Alex Leatherwood remains firmly committed to Alabama, but many other programs continue to pursue Sunday’s OL MVP and one of the most recent invites to The Opening Finals in July. Florida hosted him on Friday, and LSU did on Saturday before the event. Leatherwood will return to Tuscaloosa for the defending champs’ spring game April 16.
Cam Akers, the Nike+ Football Rating champion of New Orleans, is still hearing from a bevy of programs since de-committing from Alabama. While the Crimson Tide are still in the race, LSU has recently increased its push for him, and a visit to Baton Rouge may soon occur. Georgia, Mississippi, and others continue to be mentioned by the versatile running back.
Mobile (Ala.) McGill-Toolen prospect Marlon Williams surprised many with an early commitment to USC in late January and he’s still rock solid with the Trojans despite the distance. His stock is on the rise, and many programs have taken notice, but the only visit on his schedule is to Los Angeles next week for the spring game.
Brandon Smith is a sleeper no more, and Southern Mississippi was ahead of the curve with the first offer to the in-state wide receiver. Many more should follow for the 6’3”, 197-pounder after a head-turner performance Sunday. Smith says he’s taking the process slowly but wants to hear from LSU, Florida State, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
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2017 quarterback Ty Brock got his first offer in the summer of ’15 from Houston but missed virtually his entire junior season with a leg injury. Now fully healthy, Brock recently picked up his second offer, which came from SMU. He visited SMU on Saturday before competing in Sunday’s The Opening New Orleans. He said Houston continues to recruit him and that a couple more schools—namely Oklahoma State and hometown Texas A&M—have started showing interest as well. Brock is a quarterback to watch during the spring evaluation period after performing well at consecutive The Opening regional camps in Houston and New Orleans.
2017 offensive lineman Eleasah Anderson has picked up his first FBS offer from ULM. On Saturday, he unofficially visited ULL, which has started showing interest. He also reports recent interest from schools such as Kansas and Kansas State.
Scout 300 quarterback Lowell Narcisse is taking things slow. The one-time Auburn commitment still says the Tigers are in the mix. The star out of St. James (La.) likes in-state LSU a lot right now. Alabama is another school he says is recruiting him very hard. He is looking to make a decision at the Under Armour All-America game.
Who could be the next quarterback out of the South to commit? It may be Myles Brennan. He named Oklahoma State his leader Sunday with California, Cincinnati, Memphis and West Virginia rounding out his top five. He is set to make his decision this spring.
Devonta Smith is a Scout 100 playmaker out of Amite (La.) High, and he is not revealing too much about his recruitment at this time. He says, “All schools are even”, but when checking with sources close to this, the word is Alabama is the school to beat with Florida State right behind the Crimson Tide. He is a former Georgia commitment and he was back at UGA a week ago for a visit. LSU, the in-state school, appears to be on the outside looking in.
It is hard to know just who four-star sophomore offensive tackle Dare Rosenthal really favors at this time. He is still committed to Alabama, but he said Sunday that the Tide and LSU are in the “same boat” right now. He has been on each campus early in 2016. He is only a sophomore, so this will be a battle to watch the next year and a half.
Photo: Courtesy of Scout.com
What about Tyler Shelvin? The long-time LSU commit recently visited Alabama, he showed up Sunday in an FSU visor, and he says he is still firm to LSU, but that he still has a lot going on in the back of his mind. Alabama is a serious threat here. He spoke with Ed Orgeron, the LSU defensive line coach, right after his last trip to Tuscaloosa, and Coach O was not happy. It will be tough for Alabama to flip this one, but it is worth watching.
New Orleans (La.) McDonogh 35 always has prospects, and Brad Stewart is the top one for 2017. On Sunday, he revealed to Scout that he has Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Oklahoma on top of his list. The four-star cornerback is in no rush to make a decision. His next visit looks to be to Florida. He hopes to see The Swamp later this spring.
Taylor Powell was named Quarterback MVP Sunday, and he showed consistency and the ability to drop the ball over shoulders of wide receivers. A decision could be coming soon for the three-star out of Arkansas. He wants to commit by the end of the spring. Purdue, Missouri, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest are schools Powell has visited recently and he is considering all four programs.
Todd Harris was fine saying LSU was on top not that long ago, but now he has taken a step back, and he is calling everyone “even.” The No. 3-ranked safety in the country is still high on LSU, but he says it is there with Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Notre Dame and other schools. Harris says there is a “slight chance” he could commit before the season, but at this time, he is likely to make his decision at the Under Armour All-America game.
Quarterback Lindell Stone talked specifically about Ole Miss and Virginia when asked about eye-catching offers. He reports that he would like to reach a decision this spring. Stone has spent time playing in Texas preps and Virginia preps, so it will be interesting to see if he remains in state.
Scout 300 safety Grant Delpit came to the camp and had an impressive showing with a 105.72 Nike+ Football Rating. He reported that offers from Alabama, Florida, and LSU have grabbed his eye and that a decision could come in the next couple of weeks.
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