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

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When Nick Saban took to the podium on National Signing Day this past February to discuss Alabama’s seventh straight No. 1 recruiting class, there was one position group that he wasn’t pleased with. That was cornerback. The Crimson Tide signed zero corners in the Class of 2017 and missed on some of their top targets.

Enter Anthony Lytton.

Lytton is the nation’s No. 3 cornerback, according to the 247Sports Composite, from Dr. Henry Wise High School (Upper Marlboro, Md.). He released his top 5 schools last week and Alabama along with Clemson, Florida State, Maryland and Penn State made the cut.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound prospect told our Land of 10 reporter Corey Masisak over the weekend at Nike’s Opening regional in Washington, D.C. why the Crimson Tide are strongly in the mix for him.

“Alabama has one of the best programs and one of the best coaches,” Lytton said. “They also have some of the best facilities. The school has a lot of history, too.”

Lytton, who was clocked at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash and posted a 37-inch vertical on Sunday, hasn’t been to Tuscaloosa before. That’s changing this summer. He said he’s planning on visiting Alabama in a few months and will definitely take an official visit this fall.

The Tide have some catching up to do with Lytton, though. He grew up a Florida State fan and models his game after one of the best cornerbacks to ever play football, former Seminoles great Deion Sanders.

Like Sanders, Lytton is certainly confident in his abilities. During the interview with Masisak, he said he’s been “good since little league.” That boastful personality matches up with what Sanders had when he played. Lytton calls Sanders’ alma mater a “dream school.”

“They have a tradition there with their DBs,” Lytton said. “I just liked how they played when I was little. I always looked at them.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Alabama has changed a recruit’s mind on attending their dream school. Just last year, Tua Tagovailoa grew up a Southern California fan and frequently called that school his dream school. That quickly changed after he made it to campus for the first time last spring.

Lytton said he’s in frequent contact with Tide defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley and wide receivers coach Mike Locksley, who is his primary recruiter. Locksley is one of the best recruiters in the Northeast, especially Maryland, so Alabama has that working in its favor.

The coaches have told him over and over again that the team signed zero corners in the Class of 2017, and there’s a good chance for early playing time in the secondary next season. But more importantly than that, he’s looking for comfortability when he makes it to Tuscaloosa for his first time.

“I just hope the coaches make me feel comfortable,” Lytton said. “I want to be able to go their office and come to them whenever I have a problem. I want them to keep it real with me.”

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