re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The second practice of Under Armour All-America week is in the books. The all-star game features over 90 of the top football prospects in the nation. 247Sports brings you the top performers from the second workout of the week.

ALPHA DOG

Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep five-star offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere roared back with a stellar performance Monday after solid showing during the first workout of the week. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Petit-Frere played much more aggression during the second practice and used his elite athleticism to stymie pass rushers. One of Petit-Frere’s highlight plays was when he slung Alabama defensive end signee to the ground. The potential that Petit-Frere showed on Monday is why 247Sports ranks him as the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle.

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TOP FIVE ON DEFENSE

1. DE Eyabi Anoma: Once the scrimmage portion of the practice rolled around, the Alabama signee started to make his presence felt. The five-star recruit used his elite speed off the edge to consistently disrupt the offense. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Anoma is clearly the most athletic defensive lineman in the game.


2. CB Trey Dean: It was another strong performance for the Florida signee, who was able to come up with an interception. Through two days of practice, it’s clear Dean is not afraid to mix it up with receivers, which resulted in a fight on Monday. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound prospect’s length certainly helps when in coverage.


3. CB Olaijah Griffin: The former UCLA commit certainly made a case for the top overall defensive back on Monday, nipping at Dean’s heals. The California native had his own interception as well as pass breakups on the day. Griffin’s quickness and aggressive play gives receivers fits trying to shake free.


4. S Quindarious Monday: The Auburn signee brings good size to the back end of the defense at 6-foot-3, 190-pounder, and it helped during the second practice. Monday recorded a pair of interceptions on the day. The Georgia native looks to be at his best when allow to read and react in the secondary.


5. DE Jayson Oweh: The Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy product took over a portion of the scrimmage on Monday. Oweh, a 6-foot-5, 235-pounder known for his pass rushing ability, did an excellent job stuffing run after run. New to football, Oweh is another with plenty of upside moving forward.

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NEXT FIVE ON OFFENSE

1. OT Nicholas Petit-Frere: The five-star out of Florida continued play at a high-level on Tuesday. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Petit-Frere is an elite athlete at left tackle that can handle speed rushes and can reset quickly to stuff counter moves. Petit-Frere continues to play with high-energy and aggression throughout the day.


2. RB Ricky Slade: The Penn State signee was simply unstoppable during one-on-one drills against linebackers. Exploding out of his breaks, Slade left defenders in his wake as he continued to get open down the field for big gains in the passing game. The Virginia native is at his best when allowed to work in space.


3. TE Brevin Jordan: It was another consistent day for the Miami signee that is the most natural pass catcher in the tight end group. Jordan had a highlight reel catch during red zone work where he went high above safety BJ Foster for a very impressive touchdown catch. Jordan is a serious weapon in the passing attack.


4. WR Anthony Schwartz: The speedy track start had his best day of the week on Tuesday, which included perhaps the day’s best play. Schwartz went over the top of cornerback Chandler Jones in the corner of the end zone on a fade to snatch the ball for the score. Schwartz earlier used a nifty double move to shake free for a long touchdown in one-on-ones.


5. RB Maurice Washington: The Texas native put up another strong day as he blew past linebackers during one-on-one passing drills. The 6-foot, 175-pound has great burst, which certainly noticeable when he runs routes.

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Other Notes…

— Tucker (Ga.) offensive tackle Dylan Wonnum was impressive during his one-on-one reps and followed that up with a strong scrimmage performance. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound four-star has quietly had one of the better weeks of the offensive linemen.


— Phenix City (Ala.) Central four-star wide receiver Justyn Ross continues to impress during one-on-ones. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound target is able to create separation to give his quarterbacks easy throws.


— Gardena (Calif.) Serra four-star linebacker Merlin Robertson made a few plays in coverage on Tuesday. The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder is known more for his ability to stuff the run, so it was surprising to see how well he stuck to running backs out of the backfield.


— Minnesota offensive tackle signee Daniel Faalele had his best day of the week Tuesday as the 6-foot-8, 400-pound prospect began to win his fair share of one-on-one reps. The massive tackle is another that’s new to the game and still developing.


— Baylor cornerback signee BJ Hanspard registered a solid performance. The Texas native was able to get his hands on a few passes.

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3. Joey Gatewood

Gatewood had his best day of the week on Tuesday, despite windy conditions in Orlando. Physically he is gifted, with a huge frame, muscular legs and a strong arm, but he had struggled with consistency. Today he looked more relaxed and patient as he went through his progressions more naturally and smoothly. His arm strength was also showcased on a few occasions as his ball was able to cut through the wind as other quarterbacks continued to struggle. While the comparisons to Cam Newton that the Auburn signee has received for years are a bit premature, there is no questioning his potential.

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1. Sights and sounds from practice field, Day 3


Day 3 of practice was held in much better conditions than rainy Day 2, but the wind was still a factor. Here are some thoughts from Day 3.

The quarterbacks looked a bit better today despite the windy conditions, although Florida signee Emory Jones still struggled. I can’t figure out what’s wrong with Jones, but his feet are the main culprit as his footwork is inconsistent. He’s either overstriding and sailing the ball or not stepping into his throw and skipping it in the dirt. And on short passes, the Florida signee isn’t showing much touch. He got more reps today because Jacob Sirmon was injured and sat out practice, but it didn’t seem to help.

The other quarterback on his team, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, had a much better day. In fact it was the UCLA commitment’s best day yet as he looked solid for the most part throwing from the pocket and on the run. On the other side of the field, Adrian Martinez remains the most consistent quarterback, Joey Gatewood (Auburn) showed more patience today while Jack West continued to struggle.

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And here are five guys I’ve been disappointed in so far (again, my opinion only and not that of the entire analyst team).

DE Jordan Davis – As a top 50 national player, I expected to see domination from the outside and he’s been bottled up for the most part except for a couple of exceptional plays. He has not dominated as I had anticipated.

DB BJ Foster – He had a great interception on Day 3, but he’s struggled in coverage otherwise and has been a step too slow compared to other defensive backs.

QB Emory Jones – The one-time five-star quarterback has really struggled all week long and doesn’t look like the same guy we scouted a year ago for whatever reason. His senior season was solid, but he hasn’t taken a step forward like some others in this class.

DE Brenton Cox – As with Davis, I expected a potential five-star performance but I haven’t seen that yet. He’s done more than Davis overall but still hasn’t reached the level I had hoped this week.

WR Alontae Taylor – We have him listed as an athlete and for good reason because he’s athletic as heck and gets open when he wants, but it’s so frustrating to see so many dropped passes.

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SAN ANTONIO - For weeks it looked like Rivals250 Mountain Brook, Ala., athlete/running back Harold Joiner was headed towards an LSU commitment. From Joiner's perspective, the Tigers made it clear that he was a priority, with head coach Ed Orgeron doing an in-home visit with Joiner just prior to the start of the dead period.

If things had gone to plan, Joiner was planning on announcing his commitment to the Tigers during Saturday's Army Bowl. But over the past few weeks, things have unraveled, and now Joiner is left re-evaluating his options.

"LSU is out," Joiner said following Monday's practice. "I tried to reach out to them during the early signing period to find out what the plan was but I haven't heard back from anyone. I guess that's not going to happen anymore."

With the Tigers off the table, many have assumed Ole Miss will be the team to beat, but Joiner was non-committal about the Rebels standing in his recruitment. Instead he mentioned Auburn and UCLA as the schools most likely to get official visits between now and Signing Day.

"I'm trying to set one up with Auburn for Jan. 12," Joiner said. "I'll probably go to UCLA the following weekend."

The Tigers obviously have appeal to Joiner considering he's an Alabama native and he said he grew up admiring the school during its run to a national championship in 2010-11.

"When I was a kid I just liked whoever was winning," Joiner said. "And that's when Auburn had Cam (Newton) and all of them so that was a fun team to watch and root for."

Joiner said he's had regular talks with the Tigers coaches and is waiting to see how things go on the upcoming visit so he can see how and if he fits into Auburn's plans.

"They've always showed me a lot of energy and attention," Joiner said.

As far as UCLA, they have been in the mix for sometime and Joiner said that running backs coach DeShaun Foster is a big reason for that.

"Coach Foster has always been texting me and staying on me through everything," Joiner said. "He was a big back like me and he said that's what he likes to recruit."

Joiner said he's open to leaving the south the play in the Pac-12, but much of that will depend on how he feels after his official visit.

"I could see myself going far from home," he said. "But I have to see how I like it when I'm out there and how I could potentially fit into that program."

Joiner added he's anticipating not making a decision on a commitment until Feb. 7.

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