Got the whole crew together for a Friday Forum. Work your way down and enjoy the best from the best in the business.
Andrew Bone - BamaInsider.com Recruiting Analyst
1. What two prospects are on high flip watch at the moment?
Bone:
Alabama recently welcomed a pair of quarterbacks committed elsewhere to Tuscaloosa- Emory Jones (Ohio State) and Jarren Williams (Kentucky). Both of these players remain on the flip watch list for the Crimson Tide. A few recruits to really pay close attention to in the next few months: Emil Ekiyor, four-star offensive tackle from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, and Jacob Copeland, four-star wide receiver from Escambia High School in Pensacola. Ekiyor recently took an official visit to Alabama. The Michigan commitment is very high on the Tide. Copeland committed to Florida instead of Alabama during the summer. He has been in Tuscaloosa twice this fall and expect him to return.
2. It would shock you in October if this did not happen?
Bone:
Alabama did not add any commitments. The Crimson Tide has added a least one commitment each month since June despite the small numbers. Keep an eye on JuCo corner Saivion Smith or Rivals100 cornerback Nadab Joseph.
3. Where does Alabama football need improvement?
Bone:
Two biggest positions of need for Alabama in the 2018 class is defensive tackle and defensive back. Alabama has a great chance to finish strong. Alabama cannot afford to stumble with top targets at each position down the home stretch. Several top targets remain.
Chad Simmons Rivals SE Recruiting Analyst
1. Who from Georgia is hearing the most from Alabama?
Simmons:
It is hard to say just one, but I can name three in the Rivals 100 that Alabama is going hard after in Georgia and that the Crimson Tide are legitimate players for. I will start with quarterback Emory Jones, an Ohio State commit who was just in Tuscaloosa (Ala.) a couple of weeks ago. Look for him to take an official visit as well. He feels he is the top quarterback target for Alabama at this time. Moving over to the defensive side of the ball, linebacker JJ Peterson and rush end Adam Anderson are two to track. I would go as far to name Alabama as the favorite to land Peterson at this time with Auburn right there. On Anderson, he is likely to decide soon between the Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs. As usual, Alabama is very active in the state of Georgia.
2. What makes 2019 commit Pierce Quick such a valuable commit for the Crimson Tide?
Simmons:
If you want to start with what he does on the field, he is a top offensive tackle ( a premium position) who has great size, mental toughness, leadership skills and a high ceiling. He does so many things right between the lines, yet he has so much room for improvement. He has made big strides over the past year and he will likely do the same going into the 2018 season. Then, as you get to know who the person is under the pads, you have to like Quick even more. He is self-driven, he loves to compete, he is a sharp young man and there is just that much more to like about him as a recruit/person. The icing on the cake for Alabama is, he is a recruiter. He is very social, he loves to talk to recruits and he could be the face of the 2019 Alabama recruiting class. He will play a role in someone picking Alabama, if not multiple kids. He loves the Crimson Tide and he is very active behind the scenes doing what he can to promote Alabama to other elite recruits.
3. Will Georgia's recruiting class be better than Alabama's?
Simmons:
It is hard to say this, but looking at things right now, if I had to give an answer today, I would lean towards yes. If Georgia continued to play good football this season, they would have finished strong regardless, but after adding Justin Fields last week, that really could push their class to another level. Georgia is going to have to make some very tough decisions now, because with Fields in, new names have already reached out to Georgia wanting to visit. Those visits could lead to favorable Georgia decisions, but they likely only have around 9, maybe 10 spots left. I think it is pretty safe to say that Alabama and Georgia will both finish with top 10 recruiting classes this cycle, but if the pieces fall right for Georgia, they could push for that three or four spot come February 2018.
Tony Tsoukalas BamaInsider.com Team Writer
1. What has surprised you most about Alabama's defense this season?
Tsoukalas:
I’d have to say the play of Levi Wallace and Hootie Jones. Everyone knew Alabama had talent in the secondary with Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Harrison and Anthony Averett, but if you would have told me that Wallace would be Alabama’s best cornerback and Jones would be starting at strong safety I would have guessed something went wrong. Instead, it’s quite the opposite. Alabama’s secondary has looked strong and should only get better as younger players gain experience and build depth. With Tony Brown questionable against Arkansas, we might get to see some of those younger players step in this week.
2. What is your assessment of Jalen Hurts through the six weeks?
Tsoukalas:
It’d surprise me if Alabama struggled at all with either Arkansas or Tennessee. Last week’s 27-19 win over Texas A&M served as a wake-up call for an Alabama team that might have come into the matchup a little full of itself. The Aggies embarrassed the Crimson Tide in the second half, nearly coming back from three touchdowns down. Despite pulling off the win, Alabama’s inability to finish was reminiscent of its Week 3 game against Colorado State where the Crimson Tide allowed two late touchdowns in a 41-23 victory over the Rams. Alabama took that game to heart, outscoring its next two opponents 125-3. I expect the Crimson Tide to put together two more blowouts to close out the month.
3. How and when is Alabama going to get Josh Jacobs onto the field?
Tsoukalas:
Alabama’s been slow to use Josh Jacobs, allowing him to fully recover from a hamstring injury that saw him miss most of preseason camp as well as the first two games of the season. Now that he’s back at 100 percent, I expect him to factor more in the passing game as well as come in as a change-of-pace back. We’ve seen Jacobs come on in two-back packages a couple times this season, so that could also be an option moving forward. Given his mix of elusiveness and power, Jacobs provides plenty of versatility for Alabama which means he should find his way onto the field one way or another pretty soon.
Tyler Waldrep BamaInsider.com Intern
1. What three statistics stand out most to you when looking at Alabama right now?
Waldrep:
A. The success of the Alabama defense on third down, despite the injuries, is incredible. It's allowed Power 5 opponents to convert eight times on 50 attempts (16 percent of the time.
B. Alabama has only turned the ball over once in six games. At this point last season, the Crimson Tide had lost the ball eight times already.
C. The Crimson Tide has only allowed opponents to reach the red zone 12 times for an average of two trips per game. Only five schools in the country- Washington, Colorado State, Duke, Penn State and Michigan- are allowing less per game.
2. Who wins? 2016 Alabama or 2017 Alabama?
Waldrep:
At this point, I'd have to pick the team that fell just short of a national championship. The defensive side of the ball might be the biggest difference between the two teams. The 2016 defense had more depth available, even after the loss of Eddie Jackson. More importantly, it had a knack for making big momentum-shifting plays that the 2017 defense has struggled to replicate (although the emergence of Levi Wallace has helped in this regard).
On the other side of the ball, the running game looks better this season, and quarterback Jalen Hurts appears to have improved. However, he has yet to replicate the connection he had with former Tide receiver ArDarius Stewart last season, and the loss of tight end Miller Forristall could hurt the offense when it faces better defenses down the stretch.
Jordan Harper BamaInsider.com Basketball Correspondent
1. Biggest takeaway from Alabama’s Pro Day?
Harper:
My biggest takeaway was how many NBA teams were represented during the pro day and how many players are seen to be “draftable” players. Now, that does not mean just this year, but in the future based on development as well. It was reported that 28 of 30 NBA were represented and over 50 scouts were present. Some of the scouts said that there are a handful of players on the current roster could be drafted by the time they leave The Capstone. Player related, my biggest takeaway was who stole the show, and it was not Collin Sexton. John Petty was said to have “wow’d” the NBA scouts with his athleticism and shooting ability at his size. Petty could catapult himself into lottery pick territory with a breakout season this season. If Alabama has two lottery picks (Sexton and Petty), then Alabama would’ve had a memorable season.
2. Starting lineup prediction for the start of the season?
Harper:
PG: Collin Sexton
SG: John Petty
SF: Dazon Ingram
PF: Braxton Key
C: Donta Hall
This has been my projected starting lineup since the summer and I still feel like this is our best lineup athletically. To have players like: Riley Norris, Daniel Giddens, Herb Jones, Armond Davis, and Avery Johnson Jr. come off the bench is impressive. That doesn’t include players like Galin Smith and Alex Reese that could make an impact as well. This is a 10 deep lineup, but the challenge for Coach Avery will be not over rotating and finding a system that works. Having that deep of a team is a luxury though.
3. Don’t be surprised if:
Harper:
Alabama has two or more players drafted next season. Collin Sexton is a given as there is no chance he doesn’t get drafted barring a horrific injury. I believe there’s a good chance that 2 or even 3 more players could get drafted next season. Pending on their development, John Petty, Donta Hall, and Braxton Key all have good opportunities to be drafted. The beneficial part about having a pro day is to get the players that may not have gotten exposure to NBA scouts before. Braxton Key got some exposure last season going through workouts before the draft, but players like Donta Hall and John Petty have not. Collin Sexton has gotten exposure because of his high ranking and performing so well in the EBYL and McDonalds All American game.
@Andrew Bone @Chad Simmons @Tony_Tsoukalas @Tyler W @Harper41
LET'S GO!!! - Comments Welcomed and Wanted!!
