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

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4-star DT Coynis Miller, Jackson-Olin (Ala.)

Ranking: No. 23 defensive tackle, No. 8 in Alabama, No. 263 overall

Skinny: Miller has been recruited by Auburn for the better part of two years now. Contact with the Tigers’ staff initiated when Auburn began its recruitment of 2016 signee Tadarian Moultry, a close friend and former high school teammate of Miller. All Garner needed was one look at Miller’s 6-4, 295-pound frame to know he was SEC ready at defensive tackle.

Since then, all of Auburn’s top competitors — Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Michigan and others — got in on the fun.

Miller’s decision isn’t finalized yet, but the common belief is that it’s an Auburn-Alabama battle. Those two programs are recruiting him hard. He grew up an Alabama fan. His parents’ fandoms are split between the Iron Bowl rivalry. Also of note, another person close to Miller’s recruitment has told SEC Country that Miller is much more likely to go out of state than Moultry was.

Still, Auburn and Alabama are the likely landing spots for now. They both want Miller badly.

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4-star OLB JJ Peterson, Colquitt County (Ga.)

Ranking: No. 1 outside linebacker, No. 6 in Georgia, No. 49 overall

Skinny: Peterson is the top outside linebacker in the 2018 class, which means every top Southeastern program wants him in its class. He hasn’t reveled much in the early going of his recruitment, but Auburn is certainly in the mix.

There is only one prediction on the 247Sports Crystal Ball. That goes to Florida, but Peterson’s recruitment is wide open.

Here’s what Auburn has going for it.

One, Williams is one of the top linebacker recruiters in the nation, and he’s looking to improve on an impressive 2017 linebacker class. Two, there is prior history between Peterson’s high school coach Rush Propst and Auburn’s staff, most notably new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. An OC isn’t usually a huge player in a linebacker’s recruitment, but relationships are everything in recruiting, so it will likely help.

Lastly, Peterson hasn’t said much about his recruitment, but whenever he does, Auburn is almost always mentioned.

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4-star OLB Quay Walker, Crisp County (Ga.)

Ranking: No. 14 outside linebacker, No. 21 in Georgia, No. 226 overall

Skinny: When Auburn signed Markaviest “Big Cat” Bryant on National Signing Day, it was considered a win. As much as it was a victory by adding the 4-star pass rusher, it also was good news with 2018 linebacker target Quay Walker.

Walker and Bryant are teammates, but more importantly, they’re close friends. The tandem has been on recruiting visits together since Walker was a freshman. They’ve seen most of the top schools in the Southeast together. So, when Bryant somewhat surprisingly chose Auburn, attention immediately turned to Walker, who was believed by many to be a 2-for-1 deal with Bryant.

Walker has downplayed the you-got-him, you-get-me narrative, but he hasn’t shied away from his continued love for the Tigers. Walker is at or near the top of Williams’ linebackers wish list.

The feeling, for now, is mutual.

“At the end of the day, I’m going to go where I think it’s the best fit for me. At the same time, it kinda played a big role where Markaviest went,” Walker said. “Y’all know I want to play with him.”

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Quay Walker is a South Georgia kid. He’s not the sort that picks a school based on the way the wind might be whipping through Cordele today.

That in and of itself usually seems to come with a blue collar mindset and a fanatical work ethic. But Walker has never seemed the type of kid that locks onto a school based on the way the wind might be whipping through Cordele any given day.

It might read like that, but that’s not it for the nation’s No. 14 OLB.

The 4-star recruit out of Crisp County seemed to favor Georgia at the Rising Seniors event back in December. That was traced to his interest in the state school, the mutual interest he was getting from the Bulldogs and the feeling his close friend and teammate Markaviest “Big Cat” Bryant was trending toward Athens at that time.

His teammates harped on the fact Walker was usually wearing Georgia gear at the Rising Seniors game.

But then Bryant’s eyes turned toward LSU and then Auburn. When “Big Cat” signed with Auburn on National Signing Day, the tea leaves were trending for Walker to head that way, too.

Walker said that Auburn linebackers coach Travis Williams was recruiting him with a fury that would’ve played well in a Red Bull commercial.

But Alabama and Florida are now working harder for Walker than Auburn and Georgia.

“I don’t have any leader right now,” Walker have. “But I do have top schools right now that I am getting ready to drop in a minute.”

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Quay Walker’s SEC phases

Was it right to say that Walker was thinking Auburn was going to be the place after his friend signed with the Tigers? Was that legit?

“It was,” Walker said. “It basically was. But at the same time that was mixed feelings for me. I basically got caught up in all of that.”

When that happened, Walker was getting messages every day from Williams.

“That wasn’t happening for me like that with any other schools then,” he said. “It was something that was sticking with me. I was stuck on what he was telling me.”

That has changed. Others schools have offered. More schools have “triggered in” on him. Which school is on him the hardest?

“That’s Alabama there,” Walker said. “No doubt about that.”

Walker basically rattles off the defensive staff when discussing his relationships with the Tide. Defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley serves as his primary recruiter.

“I get on the phone and I talk to coach (Nick) Saban, (Alabama defensive coordinator) coach (Jeremy) Pruitt and I talk to the outside linebackers coach (Tosh Lupoi) a lot,” Walker said. “I talk to all those guys. I went down there on a visit and they told me everybody and they showed me that I was one of the top recruits they were trying to get in.”

“They show me everything,” Walker said. “They show me how explosive I am and can play a big role by coming in and playing early.”

Walker will not enroll early in January of 2018.

He also felt very strongly about Florida, too. Alabama and Florida continue to be the two schools which recruit him the hardest at this time.

“Florida is very high with me, too,” he said. “They are right behind Alabama or probably neck-and-neck right with Alabama. Florida is right there, too.”

The Gators hit him up with their strong pitch from offensive line coach Brad Davis and that message goes all the way down the staff.

“Florida has always been like that with me,” Walker said.

When he drops that list of top schools, it will likely contain Alabama, Auburn, Florida LSU and Georgia. But there will be more than that.

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How do you see Harold Joiner fitting into this Tigers offense? (@DrewChamplin)

Drew, of course, is referencing one of the six running backs that LSU has offered since naming Tommie Robinson its running backs coach and recruiting coordinator.

Robinson is in the midst of pursuing elite national talent in Florida, Alabama, Texas and even Ohio over the past month. He lured Joiner onto campus on March 10 before the 3-star running back left with an offer in hand.

When SEC Country caught up with the Alabama tailback, Joiner explained how Robinson envisioned using him in the LSU offense:

“The coaches said I could be starting my freshman year. I feel like I can replace Guice after he leaves.”
So, to answer your question, Drew, how would Joiner fit?

Joiner’s video shows he can play out of a shotgun offense, which is essential in Matt Canada‘s scheme. Joiner also can change direction with ease, catch passes out of the backfield and run over would-be defenders. The latter comes naturally with such dynamic size.

He would be an absolutely terrific fit in LSU’s new-look offense. His 6-foot-3, 218-pound frame doesn’t hinder his ability to do anything you’d expect out of a three-down back. In fact, if anything, I’m confident he could absorb blows better than most tailbacks the Tigers are recruiting, which is essential when you’re lining up against defenses such as Alabama and Florida.

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Auburn is a major player for 4-star receiver target Matthew Hill of Snellville (Ga.) Brookwood. There is little doubt about that.

He grew up a Tigers fan. He is extremely close with the coaching staff.

“They’re great over there,” Hill said. “Coach (Gus) Malzahn, he’s a great guy. And he’s very honest. So if you say you want to play receiver and he doesn’t think you’re a receiver he’s going to tell you. With receivers coach Kodi Burns, he’s a young guy so I know he knows what he’s talking about because he just came out of college football. He’s going to know the development that we need to have to go to the next level.”

The 6-feet-2, 175-pound Hill is the No. 28 receiver nationally in the 247Sports Composite. He’s also a major Auburn target.
Hill most recently visited the Tigers in January.

Florida, Florida State, South Carolina and Tennessee are among the other programs also heavily in the mix.

With the Tigers, Hill seems excited about the future of the offense.

“They definitely told me they’re going to become a passing team because of the new quarterback they’re getting,” Hill said. “With the new quarterback coming in they said he’s going to be a good (player). He’s going to impact the team a lot.”

According to Hill, he hopes to be on campus again soon.

“They want me to get up there for the spring game and maybe a practice or two,” Hill said. “And I think they want me up there for a camp.”

When might a commitment come for Hill?

“I hope to be committed definitely before the season starts,” Hill said.

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Cynicism isn’t difficult to manufacture when it comes to recruiting news.

High praise is the norm and the talking points seem rehearsed. Every player loved his visit. Every school has a family atmosphere. Every prospect can see himself playing for every coach. It’s the land of high-fives, fist bumps and bro-hugs.

Everything is always perfect … unless it’s not.

The awkward moments and off-putting experiences are often glossed over in favor of discussing facilities or uniforms or something of the sort. There are, of course, reasons for this – plenty of them actually - but that doesn’t mean the eye roll-inducing part of the process doesn’t exist.

Even Rivals100 prospects such as Amari Gainer have lived through it.

“I went somewhere for a visit and got there a little late, and the whole thing was weird from there,” Gainer said. “The coaches, like, didn’t talk to me. It was a weird visit from there. I was pretty much on my own. It felt weird.”

The incidents are by no means isolated. In the last few weeks alone, Ohio State recently sent four-star wide receiver target Jacob Copeland a piece of recruiting mail addressed to “Jason Copeland.” Then there’s the Justin Watkins situation, which the Rivals100 athlete says resulted in his flip from Florida State to Texas earlier this month.

“Some coaches seem, like, stuck up,” Watkins said. “It’s like they don’t want to talk to you. Then, with Florida State they would come but seem in a rush to leave. I never even got a chance to talk to [head coach] Jimbo [Fisher]. One day, I was at lunch and they called me to get me to talk to Jimbo. They told me that he was ready to talk to me. So I called him back, then they tell me that he had left campus already and couldn’t talk.”

Watkins’ flip wasn’t the result of awkwardness or missed connections, though. There’s also a dispute over just where FSU wanted to play him. Watkins is adamant about playing wide receiver in college and will do so at Texas. And while those close to the FSU program says the plan was always to allow the four-star athlete to play wideout, Watkins disputes that narrative.

According to him, the things he was seeing from FSU painted a very different picture of the future. The positional sticking point isn’t unique to Watkins and FSU. It happens among dozens of programs and prospects each year. The situation here just serves as a recent example.

“They would always just try to push me off to the defensive backs coach,” Watkins said. “I would want to talk to Jimbo or talk to the wide receivers coach, but they always came at me with the defensive coaches.”

The relationship between coach and prospect is inherently awkward, after all. Attempting to persuade a teenager to attend a school he’s sometimes never heard of is no simple task.

The process isn’t a string of smooth sales pitches. Not by a long shot.

“There are these quiet moments… and they happen a lot,” said three-star offensive lineman Nick Lewis, who holds offers from Missouri, Iowa State, Colorado State and others. “Some coaches just look at you and it’s weird. You just look back. You’re sitting there looking at each other and nobody talks. That’s the weirdest part probably.”

Recruiting will continue to string along half-truths. Players don’t like taking shots at their potential future homes, and coaches are outlawed from publicly telling their sides of most stories.

Publicly, visits will always be “an 11 on a 1-to-10 scale,” but the truth will almost always exist somewhere in the middle.

“One of my visits, I went to a school and the coach touring me kept saying I'll be stupid if I don't commit,” said Rivals250 athlete Gregory Rousseau. "He actually told me I won't make an impact anywhere else. I didn’t like that very much.”

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