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

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Montgomery (Ala.) Lanier High defensive line recruit Alfred Thomas has been racking up offers of late. The quiet four-star told me what he thinks of Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Louisville, Missouri, and North Carolina, and revealed an early leader.

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Let’s get caught up on some movers and shakers in the college football recruit rankings. As a refresher, college football recruit rankings are excellent on the whole. I’d put them up against NFL draft evaluations, within the perspective of the tough variables impacting them.

But early college football ratings are not good because of the unique combination of players growing and maturing (thanks puberty) and evaluators having limited time to assess a limited sample set. Still, it’s good to see that the rankings are quite fluid early in the process, as they should be.

Let’s discuss some of the moves, and why they happened.

Receiver Khalil Shakir, of Murrieta (Calif.) Vista went from No. 1048 overall to No. 471 on the 247Sports Composite, a blend of the four major rankings (Rivals, Scout, 247Sports, and ESPN). The reason for the move is Scout’s bold position, making Shakir a four-star prospect, No. 220 overall, and the No. 40 receiver. People complain about rankings, and everyone has their favorite evaluating service. But I trust Scout West of the Rockies above everyone else due to its track record. Colorado has offered.

RB Tavion Thomas went from No. 433 overall to No. 278. The Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar prospect has great size at 6’2 and 225 pounds. Ohio State has offered, and most expect him to end up there. 247Sports and Scout are high on Thomas, while Rivals rates him three stars, and ESPN has yet to give him a grade.

Eyabi Anoma, a defensive end from Baltimore (Md.) St. Francis Academy made a big jump, going from No. 120 to 51. ESPN is taking a bold early position, ranking him the No. 8 prospect — not at his position, but nationally.

Defensive end Joseph Ossai went from No. 344 to No. 253. The 6’4, 217-pound Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge pass rusher has great athleticism, and he impressed me on a cold day at the Houston Nike Opening Camp. 247Sports is the high man on Ossai, at No. 148 nationally. Texas A&M seems like the smart money, but he also has added offers from Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State, Baylor, and Oklahoma State since early February.

As a reflection of just how truly early it is in the recruiting rating process, see Orlando (Fla.) Jones corner Sevyn Banks. The brother of former Florida Gators standout Marcell Harris, Banks rose from No. 525 to No. 314 this week. At 6’1 and 180 pounds, only three players (out of thousands tested) have posted a higher Nike rating (formerly known as a SPARQ score) than Banks’ 128.6. That is some freakish athleticism.

Scout made the aggressive move, ranking Banks at No. 290 and the No. 25 corner nationally. Rivals and ESPN are yet to even give him a rating. I’m not criticizing those outlets, as it’s better to wait and get things right than it is to throw out stars early and retract. But examples like this, where a prospect has size, athleticism, and a famous brother, yet has no rating from 50 percent of the industry, are why I like to wait a few more months before truly putting stock into recruiting rankings.

As a general rule, though, it’s safe to assume that players rated early on in the top 50 nationally are elite. The reason is that the rating services are conservative with their ratings in the early goings, and they do not want to end up with egg on their faces if they later have to drop a kid a few hundred spots. The converse is not necessarily true, however; a player with a low rating or no rating at this stage in the process does not necessarily indicate a lack of ability or potential.

I also really liked the moves of California safety Bryan Addison from 317 to 228, Texas receiver Tommy Bush from 311 to 245, and California receiver Devon Williams from 327 to 139. All three are tall, elite athletes who also perform well on the field.

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NFA 7v7 Southeast Regional Championship Tournament

BRADENTON, Fla. — In late March, I had the opportunity to take in about 25 games at the NFA 7v7 Southeastern Regional Championship held at IMG Academy and came away with many observations and recruiting notes for Crootletter subscribers and SB Nation readers.

Note that 25 games is only a fraction of the total number played, and I can only watch two at a time. (Fields are 40 yards, so two games take place per football field simultaneously.) It’s also worth noting that being good at 7v7 is not necessarily an indicator of being good at actual football. There is no hitting, and there are no pads or linemen. On the flip side, being bad at 7v7, especially for the quarterback or receiver position, is a red flag to me.

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Miami picks up Mark Pope

In a surprise to nobody, Miami picked up Mark Pope, of Miami (Fla.) Southridge Monday. Pope is an excellent four-star receiver prospect. I think he has a high floor (low chance he busts).

Pope shows good deep and short skills in the video I made of him. He was largely unchecked in the tournament.

The Hurricanes also grabbed four-star safety Gurvan Hall. Despite Nick Saban visiting Hall on a helicopter, this, too, was expected.

Hall, who has been a staple for Palm Beach Lakes defense over the last two years, was named a 1st team All-State player in Florida’s 7A classification. Hall starred for Lakes at both Safety and Receiver, but his future is most decidedly on the defensive side of the ball. Miami has been building a relationship with Hall for quite some time, and that obviously paid off with today’s commitment.

Miami is putting together an elite class, as I discussed with Richard Johnson in a recent episode of the College Football Recruiting Podcast.

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Big Mountain Brook running back Harold Joiner recently had an "unofficial" top three of Auburn, LSU and Ole Miss.

But he had not yet received an offer from Alabama.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Joiner earned that from Alabama when he made a trip to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday. Joiner is a four-star recruit in the 247Sports composite and made a jump up to No. 54 nationally in the 247Sports individual rankings.

So the Alabama offer - and an anticipated upcoming offer from Georgia - has expanded things. Joiner said his top five now includes Alabama and Georgia along with LSU, Ole Miss and Auburn.

Joiner stressed that the new top five is "unofficial." More offers could be coming for a running back that has a lot of potential, his coach says.

Alabama has a running back committed in Bainbridge, Ga., four-star Dameon Pierce, but he has not visited Tuscaloosa in several months.

Joiner's size is similar to many running backs Alabama has signed over the years, including Derrick Henry, Bo Scarbrough and Najee Harris.

Joiner was offered as an athlete, he said. He is still just 16 and could grow into another position, like receiver.

"It's exciting," Joiner said. "They're always a great program. Running game is always good. And I'm just excited about this offer."

Joiner is now up to at least 22 offers, including the likes of Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, UCLA, South Carolina and many other power 5 programs.

Joiner rushed for 744 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior and caught nine passes for 180 yards and two scores for the Spartans.

Joiner said he will "probably" be in Auburn this weekend for its spring game.

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2019 DB from Georgia has early Auburn love

There is something special about that first offer.

At least that’s how 2019 defensive back Jalen Alexander from Grayson (Ga.) feels. He only has one so far, and because of that, that program will have a supreme advantage when the rest of the college scene comes to its senses.

That program, for Alexander, is Auburn.

“It feels great to get that first offer from a big school like Auburn. It just motivates me to grind harder and stay focused on my grind and get better,” Alexander said. “That means a lot to me because I know a lot of schools have been saying that Jalen is too skinny and we’ve got to wait. When Auburn pulled that trigger it really motivated me. Now I can really get back to the grind.”

Alexander made his second trip to the Plains on Saturday, but it’s been a while since his first. He visited the Tigers two seasons ago for an Auburn-Ole Miss game at Jordan-Hare Stadium when Travaris Robinson was defensive backs coach.

Since then, the 6-foot, 160-pound cornerback has picked up recruiting momentum, including the recent offer from Auburn. Alexander said he thinks South Carolina and Clemson are the next schools closest to pulling the trigger, but he has received interest from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and others as well.

The Tigers will have an edge even when those schools offer.

“I seen how they practice, how their coaches interact in practice. I seen how the coaches are so interactive with the kids and how they love them and love to protect them and feed them and stuff like that,” Alexander said. “What stands out to me is how much the coaches actually care for their players, how they treat them even when it doesn’t have anything to do with football. It’s how they treat them. They want to take care of them and protect them. It’s just family.”

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DT target continues wait for offer

Alfred Thomas recently released a top-8 list. Auburn didn’t make the list. The Tigers still haven’t offered the 4-star defensive tackle from Lanier (Ala.) who has said — of all the offers he doesn’t hold yet — Auburn is the one he hopes to eventually get.

But Thomas knows he can’t wait forever on Auburn, so he made a list of eight schools who have offered: Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Louisville, Mississippi State and North Carolina State.

How does Thomas feel about the Auburn wait?

“It bothers me a little, but then again, I understand it,” Thomas told SEC Country. “It’s just part of it. … I perceive it as they’re just waiting on somebody else. If I get the offer, they’ll still have a chance, though.”

Rodney Garner has plenty of options on the defensive line this cycle, and the Tigers will bring in a relatively large class. But Auburn continues to play it patient with the 6-foot-1, 270-pound defensive tackle who grew up an Auburn fan.

Thomas has been on campus as recently as the March junior day, but he’s unsure when he plans to return.

He talks to Auburn at least on a weekly basis. Most of that communication is through Twitter.

“This offer would mean a lot,” Thomas said in March. “I’ve been wanting this offer since the ninth grade. It’d be great if I could get it.”

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Larry Porter won’t shy away from anyone on the recruiting trail.

The new Auburn tight ends coach — and perhaps more importantly, the new recruiting coordinator — arrived on the Plains with a big-time reputation. Through stints at LSU, Texas, Memphis, Arizona State and North Carolina, Porter established himself as one of the nation’s best recruiters.

In his move to Auburn, Porter will go head-to-head with the nation’s most established recruiting program. He doesn’t see it that way.

“Well I don’t necessarily see it as a challenge. It’s my job. Whether it’s Alabama or USC or Michigan or whoever. It’s my job. I love my job, whether it’s recruiting, whether it’s coaching, it doesn’t matter. I never kind of approached it that way,” Porter said. “If it’s you and I versus a kid, I’ve got to find a way to win. I could care less of who you are. … but I’ve recruited against Nick (Saban) before. I was at LSU once. So this is not new to me. That doesn’t — I don’t get caught up in that.”

Porter has twice been named the National Recruiter of the Year by Rivals.com (2007 and 2009). That included his last season at LSU, which was the last time a non-Saban program held the No. 1 spot in the team rankings. He hopes to re-establish that elite-level recruiting at Auburn.

The Tigers aren’t hurting on the recruiting trail. Under the Gus Malzahn regime, Auburn has finished 10th, 6th, 8th, 9th and 9th. That’s consistent top-10 success despite the only real on-field production coming in the 2013 season (just before the No. 6 finish).

Porter saw that kind of recruiting production and felt Auburn was on the fast track to a national-title push, hence his decision to join the Tigers’ staff.

Now he knows the onus is on him to make the consistent top-10 finish a consistent top-5 finish.

“It’s my job. And so much of recruiting in terms of when it comes to kids is all about the presentation, you know? It really is. And so the most important thing for me coming here to Auburn is to figure out the things that I can sell that are real when they get to campus they can feel, they can see and they can want to embrace,” Porter said.

Porter’s recruiting hotbeds will be Florida, Georgia and Louisiana. Those states have been Porter’s bread and butter since he became a superstar in the recruiting circuit.

Porter will recruit where he feels comfortable — and where he has seen proven success.

“I feel totally comfortable with anywhere in the south,” Porter said. “That’s kind of natural to me, and just my background, my experiences throughout the world of recruiting. There’s certain places you go for certain types of players and we’re kind of looking at that as well. We’ll tap into different markets.”

What pushes Porter to recruit better than his counterparts?

“Well one I think the fear of just being outworked. You go to bed at night just always trying to figure out ways to always get an advantage on anybody you’re recruiting against,” Porter said. “Two, I think you’ve got to have great people skills. You also have to build trust with the people that you’re recruiting and the families you’re recruiting. And that just simply comes through communication and I’m not trying to go out and be someone that I’m not.”

At the end of the day, Porter knows recruiting the state of Alabama is what makes or breaks a class.

That brings the Saban element back into the discussion. With the Crimson Tide constantly at No. 1, there is a stigma out there that Auburn must wait to snag Alabama’s backup plans. Aside from the fact that’s a skewed reality, Porter said Auburn can’t think that way if it’s going to emerge as one of the top recruiting programs in the nation.

And he won’t.

“Alabama can’t sign but 25 of them, period. And I don’t quite know their recruiting footprint now, I just now that in the state of Alabama every player that’s available that we feel like will put us in position to win championships, we’re going to pursue them — regardless of who’s recruiting them,” Porter said. “Pressure is self-imposed. And the bottom line is regardless of where you are nowadays, if you don’t win, they fire you. Kind of how it works, right? So I’m going to go out and recruit.”

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4* WR Dominick Blaylock

AU visit: "This is my third time to visit Auburn. I liked watching them practice. It was a good experience for me."

AU WR coach Kodi Burns: "I like him a lot. He’s a good receivers coach. I did not know he played here, but it was cool to meet him for the first time."

Auburn: "I like it a lot. I like their facilities, the academics, the campus, the coaching staff and how long they are going to stay here. I’ll probably be back in the summer. I might come back (for A-Day). Auburn is probably one of my top three right now: Georgia, Clemson and Auburn."

Commitment: "I’m probably going to know where I’m going to commit this summer, and I'll announce it later on. The most important things are the academics, how good the team is, the coaches and how long they’ll stay."

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