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re: Class of 2019 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: That's a Wrap Edition
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:38 pm to Cobrasize
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:38 pm to Cobrasize
A-List No. 10: Clay-Chalkville's DJ Dale, big man moving quickly
quote:
Clay-Chalkville trailed rival Pinson Valley 3-0 in last year's Class 6A semifinal football game, but drove to Pinson's 17-yard line in the second quarter when coaches signaled the play.
Weak Pistol, Flame F Throwback
Defensive lineman DJ Dale was on the field as a heavy package blocker, but this wasn't a running play. Lined up behind the left tackle, Dale was supposed to cut against the flow behind the line and catch a pass in the right flats.
Dale couldn't believe it. The junior had wanted the pass thrown his way all season, but it never came. He was ready when quarterback Willie Miller lofted a perfect pass over a Pinson Valley defender to the 6-foot-3, 310-pounder and Dale outraced the defense 17 yards for a score.
"I knew I was going to catch it and I was just thinking end zone," Dale said. "When I caught it, I saw the end zone with open grass and hoped nobody caught up to me. I was moving pretty quick. Yeah, I was moving."
No. 10 on the AL.com A-List, which consists of the top 15 senior players in the state, Dale has been moving quickly all his life.
"DJ is a really hard worker and loves the game of football." Miller said. "He's a great athlete and he can play anything on the field."
College recruiters noticed early the athleticism and abilities of Dale. Mississippi State offered Dale during the spring before his sophomore season. Other offers soon followed and Dale narrowed the list to a final five: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and Tennessee.
He chose Alabama.
"I felt like it was home," Dale said. "I had a relationship with all the coaches, the defensive line coaches, who recruited me, but at Alabama I had a relationship with the whole staff. Everybody recruited me hard, my top 5 D-line coaches were all great coaches, but Alabama was just home."
247 Sports lists Dale as the No. 13 defensive tackle in the nation while ESPN has him at No. 14 and both consider him the top defensive lineman in the state.
"He's a great kid and he helps our whole team," said Clay-Chalkville coach Drew Gilmer. "He helps the younger guys, coaching them up. He's a great leader and a phenomenal football player."
Dale played the typical sports growing up, baseball at 3 years old, basketball at 4 and football at 6. He was a pitcher in baseball and quarterback in youth sports.
Dale dropped school baseball and basketball after his ninth-grade year at Clay-Chalkville -- he was a freshman starter for the Cougars football team that lost the 2015 Class 6A championship game after winning the title the season before -- but Dale continued to play basketball and baseball recreationally.
An imposing figure on the mound, Dale pitched for a summer baseball team in 2017. His size screams hard-throwing fastballer, but Dale baffles batters with an array of junk pitches.
He still plays basketball with friends from the football team and hint, he's not a power forward in the pickup games.
"I'm the best shooter, well maybe me and Willie," Dale said. "I can really shoot deep past the 3 (point line), Steph Curry range."
Even during football fun time -- extra workouts with other players during off days or before practice -- Dale displays amazing athleticism. He runs routes as a receiver, sometimes plays quarterback and sometimes acts as a ball-hawking defensive back.
Miller is part of Dale's close group of friends that also includes Anthony Lougheed, Jaylin Mack and Drew Heller, among others.
"We've been around each other since before middle school," Dale said. "They're like my blood brothers."
He also has a relationship with other Birmingham-area Alabama commitments.
Dale played football against Hewitt-Trussville offensive lineman Pierce Quick in middle school and keeps in touch. He played youth baseball against Thompson offensive lineman Amari Kight -- Dale played for Huffman and Kight for Pinson -- and he also talks with Hewitt-Trussville quarterback Paul Tyson.
Leisure time is limited during the season, but Dale plays video games, hangs out with friends and loves spending time with his Rotweiler Bear.
The touchdown catch against Pinson Valley was Dale's most exciting moment so far with a diving interception as a sophomore a distant second. It proved to be Clay-Chalkville's only touchdown of the game as Pinson Valley earned the semifinal victory and the state championship a week later.
Miller recalled his friend's joy about the play, which is generally a run when Dale's on the offensive side.
"He asked me before the play, 'it's me?' and I told him it was him," Miller said. "I told him, 'we're going to score here' and he had a big smile.
"He's a great person on and off the field," Miller continued. "That's my brother."
1
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:40 pm to TideSaint
A-List No. 9: Ties to Bear Bryant just part of the story for Tide commitment Paul Tyson
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The fault line that divides this football-mad state cuts through Hewitt-Trussville's field house. In one room is head coach Josh Floyd, the Gus Malzahn acolyte who once starred for Auburn's head honcho at a small Arkansas high school. In another is Paul Tyson , the budding four-star quarterback better known as the great-grandson of Bear Bryant, the patron saint of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
On this day, they are here waiting out a thunderstorm that has disrupted their last practice before the start of school.
Not wanting to waste the moment, Floyd arranges a brief walkthrough session. Tyson lines up in shotgun, goes through the motions and winds his arm as if he were throwing a football.
Junior receiver Dazalin Worsham, a top recruit in the 2020 class, thrusts his hands out as if he is catching a pass and signals a touchdown, celebrating the end result of the mock play.
It was all so very fake. But Tyson -- Alabama legacy and all -- is the real deal. Despite having played only one year of varsity football, the 6-foot-4, 217-pound high school senior has become a major prospect. Last season, he captained Hewitt-Trussville to an 11-1 record while operating Floyd's breakneck, no-huddle offense. As a junior, Tyson threw for 3,392 yards, accumulated 36 touchdown passes and was responsible for only four interceptions. As his stock soared, he attracted offers from Alabama and 17 other schools -- most notably Michigan, Tennessee, USC, Notre Dame and LSU.
It's a list that had the potential to grow even longer if not for Tyson's bloodlines. At Auburn's 7-on-7 passing tournament in June, Malzahn spied Tyson and told Floyd he liked the Hewitt-Trussville quarterback a lot, remarking that he was particularly impressed with his deep ball.
In many ways, it sounded like a recruiting pitch.
"But you know, that was never going to happen," Floyd said of the possibility of a marriage between Auburn and Tyson. "Everybody knew it."
Floyd chuckled, acknowledging the absurdity of the idle thought. He also understands why others are bemused by the dynamic that exists at his ambitious high school program, where Floyd's ties to Malzahn and Tyson's Alabama heritage have intersected as they have teamed up to try to grab the Huskies their first state title.
"We always joked about this at first, because at one point we had Paul, Dazalin and me committed to Alabama and we had nobody committed to Auburn...and Coach Floyd is an Auburn guy," said Pierce Quick, the team's five-star senior right tackle.
Tyson, of course, is not. His destiny always seemed to be in Tuscaloosa. It's the town where he spent so many weekends in the fall, hanging out in a front-row seat behind the end zone of the stadium that bears the name of his famous ancestor. Tyson was born into Tide tradition and some of his earliest memories are iconic Alabama moments, including Terrence Cody's blocked field goal that preserved a victory over Tennessee back in 2009.
Whereas people in this state once had portraits of Bear in their living room, welcoming the image of him into their homes as if he were a family member, Tyson grew up with photos of the Alabama coach around the house because he was a relative.
The connection to Bryant, according to Tyson, became "second nature."
"It's a huge honor," he said.
But Tyson subtly makes it clear he doesn't want his identity to be subsumed by his namesake. And in many ways he is nothing like his great-grandfather. Forasmuch as Bear Bryant was gruff and serious, Tyson is easygoing and enthusiastic. He cuts up with his teammates and sways to the hip-hop music that blares during Hewitt-Trussville flex period.
"He's super humble, just a fun guy to be around," Quick said.
Both Quick and Tyson will be playing alongside each other for years to come.
But Quick actually committed to Alabama in a shorter time frame than Tyson did. Tyson let almost four months pass after receiving his offer before he gave his verbal pledge to the Tide back in April.
"I wanted to be open minded," he said. "I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision."
He determined that he did -- not solely based on nostalgia or his family connections but more so on the relationships he formed with the players and the coaches, including Nick Saban, this generation's Bear Bryant.
"When it came down to it Alabama just felt like home and was the place I wanted to be," he said.
Then again, could it have been any other way?
Tyson didn't have to answer that. But when asked how much his relation to this state's most famous sports figure factored into his commitment to Alabama, he said, "It was a pretty big influence, I'd say."
Tyson smiled. And a few feet beside him, so too did his coach with the Auburn ties...because how could he not.
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:40 pm to Cobrasize
quote:
Those are Alahunter's chickens.
I miss that dude
+1
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:43 pm to Evolved Simian
Why Alabama's latest commit is future 'lockdown corner'
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Hewitt-Trussville quarterback and Alabama commit Paul Tyson routinely challenges four-star 2020 defensive back Malachi Moore -- the Crimson Tide's latest commitment -- in practice.
That's why Tyson has a better understanding than just about anyone about what Alabama is getting in the 6-foot, 170-pound Moore, who committed to Alabama on Monday.
"We're getting a lockdown corner," Tyson said. "He's a stud, for sure. He's a playmaker and a ballhawk. He's going to be out there giving it all he's got all the time."
Moore committed to Alabama on Monday, becoming the fourth member of the Hewitt-Trussville team to commit the Crimson Tide since April 2017 and making him the seventh member of Alabama's 2020 commitment list, which ranks second nationally and has four in-state players.
What makes Moore, who had 36 tackles and one interception last season as a sophomore, so special?
"He can disguise any coverage, so he can play outside and still make plays inside, or play inside position and still make plays on the outside," Tyson said. "Really, he can cover any route from any position. What gives me trouble is when he's mixing it up and changing on me."
Five-star Hewitt-Trussville lineman Pierce Quick, an Alabama commitment in the Class of 2019, also described Moore as a "lockdown corner" who is known for his tireless work ethic.
"He's definitely one of the hardest workers on this team," Quick said.
In a preseason scrimmage on Friday night, Ebiogde batted down a pass and made several tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
After Monday's practice, Moore talked to AL.com for a short question-and-answer session about his commitment. Here are excerpts from the conversation:
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:45 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Q: Why did you pick Alabama?
"Just the legacy they have. They're a top contender in college football every year, and they put a lot of guys at my position in the league, and the way Coach (Nick) Saban."
Q: When you reference Coach Saban, what are you talking about specifically? Coach Saban often works directly with the defensive backs, so are you talking about that or is it something else?
"I'm talking about directly with the defensive backs. I've talked to the players, and they say that even when you get the technique right, he's going to say it's wrong. He's always going to coach you up on something. He's never going to let you get complacent."
Q: You expect to remain at defensive back in college, is that the intention?
"Yes, but wherever they put me, wherever they need me."
Q: Why commit now?
"I just felt like it was the right time. Me and my parents, we talked about it, and they said if I was cool with it, they were cool with it. I think it's important to get out of the way before the season, so I can focus on my season and my senior season, too."
Q: You do have two full seasons of high school football remaining. So, is there any chance you flip and go somewhere else?
"No."
Q: What makes you so confident?
"Just because the relationships I have with Coach Saban, Coach (Brent) Key, Coach (Karl) Scott, and the whole coaching staff. Plus, it's 45 minutes from my house."
Q: You have a couple of years before you even get to campus. How long do you think Coach Saban is going to coach? Do you worry at all that he'll be gone before you get there for before your career is finished?
"I'm not worried too much, because I've talked to him about it. He told me Miss Terry is the coach at home and as long as she's coaching at home, he wants to be in charge somewhere."
Q: You do have three teammates -- quarterback Paul Tyson, receiver Dazalin Worsham and lineman Pierce Quick -- also committed to Alabama, so how much influence, if any, did that have on your decision?
"A lot. You know, it's good to have someone you know to go to college with. Sometimes things get tough, and you need someone close to talk to."
Q: Back in the spring, you said you thought you'd wait until your senior year to make a decision. What changed with your timeline? What did Alabama do to make you know you already know where you want to go?
"Well, at the (summer recruiting) cookout, that's when I really made up my mind in my head. My dad had never been to Alabama on a visit and had never met Coach Saban. He liked the way they operate out of football. They have a player development thing that gets you ready for every aspect of life after football, and he really liked that. And, we just like family. All the coaches took us in with open arms, and that's really what made the decision."
Q: Anything else you want to add?
"Roll Tide."
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:49 pm to TideSaint
Mind of Mike: Thoughts on movers and shakers in Rivals100
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The Mind of Mike is a scary place. Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell shares his thoughts on the big movers and shakers in the updated Rivals100 for 2019 released today.
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:50 pm to TideSaint
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Breaking down the eight new five-stars
WR George Pickens – This kid could end up being the No. 1 wide receiver before all is said and done and could push for No. 1 overall, that’s how high his ceiling is. He’s big, strong and has great potential in the red zone.
ATH Trey Palmer – I made the big push for Palmer to be a five-star because he’s going to be an absolute star in college whether he plays offense or defense. He is equally impressive on either side of the ball and is such a quick twitch kid that he will dominate at one position or another.
QB Spencer Rattler – I mentioned a few things I like about Rattler above and he can dominate at the next level. He can move, he can throw on the run or from the pocket and he has great downfield vision. He could be very, very good.
WR Trejan Bridges – Bridges' ball skills are off the charts. He reminds me a bit of Odell Beckham Jr. in that department as he can make any catch possible and bails out the quarterback with great body control and adjustments on poorly thrown footballs. Oklahoma fans will love him.
LB Owen Pappoe – Despite the size concerns, this is one of the best pure athletes you’ll see at the high school level at linebacker. He can make plays in the backfield, can run plays down to the outside and he’s excellent in coverage. Once he adds more weight and strength, watch out.
QB Bo Nix – I like Nix and his confidence, arm strength and ability to extend the play. He plays with a lot of guts and has the mental makeup to be a good one down the road. He could be very, very good if he adds a few things to his repertoire, including consistency.
CB Erick Young – I love his combination of size, power and quickness. He could end up as a safety or start his career that way, but in the end he has the potential to be a great lock-down cornerback with size and ball skills.
OT Evan Neal – This was a questionable one, but the work he has put in to reshape his body and add quickness and agility is impressive and we liked him a lot even when he carried some bad weight. He has one of the highest ceilings in this class.
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:51 pm to TideSaint
quote:
Big movers and other final thoughts
... CB Tyrique Stevenson fell short of five-star status, but the Florida cornerback made a huge jump into the Rivals100 at No. 39 after a very good performance at the Rivals100 Five Star Challenge presented by adidas. Stevenson moved up 136 spots but wasn’t the biggest jumper.
... The biggest jump came from Wake Forest wide receiver commitment Nolan Groulx, who proved to be one of the best wide receivers in the country this summer. Groulx, who jumped from outside of the Rivals250 all the way to No. 72, is an amazing route runner, had great hands and is sneaky fast. He could be the highest rated Wake commitment in Rivals.com history before all is said and done.
... Offensive tackle Stacey Wilkins from Arkansas and linebacker Bryton Constantin from Louisiana also made huge leaps moving up 135 and 133 spots respectively into the Rivals100. Wilkins, an Oklahoma commitment, has a great frame and build and good feet and just needs to work on a few technical nuisances. Constantin, a Clemson commitment, covers like a defensive back with linebacker size. Both could continue to shoot up the charts.
... Stanford commitment Stephon Herron was one of a few prospects to drop out of the Rivals100. Defensive back Devin Bush, quarterback Dylan Morris, wide receiver Maurice Goolsby and others also took serious drops after not living up to the bar set by others at their positions.
... LSU offensive tackle commitment Anthony Bradford made a nice move as well, jumping 57 spots into the Rivals100. He and guard Kardell Thomas, a five-star prospect, form one of the best duos along the offensive line in the county.
... Offensive lineman Logan Brown, athlete Jordan Whittington and linebacker Nakobe Dean were the three highest-ranked prospects just outside of the five-star range. Defensive end Travon Walker, Stevenson and fellow defensive back Brendan Grant moved up the most when it comes to reaching five-star range. Walker jumped eight spots to No. 38 while Gant moved up 21 spots to No. 41 and we already talked about Stevenson’s jump.
... Running back Trey Sanders has emerged, at least for now, as the clear No. 1 at his position, pushing well ahead of Devyn Ford. There weren’t a lot of other moves position-wise at the top as guys like Nix, Rattler, Wease, Darnell Wright, Kayvon Thibodeaux and others retained their spot at the top of the rankings. The best position battles to watch down the stretch are wide receiver, athlete, strongside defensive end and weakside defensive end.
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:52 pm to TideSaint
Rivals Ranking Week: Is it right to have Evan Neal as a five-star?
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Countless debates go into each Rivals rankings update and one particular topic we are spotlighting in today's Rival Views is whether it was the right move to bump offensive lineman Evan Neal up to five-star status.
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:52 pm to TideSaint
quote:
CASSIDY'S VIEW: YES
Is Neal the best high school offensive lineman in the country? Probably not, but we’re projecting here, and Neal has a special frame with an upside far and away above any lineman in this class. He’s shows that he’s dedicated to reshaping his body by cutting considerable weight and becoming faster this offseason. He looked like a new player at IMG Media Day last month. Neal is every bit of 6-foot-7 and seems to drop more bad weight by the week. Barring injury or a major relapse when it comes to his weight program, Neal projects as an NFL prospect that has the size and athleticism to become a first-round pick.
Neal the draft prospect will be more refined than Neal the college player, which will be miles more developed than Neal the high school senior. He has every single trait that can’t be coached and seems to be developing at an impressive trajectory. Players that look and move like Neal don’t come around often.
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:53 pm to TideSaint
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GORNEY'S VIEW: NO
Neal might very well be a five-star offensive tackle. I know he’s massive, listed at 6-foot-8 and 363 pounds. Those numbers right there will attract the attention of NFL scouts in the coming years.
I know he plays for arguably the best high school team in the country, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, where he gets tremendous coaching, plays a national schedule and continues to improve.
And I know reports out of IMG Academy in recent weeks are that Neal has trimmed up since last season - one of my concerns - and has dropped a good amount of weight, really looking the part right now.
When I saw IMG on the field twice last season, Neal did not play all that much (to be fair, probably five college-ready offensive linemen were ahead of him) but before I crown him as a five-star I would want to see him absolutely dominate the way I saw Jonah Williams, Greg Little and many others do it on the high school level.
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:54 pm to TideSaint
Saint to the GIF rescue 
I thought you were bouncing between lily pads carrying out some rendition taxi service.
I thought you were bouncing between lily pads carrying out some rendition taxi service.
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:54 pm to TideWarrior
quote:
I thought you were bouncing between lily pads carrying out some rendition taxi service.
I took a lunch break.
Posted on 8/14/18 at 10:59 pm to TideSaint
Anyone want a good time waster go to the tRant board about l7u losing two QBs today.
Posted on 8/14/18 at 11:03 pm to TideSaint
Sorry did not mean to blow your cover.
Posted on 8/14/18 at 11:05 pm to TidalSurge1
We all good 
Posted on 8/14/18 at 11:10 pm to BIGJLAW
So a conversation with my mother today yielded the fact that her best friend's husband is Rudy Griffin, former Alabama DT and current Hewitt-Trussville Defensive Coordinator.
Collecting bagman donations now...
Collecting bagman donations now...
Posted on 8/14/18 at 11:17 pm to MagillaGuerilla
I had no idea Rudy was coaching at Hewitt. Damn, they have a pretty good staff
Posted on 8/14/18 at 11:24 pm to TideWarrior
We all good 
Btw, the one thing I know for sure about NCAA Bylaws is that I am definitely not a "guru" -- even on the parts I've studied the most -- the signing and counter limits. Most of what I've come to understand about the effects of the signings limit rules change has been recent. And in the process of learning I have misunderstood some things and found out later that I had.
In our conversation I was considering the 25 signing, 25 initial counter and 85 total counter limits as being the NCAAs mechanisms for controlling football season rosters and didn't consider the 85 cap as a full-time year-round limitation or that it needed to be. But after considering that regular enrollment primarily occurs in the summer and early enrollment in the 2nd term after graduations, I think you're right. It does appear that the 85 cap is a full-time year-round limitation. In other words, the players must fit under the 85 cap when they enroll -- the 85 cap can't be temporarily exceeded at any time.
This post was edited on 8/15/18 at 9:29 am
Posted on 8/15/18 at 12:11 am to Evolved Simian
Angry?
That absolutely is the case (that there are many college coaches that think Taulia is special). He may, in fact, not be as good as Nix. I'm not saying he is or isn't, but I know for a fact that there are at least a few out there saying he is special. Not in three years from now. But now.
You will be wowed when you go see him live.
That absolutely is the case (that there are many college coaches that think Taulia is special). He may, in fact, not be as good as Nix. I'm not saying he is or isn't, but I know for a fact that there are at least a few out there saying he is special. Not in three years from now. But now.
You will be wowed when you go see him live.
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