Recruiting is always a top priority in Tuscaloosa, but with no game on the schedule, it has shifted into a new gear.
Beginning tonight, the coaches will be on the road recruiting. Many will be seeing top 2024 targets and area recruiting, but a couple that I wanted to point out specific prospects being seen, and the after-effects of the upcoming decisions.
While it is likely DB coach Travaris Robinson will also make his way to the state of Georgia, sources told Tide Illustrated that among his stops will be a trip to Miami Central HS to see DL target Rueben Bain.
From what I have been able to gather, I believe that Bain may be higher on the board than many originally believed. Getting Bain on campus for a visit would be a big next step obviously.
TE coach Joe Cox, per sources, will be making a trip to the West Coast to see Pinnacle (Ariz.) target Duce Robinson.
Robinson is thought to be leaning towards Georgia, but USC and Alabama are both still being heavily considered as well.
Were Robinson to end up at UGA, a program that would then have three TE commits (Robinson, Spurlin, Luckie) Tide Illustrated sources have indicated that Alabama would be in a prime position to flip the Bulldog legacy despite his continuous pattern of saying all the right things when he is asked.
I have been out to Norcross a few times to watch Luckie play. While he isn't the matchup nightmare that Duce Robinson is for opponents, Luckie is a complete player, with the ability and willingness to play wherever he is needed. He will need to reign in his emotions a bit when he gets to the next level, but there's no doubting he is one of the country's best at the position in the 2023 class.
Moving onto the official visitors this past weekend, I am hearing per my sources that fans and media alike have the priorities among the duo mixed up.
Hobbs was the one that was hyped up quite.a bit gong into the weekend. He is an impressive kid who had an enjoyable time on campus. He spoke highly of the different factors he is prioritizing for his decision. My sources tell me that Hobbs is actually down the board a bit at the position, and that despite that "hype" Hall is the one that is more of a priority and also more likely to end up in the class also.
LB target Arion Carter, despite his current commitment to Memphis and his upcoming schedule of official visits, has Alabama on top. Carter has been to Tuscaloosa on multiple occassions already, and plans to return again soon.
With Tennessee out of the picture, at least as of Thursday night, the Crimson Tide need to capitalize and secure his commitment sooner than later.
Otherwise, other schools who have remained consistent in their pursuit of the transfer portal will have the chance to swoop in and enter this mix.
Lastly, five-star Fla. CB Cormani Mclain shocked thousands when he chose Miami over Florida, Alabama, and others on Thursday evening.
McClain still has an official visit available to him, and if he shows interest in doing so I believe he would get the green light to take that trip.
With his current commitment taking him to Coral Gables, Florida is panicking a bit for a top DB to finish their 2023 class.
My sources in the state of Florida say that this is only going to further the arms race and contested recruitment of kids like Desmond Ricks, among others.
One source went as far as saying that LSU had previously felt rather confident, but as of late things are falling apart quickly as both Alabama and Florida keep pushing.