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

Posted on 12/14/17 at 1:51 pm to Tide or Die87

Posted by TideSaint

Hill Country

Member since Sep 2008

75980 posts

Posted on 12/14/17 at 1:51 pm to Tide or Die87

quote:
Westminster Christian tight end Michael Parker became Alabama's second in-state commitment last week.

The 6-foot-6, 236-pounder picked Alabama over Auburn, Central Florida and Purdue. He caught 43 passes for 812 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games this season after snagging 35 receptions for 561 yards and five TDs in 2016.

A three-star prospect, he follows in the footsteps of his brother, Jacob, who is currently a walk-on tight end for the Crimson Tide.

Parker is one of Alabama's 14 commitments for the Class of 2018, but the Crimson Tide can only accept 22 signees this year, instead of the usual allotment of 25,

Parker is in Hattiesburg, Mississippi this week to prepare for and play in Saturday's Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic. AL.com caught up with him for a short question-and-answer session after Wednesday's practice.

1) AL.com: How did you get your Alabama offer, how did you commit and what was the reaction?

Parker: "I got my offer when I went for my visit for the Mercer game. Coach Saban took me into his office at the stadium and offered me. To commit, I called (assistant) Coach (Joe) Pannunzio, and he was extremely excited."

2) AL.com: Did Coach Saban have the button to close the door remotely at the stadium?

Parker: "I don't think so, but I've seen that before. ... Not this past summer but the summer before I went into Coach Saban's office when I went there for a camp. It was pretty cool. He hit the button and he has the rings out on his desk."

3) AL.com: What do you need to work on before you get to Alabama?

Parker: "In high school, I played mostly at receiver, so my blocking on the inside. That's the biggest thing - blocking inside against bigger guys. Playing this week, I can already see it's helping. It's something I don't have as much experience in."

4) AL.com: What do you think of Bama's playoff chances?

Parker: "I think they have a good chance. I think Clemson has a great team. All of the teams in the Playoff are great teams. I definitely think Alabama deserves to be in. I think they can beat Clemson, and I think they can beat the winner of Oklahoma and Georgia."

5) AL.com: Why did you pick Alabama?

Parker: For non-football, it's always been my dream. My whole life I've always been a fan. For football, nobody uses a tight end like Alabama. They basically have two tight ends on the field for almost every play. If you're a tight end, there's no better place to go than Alabama. So, it's really the best of both worlds for me."

Parker said he doesn't plan to sign during the early signing period that begins Dec. 20, but added he doesn't plan to take any other official visits before the traditional National Signing Day in early February.

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Posted by TideSaint

Hill Country

Member since Sep 2008

75980 posts

Posted on 12/14/17 at 1:53 pm to TideSaint

quote:
It didn't take long for new Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt to make an impression in the Mobile-area.

The Vols offered a slew of Coastal Alabama underclassmen on Tuesday, including St. Paul's running backs Jordon Ingram and A.J. Finley, McGill-Toolen noseguard Darius Cox and Vigor defensive end Desmond Little.

"Jeremy always has personally recruited Mobile," St. Paul's coach Steve Mask said. "He recruited this area when he was at Florida State and Georgia and both times at Alabama. I think he recognizes the fact that there are a lot of really good players here, and he wants Tennessee to be a presence."

In the last week, numerous reports have indicated that Kevin Sherrer, a former South Alabama defensive coordinator, is leaving Kirby Smart's staff at Georgia to join Pruitt's. Although Tennessee has yet to make an official announcement, Sherrer was in Mobile on Tuesday recruiting for the Vols.

He also offered, among others, UMS-Wright wide receivers Keyshawn Woodyard and Edwin White, Spanish Fort athlete Kris Abrams-Draine, Mobile Christian freshman LB Deontae Lawson and junior athlete Eric Poellnitz and Daphne cornerback Christian Williams. He also visited Williamson athlete Roger McCreary, who plans to visit Knoxville in January.

Early returns on the Coast seem to be favorable for Tennessee.

"I'm very excited about it," Williams, a junior, said of the offer. "I do see it as a potential place to go and play. A lot of people have told me that the environment there is very good."

"It's exciting," Abrams-Draine, a versatile sophomore, said. "Coach Pruitt is one of my favorite coaches."

UMS-Wright head coach Terry Curtis said Pruitt clearly knows what he is doing.

"He's just trying to get Tennessee's name out there," Curtis said. "He knows he is not going to get all these guys. But if he gets three or even one, that would be big. Jeremy wants people to know he is going to recruit Mobile. Kevin loves Mobile. It's a natural place for them to recruit."

Mask expects Pruitt to be "outstanding" at Tennessee.

"He won't forget his roots," Mask said. "He has a high school background, and he'll have a big presence in this state. Honestly, high school football in Tennessee is not that strong. You have to recruit nationally to be successful, and Jeremy will do a good job. I think you'll see that big, orange 'T' down here a lot more often."