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

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There are some low class replies to Feldman's tweet, some sayimg no chance he'll play. But actually, it's not so unlikely that Minshew could end up the #1 backup behind Tua for the 2018 season and get a fair amount of playing time.

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if hurts didn't win the qb competition in the spring (which I doubt he will) and he doesn't want to switch positions, then I could fully see mishnew being the backup behind tua over Jones. This is a good pickup for our peculiar situation.

I've heard for a while that we have a shot at flipping Nolan Smith. That being said, I'll remain very skeptical of us beating out Ole Mi... err... UGa for anybody that they have in-state roots with right now. Kirby has said that he won't lose anybody head to head against Bama with. Then again, he's seriously ticked off Sabes with some of his tactics, so we'll see.

Rivals250 OL Xavier Truss breaks down his long road trip & top contenders

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There are very few offensive linemen getting as much publicity and attention as Rivals250 offensive lineman Xavier Truss. The Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken School star deserves all the attention he has gotten but it hasn't changed his style. He is doing his research and not allowing himself to get sidetracked.

Truss just finished up a lengthy road trip that featured stops at Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, and Penn State. He took some time to break down each of those visits and some of his other top contenders.

IN HIS OWN WORDS…

Clemson- "It was crazy getting out of a car and getting greeted by the whole coaching staff," Truss said. "I got to meet a few of the players and found out where the coaches come from. They told me what the school is about and what the program is about. Getting to talk with coach Caldwell for pretty much the whole time we were there was pretty cool. They stressed the academics before football. We went straight to the academic building before anything else, which I really appreciated. I thought it was going to be a lot bigger than was. It's really a small football community. It's not what I expected but in a good way."

Georgia- "We got to meet coach Pittman and Coach Peagler," he said. "Those are two of my favorite guys. They are really energetic and I love that. It was overwhelming. Coach Pittman is a character but getting to really experience that personality firsthand was amazing.

"I like how big the campus was and how friendly everybody is there," said Truss. "They were kind of like Clemson where they stressed academics first. We went to the business building and saw on the classrooms and everything.

"Going from Clemson straight to Georgia was a really big transition," he said. "Going from that small Clemson community to the huge campus of Georgia with all the academic buildings and all the facilities over was a huge difference. I felt comfortable at both places, getting to experience it all and consider it all in the end."

Alabama- "I think it would've been different if I hadn’t visited on a junior day," Truss said. "I probably would have gotten more one-on-one attention. I still had a really great time and enjoyed my experience but I think I would have gotten to learn a little bit more about the academics and coaches. There were so many players there that it was more of just a tour.

"They kick arse on the football field," he said." I hope the coaching staff that they have this year stays because, talking to coach Key, I enjoy talking to him. Coach Gattis coming over from Penn State, he knew me from there. The staff has known about me for a while and kept their eye on me. I just want to keep in contact with them because I love talking to them."

Auburn- "I enjoyed that way more than I expected," said Truss. "I was not expecting anything like that. How nice everything was really stood out to me. The academic building, how nice that people were, the football facilities and everything. It blew me away. I had gone there not knowing much about Auburn. I was in contact with coach Hand before he went to Texas. I hadn't been talking to anyone from Auburn since he left but I wanted to talk to someone from there and I was really pumped up when coach Grimes reached out. I had no idea how successful they were academically. Their players have a high team GPA and coach Malzahn stressed that. It seemed like they knew their facts more than other schools. The coaches felt confident in their team academics.

Penn State- "This was my second time at Penn State," he said. "Last time I went I was there for the Nebraska game. We met the staff for a little bit before that game but it was really busy because it was game day and we couldn't take much time to sit down and talk. The following day we spent a long time with Coach Barthel and he made it a point to show us around. That was nothing compared to what we did on Monday. Last time we were there on the students were on Thanksgiving break so the campus was pretty dead. This time we were there during the day and we got to see what campus life was like while classes were going on. We got to spend pretty much the whole day going around with coach Franklin. We tried The Creamery this time which is pretty cool. We saw the stadium and the business building and talked with the academic advisor. He's a pretty cool guy. They were pretty straightforward about how their business school is hard but they want you to succeed.

On some other schools that he is considering- "Michigan and Ohio State are also big contenders for me," Truss said. "I'm going to try to get out there soon. I have no visits set but I'll try to get out there during the spring. Hopefully I'll be able to get to one of their spring games. What I'll probably do is to one of their spring games (both are on April 14th) and then visit the other school right before or right after.

"I feel like over the past few years Michigan hasn't quite been able to win the Big Ten but I feel like they have a solid chance to do that by the time I would get up there," he said, "They've had good recruiting classes and I've heard really good stuff about their academics. I definitely want to go check it out. Don Brown is awesome to talk to. He's been recruiting me since the beginning of my sophomore year so he is probably the college coach I have been to talking to the longest. We've had the longest relationship probably out of anybody. (Former teammate) Kwity (Paye) hasn't really stressed on Michigan to me that much but it's more about the recruiting process as a whole. He told me that when I come up on my visit he would just sit down with me and talk about it and show me around.

"With Ohio State, I was impressed by how much coach Meyer emphasizes the academics," said Truss. "I got sold on them helping kids get internships and how Ohio State provides opportunities for kids to succeed outside of football. I've been in contact with coach Stud and coach Day for a while and they keep drilling into my head that they want to get me up there and show me all the academics. I love talking to coach Stud. He's another character. Coach Day has come to the school and we keep in contact."

RIVALS' REACTION...

Truss has a lot of information at his finger tips to digest now that this big road trip is finished. Penn State will have a constant presence in Truss' recruitment and it sounds like Auburn helped themselves the most out of the other schools he visited on this road trip. Truss really wants to find out more about Michigan and Ohio State. They will certainly be big factors down the line. The relationship Truss has with former teammate and current Michigan player Kwity Paye should really help the Wolverines as this recruitment develops.

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UGA's class is going to be another monster... I dont put to much into flips especially from UGA or Ohio st

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Unfortunately, we have a couple more LBs on the team that are knuckleheads that may not be eligible this season.

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Care to elaborate.

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Cordale Flott

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Been hearing a lot about this kid down here in South Alabama. With situations like his he needs to make up his mind fast so he can have a spot, if he has a committable offer at this time.

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Been hearing a lot about this kid down here in South Alabama. With situations like his he needs to make up his mind fast so he can have a spot, if he has a committable offer at this time.

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I doubt Cordale Flott has a green light to commit. We'll likely take two Safeties. Gant and Turnage (WR/DB) have already committed, and there are several other safety prospects higher on the board that Bama is in pretty good shape with.

lets take 8 LB'S and 8 DL's, 2 RB, 2 QB, 4 OL, 2WR

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His tape sure is nice

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Yes, but... DB section of the Top Targets list:

Defensive Backs (4-5)
4* S LINK ]Brendan Gant 6-2/185 Lakeland, FL
4* S Jaylen McCollough 6-1/190 Pwdr Spr, GA
4* S Nick Cross 6-1/207 Hyattsville, MD
4* CB Christian Williams 6-1/177 Daphne, AL
4* CB/S Noa Pola-Gates 6-2/180 Gilbert, AZ
4* CB Isaiah Rutherford 6-2/170 Carmichael, CA

4* WR/S Brandon Turnage (commit) is listed in the WR & TE section.

And here are two more ahead of Flott:

Cortez Andrews, 4* S, Tallahassee, FL
Trikweze Bridges, 4* S, Lanett, AL

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Who list is that? Based of film IMO C. Williams the only one I would want over him.

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There's more to evaluating players than viewing clips of their best plays. I defer to Saban and his staff. They review much more film, have them at camps, go to their games, spend time with them, judge work ethic, character...etc.