Jack Lamb, Temecula (Calif.) Great Oak
This one went back and forth between Lamb and Brandon Kaho. A case could be made for both. But we are going with Lamb ever so slightly over Kaho, because we already were pretty high on Kaho going into the spring but Lamb had the most to prove between the two and did so. Kaho was named the LB MVP of The Opening Finals, but we actually had Lamb higher on our board and our team based on what he did in 7v7. And that's what always impressed us about Lamb. While LBs tend to be forgotten a bit in 7v7, Lamb made sure he was noticed at every event. His coverage skills are excellent and it wasn't unusual to see him deep downfield in blanket coverage against a slot or a running back or a tight end. His length and coverage ability really was highlighted this offseason. The RB/LB crop at The Opening Los Angeles was better than the Opening Oakland regional, and while both earned invites to the Finals from their respective events, we just felt Lamb was better in a better camp. The debate between the two will likely go on for the rest of the year (and in pads, they are a clear 2 and 3 behind the top prospect in the region, Palaie Gaoteote), but Lamb earns the nod this offseason. Notre Dame and UCLA lead for the Scout 100 'backer.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:30 am to SECSolomonGrundy
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Yeah it is. My favorite is when they posted the pic of Derrick Henry in front of the challenger, and the next post says, Is that Kaho? Lol, tFear is real.
I'm sure if we had posted the pic of Guice with a car we would have gotten logical, well-thought out responses.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:45 am to TideSaint
South Florida's prospects predict where players are headed
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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – It’s our job at Rivals.com to forecast where the nation’s top prospects will end up going to college, but sometimes part of the information gathering process involves asking other prospects where they think their friends and teammates will sign. At Saturday’s Miami Dolphins High School Media Day, we asked some of the top players in South Florida where their friends and teammates will land. Some of the answers were pretty enlightening.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 6:46 am to TideSaint
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Khris Bogle
The pick: LSU
Why: “It’s an educated guess. That’s just a guess.” – Four-star Penn State wide receiver commit John Dunmore
The pick: Tennessee or Alabama
Why: “He’s really strong on both of those schools so I think it will be one of them.” – Three-star Kentucky tight end commit Nikolas Ognenovic
The pick: Tennessee or Miami
Why: “I think Tennessee is a good fit for him. I’m friends with their quarterback commit and they’re going to be good.” – Three-star Kentucky quarterback commit Nik Scalzo
The pick: ???
Why: “He’s tricky. I really don’t know. You see who he shows love to and that’s all you have to do. See who he shows the most love to and you will know.” -- Three-star Pittsburgh running back commit Vincent Davis
The pick: Miami
Why: “I think he’s going to go to Miami. I haven’t talked to him in a minute but I know he’s looking at Tennessee, too,” – Four-star running back Kenny McIntosh
Posted on 8/9/18 at 7:01 am to TideSaint
New Feature: Alabama’s Top 10 Most Wanted Recruits
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The team here at Touchdown Alabama Magazine and yours truly have been working tirelessly to bring Alabama fans and our readers our very own recruiting ranking and analysis tool. We have decided to bring this tool to you in a top ten most wanted recruit list. We currently have the list posted on our website under the Recruiting tab titled 2019 Most Wanted Recruits.
This tool will allow you to look at a running list of Alabama football’s top targets for the 2019 recruiting class. These rankings are listed by team need, player’s skill and the amount of interest the respective recruit has in Alabama. There will also be SUBSCRIBER ONLY analysis for each recruit on the list. These analysis will provide a break down of recruit’s film and will include video analysis at a later date.
We hope this tool will keep all of Alabama’s fan updated on Alabama’s recruiting moves. It also important to note that these list was put together by the team here at Touchdown Alabama. No coach associated with The University of Alabama’s football team’s opinion is represented in the list.
If you disagree with this list, be sure to interact with us and share your opinion on why a recruit should and should not be on the list or why they should be higher.
Posted on 8/9/18 at 7:02 am to TideSaint
Posted on 8/9/18 at 7:17 am to TideSaint
The comment that Saban and Emmert were "tighter than a ducks butthole" really makes me wonder about those inbreds!!!
Posted on 8/9/18 at 8:26 am to UAgrad93
Yes I started to pipe in and ask why he’d do that to a defenseless animal but decided not to.
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