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re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition
Posted on 6/20/17 at 10:16 am to TigerPaw1
Posted on 6/20/17 at 10:16 am to TigerPaw1
Relative unknown DB Charles McClelland says Auburn is ‘at the top’ (SECCountry)
His tape is dominant but it looks like he's playing middle schoolers half the time
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Diamond-in-rough DB says Auburn is ‘at the top’
Charles McClelland is as surprised as anyone.
Going into the spring evaluations, the Clinch County (Ga.) defensive back’s offer sheet ranged from limited to non-existent. He didn’t care. McClelland just wanted to show one coach — even if it was Navy or Tulane or UNLV — that he was good enough to play for their football team.
By the end of the spring, he received much more than that.
Auburn offered May 31. LSU joined in on the fun on June 7. Kentucky has followed suit on June 17.
“I was just happy. I didn’t think I’d be offered by no SEC schools, to be honest,” McClelland said. “I thought I was too small. I didn’t even think I’d have a chance to play in the SEC.”
McClelland is as close to an unknown as he can be in recruiting circles.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound defensive back is unranked by the 247Sports composite. He is a 3-star prospect just by 247Sports’ measurement, but it’s on the low end. After all, he’s new to the SEC offer front, so why would he be highly ranked?
But one source close to the Auburn program made it a point to tell me how impressed they were by McClelland’s game film. The Tigers are looking at him as a cornerback, but he played safety and wide receiver for his small-town high school, as well.
“They think I’m versatile. I’ve got the ability to play more than one position. I can play like three or four,” McClelland said. “I feel like I can do it all.
McClelland is new to the process.
He hasn’t taken many visits, and he plans to do that throughout the summer and fall. McClelland expects to make a decision after his junior season, which will allow Auburn, LSU, Kentucky and maybe others from the SEC join the sweepstakes.
Auburn will have the upper-hand, however. The Tigers were the first to offer and the first to host McClelland on campus.
That’s given Auburn a significant early edge.
“It’s the best school I’ve ever been to,” McClelland said. “Auburn, they’re at the top. I like it.”
His tape is dominant but it looks like he's playing middle schoolers half the time
2
Posted on 6/20/17 at 10:17 am to TigerPaw1
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Texas WR explains how Auburn ‘exceeded expectations’
It would’ve been easy for Auburn to get lost in the shuffle.
Tommy Bush started a multi-week trip across the southeast that hit most programs in the SEC, as well as Florida State. The wide receiver from Texas squeezed a Big Cat Weekend trip in between the hubbub of his dozen stops around the southeast.
He didn’t know what to think about Auburn before he visited.
When he left: “They exceeded expectations,” Bush said.
“I didn’t really know the coaches like that. I wasn’t really expecting them to be such high energy. I came to see they have another side to them,” Bush said. “They’re coaches that can relate to your own life.”
Bush said he’s “very likely” to return for another visit to Auburn.
For those wondering, his Texas ties don’t run as deep as many. His father is in the Air Force, which has resulted in a stop-to-stop upbringing for Bush. He was born in Alaska, but has bounced around to Kansas, Florida, Texas and even Germany.
That type of childhood makes Bush much more willing to explore options out of his normal comfort zone. Hence the southeast trip, to narrow in on the best fit.
“It was a great experience. I really need to pay attention to these schools to figure out what’s unique about them and what separates them,” Bush said.
Bush is the No. 159 overall prospect according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He’s the No. 31-ranked wide receiver.
I want all the wide receivers this year
Posted on 6/20/17 at 10:28 am to TigerPaw1
quote:That's what he said.
I want all the wide receivers this year
Posted on 6/20/17 at 10:31 am to TigerPaw1
quote:He might be. He is playing in the smallest classification in Georgia. He has to get his offers & notice in camps.
it looks like he's playing middle schoolers half the time
Posted on 6/20/17 at 11:20 am to ellitor
Clinch County has produced quite a few athletes over the years. It used to be a town where everyone was employed in the pulpwood business. Athletics was the only way out for some.
I can't remember all their names, but they have sent several football players to SEC schools, but they had a great baseball program. One kid we played against in state championship in HS.
My SO year we played Clinch County in the State Championship in Basketball and Baseball. They won both... :sadbanana:
I can't remember all their names, but they have sent several football players to SEC schools, but they had a great baseball program. One kid we played against in state championship in HS.
My SO year we played Clinch County in the State Championship in Basketball and Baseball. They won both... :sadbanana:
Posted on 6/20/17 at 2:58 pm to jrljr
247Sports experts explain why FSU is trending for Justin Fields (247)
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Justin Fields is the most sought-after recruit on the market.
The nation’s No. 2 overall prospect according to 247Sports, Fields decommitted from Penn State a few weeks ago, setting off what will be one of the most hotly-contested recruitments of the 2018 cycle.
Fields, a Georgia native, is considering a number of schools but the consensus seems to be Florida, Georgia and Auburn each have a strong chance to sign him. But, after a weekend visit, a new contender has emerged as a serious option: Florida State.
The Seminoles and Jimbo Fisher develop quarterbacks better than any school in the country, and Fields threw on his weekend visit to Tallahassee – something many top quarterbacks don’t do at camps – to get coached up by Fisher.
Florida State already has a young established quarterback in redshirt sophomore Deandre Francois. But Francois could possibly leave following the 2017 season for the NFL Draft, which would potentially open the door for Fields to start immediately.
However, Francois leaving the Seminoles early is far from a done deal.
“FSU believes it has an NFL-quality quarterback in Francois,” said Noles247 beat writer Brendan Sonnone. “But I’m not sure he’s ready to go pro based on what we saw from him as a rookie. Francois has the requisite arm strength, athleticism and demeanor to make it in the NFL, but he still has to become a more consistent passer and diagnose defenses quicker to reach his potential on the college level.
“He’ll need to make some noticeable strides this year to prove he’s a legitimate early-round prospect.”
Fields wants to play quickly, and Francois’ situation is one to watch closely. But the same could be said of other schools Fields is considering like Georgia (sophomore Jacob Eason) and Auburn (Jarrett Stidham, who will be draft-eligible after this season).
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the recent Crystal Ball run to Florida State, and what 247Sports’ recruiting expects think of the recent activity.
On the Recent FSU Crystal Ball Run
“Talking to Fields over the weekend, it’s obvious that Jimbo Fisher is the No. 1 reason Florida State has a great chance to land the five-star quarterback. Nobody has thrown more this spring or summer in a competitive setting than Fields, but he wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to throw at Florida State’s camp and get coached up by Coach Fisher and that staff. I think he took a lot away from that experience. Fields has been making the rounds, but he’s only thrown in Tallahassee. For him to put on the sweats and go out there and compete in that camp shows you how interested he is in Florida State and how intrigued he was to get the opportunity learn. There was just a lot of pro-FSU buzz coming from people who are around Fields over the weekend.” – Steve Wiltfong, 247Sports Director of Recruiting
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:00 pm to TigerPaw1
Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Stock Report: Defensive backs (Rivals)
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INDIANAPOLIS – More than 100 of the top players in the nation participated June 10 in the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas at the Indianapolis Colts practice facility. The Rivals analyst team is breaking down the status of each player at the marquee event based on his performance against elite competition. Today, we look at the defensive backs.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:01 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
4* CB Derek Stingley Jr
Ranked as one of the top prospects in the class of 2019 already, there isn’t much room for Stingley to move up even after a solid showing at the event. Stingley is a versatile defensive back who can play cornerback or safety and his development will be fun to watch over the next 18 moths. LSU, Stanford, Texas and several others are involved with Stingley.
I think we have offered as well but not sure we are much of a player right now
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:02 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
4* Jamien Sherwood
Will the massive Sherwood outgrow his current position of safety? That’s the question here and it’s starting to look like maybe. He didn’t have an awful weekend by any stretch, but there are certainly questions about where he fits on the field going forward.
So basically his stock is down because he's getting too big. That's kinda dumb but whatever...
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:03 pm to TigerPaw1
NFA 7v7 National Championships: Recruiting news and notes (Rivals)
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BRADENTON, Fla. -- Over 30 7-on-7 teams and numerous top prospects took part in the National 7v7 tournament at IMG Academy over the weekend. With that much talent in one place, there was plenty of recruiting buzz floating around.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:04 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
FIELDS WAS THE FOCUS
It seems like a distant memory when Justin Fields decommitted from Penn State, but it was still less than two weeks ago that the five-star quarterback out of Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison opened his recruitment back up. He has been the talk of the country since in the recruiting world. There were local reporters camped out at IMG Academy around noon Friday waiting for his arrival.
Once Fields arrived, all eyes were on him. His performance was solid, but he his arm was a little tired, so he was not as sharp as he has been in the past. Nobody really cared about how he threw the ball, though — it was all about recruiting and what was going to happen next. Fields mentioned Alabama, Ole Miss and North Carolina on his list, but the schools that look to be true contenders are Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Georgia. He visited all but Florida last week and the Gators will likely host Fields in the near future. Florida had the most buzz right after his decommitment, but over the weekend Florida State and Georgia were the schools tied to Fields' name the most.
He would like to commit before the season starts, but he is not going to push it if he is not ready. The media was all over him and he used his coach, Cam Newton, to shield him some, but he still had to answer a lot of questions in between games. Fields will stay in the news and be a hot topic until he does choose his school and commit once again.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:05 pm to TigerPaw1
Twitter Tuesday: ACC's best player, recruiter of the year, SEC sleeper (Rivals)
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@rivalsmike #TwitterTuesday Which RB do you think is better overall, Asa Martin or Dameon Pierce and does #Auburn land either?
These are two different kinds of backs, as Asa Martin has better feet and is more of a slasher with speed while Dameon Pierce is a big, downhill guy with power who can wear a defense down more. I like Martin better because of what he can do in space and in the passing game, but both players could easily have great careers in college.
You would have to think one of them could end up at Auburn, as both have the Tigers high on their list, and they’d be happy with either. With Martin, Auburn has been recruiting him the hardest and has been on him the longest, while Alabama has come in a bit late with pressure and Florida stands out due to a great visit.
With Pierce, as a former Alabama commitment he is now focusing on Auburn when looking at that state and has a high comfort level with the coaches. He's also looking at Florida closely. Georgia is expected to land their top target in Zamir White, so Pierce will likely end up out of state. I’m not sure how quickly he’ll want to commit again after decommitting from Alabama in May, but I like Auburn’s chances here. One back ends up at Florida and one at Auburn, although I don’t know who lands where. If Auburn whiffs on both of them, that would be disappointing.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:10 pm to TigerPaw1
Five Junior College Prospects Awarded Fourth Star in 2018 Cycle (Scout)
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Five players in the Class of 2018 have been awarded a fourth star and are considered to be the nation's elite as Fall approaches.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:10 pm to TigerPaw1
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DE Dorian Gerald - College of the Canyons
This is a big defensive end who flat out gets after the quarterback. He is quick and explosive at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds and is likely best suited for end in a 3-4 defense, the same defense that he stars at on the JuCo scene. He already has an elite offer list with schools like Alabama, Florida State, South Carolina, and Tennessee as some who are at the top chasing him.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:10 pm to TigerPaw1
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WR Stephen Guidry - Hinds
The one-time (or two) LSU commit was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2017 before reclassifying to the Class of 2018, were he now finds himself once again at the top of the wide receiver rankings list in JuCo ball. At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds Guidry has a rare blend of size and speed. Schools like Houston, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas Tech are among his offers.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:11 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
DT Tayland Humphrey - Hutchinson
Humphrey is an abnormal specimen at 6-foot-5, 360 pounds. With that size you would not expect him to be as agile and make the amount of plays that he makes at a highly competitive level. He plays a bit high at times, but he is a center's nightmare as he is able to use his hands well off of blocks to chew up running backs and limit the running game. He has an abundance of offers with schools like Alabama, Florida State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State as a sampling.
6'5" 360 lbs
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:11 pm to TigerPaw1
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DT Caleb Tremblay - American River
Easily one of the top highlight films of the 2018 JuCo cycle, Tremblay has a high motor and plays at times with reckless abandon as he fights off of blocks to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. He uses his hands extremely well. After graduating in 2014 he has worked himself up the ladder in the football recruiting world and that dedication has paid off now with huge scholarship dividends. He has a double digit offer list.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:12 pm to TigerPaw1
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OT Badara Traore - ASA
Another prospect who reclassified to 2018 after missing last season with an ACL injury. He transferred from Nassau to ASA, where has become a high level recruit yet again and racked up a ton of offers. He is the best true offensive tackle to be identified thus far in the 2018 JuCo ranks. Traore named a top seven on Monday and will be choosing one of Auburn, LSU, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, or Oregon.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:14 pm to TigerPaw1
From ‘checking my body to see if I was hit’ to Auburn defensive back, Traivon Leonard plays with purpose (SECCountry)
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Some details still escape Traivon Leonard. The outcome, for example.
Leonard can’t remember if he won or lost the pickup basketball game he’d just finished playing that night.
He’s almost positive he and his friends were joking around as they left the gym and began their trek home through “the heart of the ‘hood” as he calls it. They typically did whenever they made the walk. But Leonard doesn’t recall who or what inspired the laughter on that particular night.
He can’t tell you the make or year of the car.
Yet there also are fragments nearly five years later Leonard can’t erase from memory.
Leonard still can recall the sound of gunfire coming from the car window. He still sees two of his friends laying on the ground after being struck by stray bullets.
And while it seems unlikely, Leonard knows he wasn’t scared but overcome by frantic shock. After years of intently avoiding the drugs and violence so prevalent in the Tamarind area of West Palm Beach, Fla., he and his buddies simply were in the wrong place at the worst time.
“I’d never been in that type of situation,” Leonard told SEC Country last month. “When you hear shots and see a car you think you got hit, so your body is in shock. I just kept checking my body to see if I was hit by anything.”
Still, Leonard would never wipe that night or a few others that stand out from his mind — even if he could.
“I think about it pretty often. That’s solely my motivation,” Leonard said. “I got another chance at life. All of my friends did. I don’t want to forget about it, I want to think about it, to use it as fuel. That’s what I really do.”
Leonard didn’t know it at the time, of course, but that nightmarish evening was one of several catalysts that propelled him toward a brighter future, one that included an “adopted” family, a college education and Division I football.
Now the 20-year-old could make another ascent, this time up the depth chart as a freshman defensive back at Auburn.
For many underclassmen contributing immediately may be overambitious, but the 6-foot, 170-pound corner has faced more harrowing challenges.
Besides, Leonard and those closest to him feel he’s right where he’s supposed to be at the perfect time.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:16 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
The road to Oxbridge Academy
Barbara Wright did whatever she could to protect Leonard and her other three children.
“Some would say I secluded him,” Wright said. “I don’t think I secluded him, I just kept him under me.”
The single mom implemented rules. If her kids played outside, they stayed near the front of their home, avoiding dangerous blocks and neighborhoods. Leonard always was involved in some kind of sport at the park — be it Little League baseball or basketball.
“I tried to keep him busy so we didn’t spend time anywhere close to Tamarind, even though our house was close,” she said.
But as Leonard grew up it became impossible to shield him from everything. Over the years a few of his teammates and friends fell into new crowds.
Talented young athletes with limitless futures stopped competing and started selling drugs. Some joined gangs. Others ended up in jail or died too young.
“A lot of them had potential, but they didn’t use it,” Leonard said. “That’s what really pushed me to do more and focus especially on my education. I wanted to learn more.”
At that time, though, no combination of college and football was on Leonard’s mind. He figured if anything would help him get out of Tamarind it would be basketball.
But the night Leonard sprinted home and fell into his mother’s arms after the shooting was one of several that gradually changed him. And with every tear he shed that night, Leonard became more determined to construct a better future for himself. Sometimes “family situations” led him to take matters into his own hands.
A few months later, following some arguments with his older brother, Leonard told his mom he was staying with a friend. What Wright didn’t know was that her son was camped outside under a pavilion at the same Salvation Army where he’d played so many sports.
“I think I had a jacket or a blanket that I took from home,” Leonard said. “I knew a lot of people so I didn’t really think anything was going to happen to me, but in the back of my mind I was kind of scared.”
Through the next few months Leonard stayed with friends and different family members. He spent lots of nights with his best friend Will Koch and his family. He also was accepted to Oxbridge Academy, a private prep school in West Palm Beach.
Leonard continued to move around between friends and family through the first few months of his freshman year, but Wright struggled with transportation to get her son where he needed to be.
That’s when Angela Koch, Will’s mom and an Auburn alumna, offered Leonard an “adopted” home.
After meeting Koch and pondering the walk Leonard had to make to get home from the gym he was always at, Wright agreed.
“We talked, we got to know each other. I felt as though he was safe,” Wright recalled. “She’s a good person and my son loved their family. I didn’t see anything wrong with her wanting to step in and help me. It helped guide and mold him into what he is today.
“She wanted the best for him as if Traivon was her own son. She didn’t treat him any different. I was very protective of my kids, so for me to say it was OK, just the vibe I got from her, and from the time we spent together I felt as though it would be a good idea.”
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