re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition

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Alabama now firmly in the mix for Jacob Copeland

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Jacob Copeland wasn’t considering Alabama until he visited Tuscaloosa for junior day in late February. His recruitment changed at that point.

The reason why Alabama wasn’t being considered by him was because he felt like the Crimson Tide, historically, are a one-wide receiver offense. If you weren’t that guy, then you’d be nearly invisible on the field. For a wide receiver recruit to openly admit that, the chances are that player would never end up committing there.

“Alabama has really been just a running team,” Copeland told SEC Country. “They send all of those guys to the league. When they did throw the ball, they always keyed in on one receiver every year. It didn’t make any sense to consider them.”

It’s been a 180 for him now.

Copeland had a chance to see Alabama in a closed-to-the-media scrimmage in Bryant-Denny Stadium last month and then followed that trip with one to Tuscaloosa the following weekend for A-Day. On both trips, he saw that offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is going to spread the ball around in his offense. During the A-Day game, Jerry Jeudy, Robert Foster and Calvin Ridley all had more than 100 receiving yards.

The nation’s No. 9 wide receiver was treated like a star when he was in town for A-Day. Copeland sat in the front seat as coach Nick Saban drove his car to the stadium for the scrimmage. Five-star wide receiver Justyn Ross also was in the car. Those two recruits were the only players in town that weekend to receive that treatment.

It was great spending the day with the man of the house??#RollTide???????????? pic.twitter.com/dJEYTA15GJ

— Jacob Copeland ???? (@JCope5era) April 23, 2017

I can honestly say today riding in the passenger seat with University Of Alabama head coach Nick Saban was the greatest moment????????????

— Jacob Copeland ???? (@JCope5era) April 23, 2017

Copeland, who will make his commitment known at the Under Armour All-American Game this January, said that if he did choose Alabama and succeeded there, it would go a long way to his ultimate goal of getting drafted.

“Knowing that Saban has put that stamp on you, you’ll most likely be guaranteed to go to the league because Saban has that power to do that,” Copeland said. “I got nieces and nephews I need to look after. I’m in the game because I love it, but at the same time, I’m trying to get that bag.”

The Under Armour All-American said he’s down to his final five schools, which are Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss and Tennessee. He doesn’t have his official visit plans set just yet, but he said it’s going to be very difficult for any school outside of those five to get in the mix.

Florida is the school that’s pushing for Copeland the hardest. He said he hears from nearly every single coach on staff almost every single day, including Jim McElwain. Ever since McElwain got to Florida, he’s prioritized Copeland.

Before making the back-to-back visits to Tuscaloosa, Copeland told reporters that he was down to Florida and Auburn. That’s out the window now. Alabama is definitely a top option for him now and potentially the school to beat.

“You realize that if you go to Alabama, you have to be a savage to be there because all of those guys there are savages,” Copeland said. “Saban’s big thing is if you don’t get right, you’re going to ride the pine.”

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PENSACOLA, Fla. — Jacob Copeland is coming soon to an SEC stadium near you.

Copeland, a 4-star wide receiver from Pensacola, has a top 5 that consists of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Copeland holds scholarship offers from the 30 schools but wants to play his college ball in the SEC.

“That’s the strongest conference and I feel like I’m built for that,” Copeland told SEC Country. “Through my whole life, I played with kids way older than me and I was young coming up, so I just had to learn from my big brothers. … Playing in the SEC, you gotta ball out if you want to be on that big-dog level.”

Copeland is 6-foot, 192 pounds and the nation’s No. 9 wide receiver and No. 52 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

In the video interview below, the Under Armour All-American discusses the following topics:

- His car ride with Alabama coach Nick Saban on A-Day.

- How he fits into Auburn’s spread offense and its passing game.

- What he likes about Jim McElwain and the in-state Gators.

- Why he’s considering Ole Miss despite potential NCAA sanctions.

- Which assistant coach at Tennessee has the Vols in the running.

- When he plans to decide and his determining factors.

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– Fabien Lovett is another strong side defensive end that visited Alabama last weekend and earned an offer. At 6’4, 240 pounds, he is a three-star prospect and also holds offers from Alabama SEC rivals Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Blessed to receive an offer from the University of Alabama! pic.twitter.com/rrDM8a72lx

— fabien lovett (@fabo_54) June 6, 2017

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The Tide also offered To'oto'o's teammate and 2019 four-star tight end Isaiah Foskey, per multiple reports.

At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Foskey is rated the No. 4 tight end and the No. 85 overall player in the country. Stanford is trending on the Crystal Ball as it stands.

De La Salle is the alma mater of Alabama's ace recruiter Tosh Lupoi.

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Earlier this week, five-star cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart reworked his top six list and Tennessee has now made the cut.

After an exceptional in-home visit and a whole lot more interest coming from the Volunteers, the San Diego (Calif.) Helix two-way standout said he’s going to take a closer look.

“I wasn’t considering Tennessee at first but then I talked to the coaches and so then I liked what they were doing,” Taylor-Stuart said. “So I had to change my top schools. It was going to be Ohio State but Tennessee seemed way better.”

Tennessee, USC, Alabama, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Georgia made the top list for Taylor-Stuart, the second-best prospect in California behind only top-rated receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

No visit to Knoxville is scheduled yet but Taylor-Stuart said he will visit there in January since he’s planning to wait until National Signing Day to make his choice.

“I had one of the coaches that transferred from Alabama to Tennessee, they told me to call them and told me about their situation and everything,” Taylor-Stuart said.

“My interest for Tennessee has grown since coach (Jeremy) Pruitt is the head coach.”

In the last couple weeks, Taylor-Stuart was supposed to visit Georgia and Alabama but he had to rework his trip schedule because of Helix’s playoff run.

The only trip he has scheduled so far is to Georgia for the weekend of Jan. 26. Others are expected as well including one to Tennessee, Taylor-Stuart said.

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