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

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Honestly don't know. 3* LB Michael Harris says T-WILL told him his 2 guys are Harris and McClain. Have to think Walker tho is somewhere near the top. We will see what happens

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Just prior to the spring game, coach Gus Malzahn and offensive line coach Herb Hand detoured from pregame stretches to chat with a pair of recruits who stood head-and-shoulders above the rest.

A combination of 578 pounds, 2019 offensive linemen Clay Webb and Pierce Quick were attached at the hip on the sideline of A-Day. Malzahn and Hand ventured over for some special-treatment, 1-on-1 time with the rising junior prospects, who are 2 of the most coveted offensive linemen in the entire 2019 class.

The players are ranked the No. 1 and No. 2 overall prospects in the state of Alabama for the 2019 class, according to 247Sports. Webb, from Oxford (Ala.), holds the top spot and ranks at No. 37 overall in the nation. Quick, from Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.), is second in Alabama and No. 106 among all 2019 prospects.

Malzahn approves.

“I like these 2,” Malzahn shouted across the field at Hand as they marched over to Webb and Quick.

Those 2 offensive line targets have been coupled together for a few weeks now. Both were standouts at the Nike Opening camp in Atlanta last month. The following week, they both received invitations to the Under Armour Future 50 camp along with another Auburn target, quarterback Bo Nix.

Could all 3 end up at the same school?

They’ve talked about it with one another, though it’s too early for all to decide. If they do land at the same place, there is a good chance it will be great news for Auburn or Alabama and devastating news for the other.

Here’s the latest on each standout offensive linemen.

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4-star G Clay Webb, Oxford (Ala.)

Unlike Quick, Webb has been on the recruiting scene even before he stepped on a high school football field.

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound lineman garnered attention from Mississippi State as an eighth grader when the Bulldogs came to scout one of his then-teammates. That exposure earned Webb invites to camps at all of the nation’s top programs, which has transitioned into offers from every nameable program.

While all programs chase him, there are really only 2 that will contend for his services.

“Auburn and Alabama. That’s where I feel comfortable,” Webb said.

Webb is seen as an Alabama lean early on, but he said he hasn’t narrowed his preferences whatsoever. Different from most Alabama prospects, Webb has an interesting story regarding his childhood fandom.

“It’s kind of really weird. When I grew up, I really couldn’t cheer for one team. I just liked good matchups. There was nothing better than the Alabama-Auburn Iron Bowl game,” Webb said. “It was always a top game, good rivalry.”

That’s a big reason why he expects to end up on 1 side of it when his college recruitment ends.

The Crimson Tide see Webb as a center, something he hasn’t played in high school. In fact, he has never played center at any level. That doesn’t scare him off. It just encourages him to fine-tune a new craft: “I guess I’ll just learn how to snap,” he said.

Auburn hasn’t explicitly labeled his position, but the Tigers like him as an interior lineman as well.

If the Tigers have an edge over the Crimson Tide, it will be because of the relationships.

“I just love the people there,” Webb said. “The coaches and players are so nice and friendly. It just feels like home. … Coach Hand reminds me a lot of a coach I used to have that I loved from high school who retired.”

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The Iron Bowl may still be seven months away, but the rivalry’s in-state recruiting battles are in full swing.

Alabama and Auburn dominate the state’s recruiting efforts. Since 2013, only 8 of the 50 players ranked top 10 in the state each year landed somewhere other than Alabama and Auburn (one of those eight was then-Ole Miss commit Austin Golson who now starts for Auburn). The Crimson Tide and the Tigers fight for in-state recruiting positioning on a yearly basis.

Alabama has had a clear edge — over Auburn and everyone else — this decade, with the Crimson Tide cruising to the No. 1 team ranking every year since 2011. In that time, Auburn has averaged roughly 8th nationally, and that time frame only includes one non-top-10 finish.

Both programs have work to do in the 2018 cycle. Alabama sits at No. 24 in the team rankings with only four commits. Auburn comes in ahead of that at No. 15 and 6 commits.

The fun is just beginning.

Of the state’s top 30 prospects, only 3 prospects — Jack West (Stanford), Kameron Stutts (Auburn) and Kolbi Fuqua (Auburn) — have made a college decision. That leaves more than two dozen in-state prospects up for grabs in a cycle loaded with in-state talent.

There are 14 prospects from the Yellowhammer State ranked inside the top 500 nationally, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

No. 22 Justyn Ross
No. 95 Jalyn Armour-Davis
No. 97 Jack West
No. 147 Seth Williams
No. 209 Tank Jenkins
No. 218 Myles Mason
No. 226 Asa Martin
No. 246 Coynis Miller
No. 272 Alfred Thomas
No. 286 Nathaniel Watson
No. 301 Harold Joiner
No. 423 Jacquez Jones
No. 482 Shedrick Jackson
No. 484 Kameron Stutts

That brings us to the topic of the hour: the recruiting round-trip through Alabama with SEC Country Alabama recruiting reporter Chris Kirschner and SEC Country Auburn recruiting reporter Benjamin Wolk.

Kirschner and Wolk are less than 24 hours from embarking on a weeklong journey from Auburn-to-Birmingham-to-Hunstville-to-Montgomery-to-Mobile-to-Auburn for a full-scale update on the state’s top recruiting talent. The SEC Country tandem will feed readers all the scoop on many of the top-500 targets listed above, as well as a few others ranked outside that range.

Make sure to check back on a daily basis for all the latest news from the recruiting roundtrip.

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Day 1 on the road took us from Auburn through Birmingham to Hunstville.

Alabama recruiting reporter Chris Kirschner and Auburn recruiting reporter Benjamin Wolk launched the journey from Central High School in Phenix City, Ala. A slight Easter Monday audible — no school in a few Birmingham districts — forced us to reschedule with 4-star Jackson-Olin defensive tackle Coynis Miller and 4-star safety Myles Mason for Wednesday.

Hoover High wide receiver Shedrick Jackson and Mountain Brook running back Harold Joiner became the focus of today’s Birmingham excursion. Both prospects are major wants for Auburn and targets who could receive a growing interest from Alabama.

Check out the quick-hitter of what we learned from these three prospects. Come back later in the week for more detailed updates from Ross, Jackson and Joiner.

Programming note: We will be in the Huntsville area Tuesday before returning to Birmingham to gather more of the area’s top recruiting targets Tuesday evening before heading to Montgomery for the night.

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3-star WR Shedrick Jackson, Hoover

Kirschner: Mostly everyone assumes that Bo Jackson’s nephew is automatically going to Auburn after picking up an offer from the Tigers. That’s not the case with Jackson. In fact, he says he wants to wait until his senior season ends to make a decision. To me, that sounds like someone who doesn’t know where he wants to go just yet. From talking with him, not only has Auburn made an impression on him, but also Georgia Tech. He likes the academic prestige the Yellow Jackets have to offer.

Wolk: Yes, Jackson is Bo’s nephew. But that’s not how he wants to be remembered. Yes, he received an Auburn offer at the end of last week. But it’s not a sure thing that Jackson will land at Auburn. The fast-rising wide receiver is sure to pick up steam on the recruiting trail this spring. He snagged Auburn and Georgia Tech offers on the same day. He has communicated with Vanderbilt, LSU and Ole Miss and wouldn’t be surprised if those schools offered soon, too. I’d expect many other coaching staffs to check him out during the evaluation period to give Auburn a tough push. It should be noted, however: Jackson was wearing an Auburn backpack during the interview with SEC Country.

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When Shedrick Jackson picked up his phone last week, he had two important callers on the other line: Gus Malzahn and Chip Lindsey.

Jackson already had picked up an offer earlier in the day from Georgia Tech, which became his second Power 5 offer along with Mississippi State. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound receiver’s day wasn’t over yet, however. He still had a meaningful offer hanging in the balance.

Malzahn passed along the message.

“Coach Lindsey talked to me first. Then, Coach Malzahn came on the phone and told me he was going to offer,” Jackson said. “It’s pretty special, of course. I just haven’t been trying to think about it too much. I’ve just been coming here and working every day. I wasn’t focusing too much on getting offers and all that stuff. I think it was really exciting, of course, just like any other offer. It just makes me want to work even harder.”

Because of his family ties, Jackson grew up an Auburn fan.

His uncle, Bo Jackson, after all, is the Auburn legend. Jackson remembers going to his first game in Jordan-Hare Stadium as a fifth-grader. He walked into his SEC Country interview sporting an Auburn backpack. Throughout Jackson’s recruiting process, Auburn has received the most visits, which is a combination of his interest in the school and its proximity to Hoover High.

So, that leads to the obvious end game, right, that he’ll be an Auburn Tiger?

Not so fast.

“People think that if I got an Auburn offer, which I have, that it’s 100 percent that I’m going there. In my mind, that’s not really what I’m thinking,” Jackson said. “I’m picking the school that has the most to offer for me and my future.”

That’s not to say he doesn’t have love for the Tigers. He absolutely does.

It just means he is staying patient. He holds offers from Auburn, Mississippi State, Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Georgia State, Troy and Memphis, but the evaluation period likely will lead to more. Jackson named Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and LSU as schools he thinks will jump on board soon, and it’s fair to assume the list won’t stop there.

As for a decision, Jackson provides a more complicated answer.

Jackson originally wanted to wait until after his senior season to decide. Now he’s leaning toward potentially enrolling early. That could move his commitment date up to the summer, which would force the hand of many programs that have waited to offer.

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Auburn’s biggest competition

Jackson, by nature, grew up an Auburn fan.

As his recruitment took off, he realized the Plains might not be his final destination, so he began to separate himself from his more dedicated childhood fandom. He still considers himself an Auburn supporter, but he doesn’t expect that to influence his ultimate decision.

“I was an Auburn fan. Recently, the past few years, the value of it has decreased. I haven’t been a die-hard or anything crazy about Auburn,” Jackson said. “Starting like sophomore year, I realized I have to expand and see other schools to find what’s best for me.”

The big factor that has emerged, which will end up being Auburn’s biggest obstacle: academics.

Education will be one of the most important factors in Jackson’s choice — hence why Georgia Tech has emerged as one of Jackson’s early favorites alongside Auburn. Vanderbilt is another school that has yet to offer, but Jackson sees the Commodores as a likely destination if and when they choose to offer.

“There’s something about schools like Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech and the way they carry themselves academically,” Jackson said. “That’s something that I take pride in, my academics. I just want to go in and work hard.”

Jackson has studied business management and marketing since his freshman year at Hoover High, and that’s what he plans to study in college. Plenty of other programs will enter the Jackson sweepstakes, but consider those high-academic institutions the most probable programs to give Auburn a challenging recruiting push.

With Georgia Tech specifically, Auburn will have a tough run at the legacy wide receiver.

“It’s a nice school, nice campus. I like the wide receiver coach there,” Jackson said. “I was actually at Georgia Tech at the time [of Auburn’s spring game].”

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