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

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One move Auburn could make with Justyn Ross

PHENIX CITY, Ala. — No amount of distance will stop Justyn Ross’ mother from caring about her 5-star son’s recruitment.

His mother, Charay Franklin, is stationed overseas in Kuwait for one of three deployments she’s had in the Middle East during Ross’ upbringing. Franklin remains well-versed on her son’s recruiting process. When she left, Ross was just beginning to emerge as one of the nation’s top prospects.

Now he’s fully on the scene.

Auburn, Alabama, Clemson and Florida Sate have all prioritized the state of Alabama’s No. 1 overall prospect.

Franklin, in motherly fashion, wants as much information as possible from her son’s visits and conversation with coaches.

“We talk about it all of the time. Whenever I go on a visit, she always asks me what I liked about it. I always tell her how much I like the environment and how much I like being around the people,” Ross said. “But I don’t go into too much detail because the coaches still keep in contact with her while she’s over there.”

Before Franklin left for Kuwait, she had a close relationship with two coaching staffs: Auburn and Alabama.

The two in-state schools always had — and continue to have — a slight edge in that regard. But Florida State also has gotten into and remained in regular conversation with her while she’s overseas. The Crimson Tide, in particular, made an impression on Ross for their immediate desire to contact Franklin once he became a priority target.

He didn’t mention the Tigers staff specifically as one that communicates with his mother on a regular basis, but said that mother-coach relationship extends on a more personal basis early on in his recruitment.

“I don’t go into too much detail because the coaches still keep in contact with her while she’s over there,” Ross said. “It’s really important. I want her to be comfortable with the school I pick, too. Her getting a good relationship with the coaches is very important to me. With her coming back, I want to see how she feels about the schools when I go on visits to the schools I like.”

As previously reported, Ross was recently blown away by his Clemson visit, calling it “one of the best” he’s ever been on.

Auburn and Alabama still appear to be the favorites, but Ross doesn’t go into too much detail when discussing his college options. He said Clemson and Florida State are the two programs right now who have made the biggest out-of-state impression on him on visits. Georgia and Ohio State are other visits he said he’d like to take to step out of his comfort zone a little.

Franklin, an Alabama fan, only wants all of this information to stay in the loop. She will trust whatever decision Ross ultimately makes, which remains in the distant future.

“She goes with whatever I want,” Ross said. “It’s where I feel comfortable at.”

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