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

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The Vols already have the No. 1 offensive tackle committed to them in the 2019 recruiting class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. And according to the founder and CEO of 247Sports, Tennessee has a very good chance of landing the No. 2 offensive tackle this cycle as well.

Shannon Terry, the founder and CEO of 247Sports, made an appearance on Midday 180 on 104.5 FM in Nashville on Friday to talk about different recruiting topics. He was asked about his recent crystal ball prediction in favor of the Vols to five-star offensive tackle Darnell Wright, and he said he actually made that prediction to “test out the code” of the new crystal ball feature they’re working on for the new 247Sports site.

But he didn’t just give a random prediction. Terry also thinks the Vols are in a very good spot for Wright.

“I got some really good intel from both sides,” Terry said of Wright and the Vols. “He’s obviously maybe the highest priority for the Tennessee nation. People really close to him love Pruitt, love the Vols. He likes them. And in the end, I think it’s going to be an Alabama-Tennessee battle, and I think the Vols are going to win this one.

“That’s a long play for me. Right now I wouldn’t necessarily say they’re in the driver’s seat, but I’m betting at the end of the deal they will be.”

According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Wright is the No. 9 overall player in the 2019 class and the second-best offensive tackle in the country behind only five-star offensive tackle and Tennessee commit Wanya Morris.

Wright has unofficially visited Tennessee twice this year already, taking a visit to Knoxville in March to watch the Vols go through a spring practice then coming back again on June 1st. He’s likely to take an official visit to Tennessee sometime during the season, and the Vols’ match-up with Florida in Knoxville on September 22nd seems like the most likely date. He’s not likely to announce a commitment any time soon and probably won’t till after his senior season is over.

The 6-foot-6, 320-pound lineman recently released his list of the top 10 schools in his recruitment, and the Vols made that list along with Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn State, and USC. He won the Stydahar Award — an annual award given to the state’s top interior linemen — after his junior season at Huntington High School in Huntington, West Virginia last year.

Landing Wright to go along with Morris would be a massive haul for the Vols in this class, and it should set Tennessee up for great success on the offensive line over the next three years.

Tennessee currently has 18 commitments in their 2019 class, and three of those belong to offensive linemen. Morris, four-star Jackson Lampley, and three-star Chris Akporoghene are the Vols’ three current offensive linemen commits in this cycle.

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Kaho is around 220 now

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A new former 5-star recruit made his Alabama debut on Saturday, as Ale Kaho practiced with the inside linebackers in pre-scrimmage drills at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The former 5-star linebacker from Reno, Nev., was released from his national letter of intent with Washington on Monday, and Kaho chose Alabama as his next landing spot Wednesday. The No. 1 inside linebacker in the 2018 class according to the 247Sports rankings, Kaho landed on campus Friday afternoon and was on the field for the Crimson Tide’s Saturday scrimmage.

Initially, the Huskies had edged Alabama to land Kaho as a 5-star recruit during the 2018 cycle, but he was not able to enroll. And according to head coach Nick Saban, the primary reason why the Tide was able to land Kaho now was due to academic issues at Washington.

“There are circumstances -- and I don’t know all the circumstances -- where a guy doesn’t get admitted to the school that he signed to go to, that he gets an opportunity to go somewhere else and he gets a release or he can choose to try to get eligible over time but not be able to enroll in school,” Saban said. “So, I think, as I understand it, he was unable to get into school for academic reasons because of their institutional policies, not because of NCAA rules.

“He could get into school at most other institutions. So, he had opportunities to go other places. He didn’t want to sit out and continue to take other classes so he could go to the school he signed at and we were one of the people that recruited him. It came down to the wire in terms of whether we got him or not. When he got his release, we let him know that he had an opportunity to come here. We’re glad to have him. We’ll think he’ll be a good player.”

The 6-foot-1, 218-pound prospect was a longtime BYU commit during the recruiting process before flipping his commitment to the Huskies just prior to the early signing period last December. He signed with Washington last year and arrived in Seattle this summer, but he never enrolled while wrapping up required coursework. Huskies head coach Chris Petersen cited “personal reasons” for the release of the program’s highest-rated incoming freshman.

The Crimson Tide was heavily involved in Kaho’s recruitment last year and were considered to have finished in a runner-up position. While committed to BYU, Kaho traveled to Tuscaloosa to camp with Alabama and promptly landed a scholarship offer from Saban. Kaho returned to town for an official visit to campus the weekend of Nov. 4 and saw UA earn a victory over LSU.

Wearing No. 10 on Saturday, Kaho’s journey ended in Tuscaloosa. He is immediately eligible to play, but the true freshman was the only active player not in full pads because of NCAA rules for acclimation. But just how long does Saban think it will take Kaho to get up to speed?

“I can’t answer that,” he said. “We’re going to do the best we can every day, aight. I don’t know how hard it’s going to be. It depends on how fast he learns, it depends on a lot of things -- what kind of condition is he in? How much can we do with him? Lot of questions, and they’re not bad questions. We’re glad to have the guy here and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to help him be successful as a person, as a student and as a player.

“But how long it’s going to take? I don't know. (Reaches for the Coke bottle on the podium). Wish this was a magic wand that I could just sort of (waves it). It’s not the Wizard of Oz.”

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There’s no way. That guy is 200 but no way he’s 220.

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