Recruiting predictions: Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game
Recruiting fans have paid special attention to the stars of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game this week, especially with some of the nation’s top talents still undecided. Rivals.com Southeast analysts Rob Cassidy and Woody Wommack spent plenty of time talking with the prospects throughout the week and are ready to hypothesize on where some of the biggest names will land come National Signing Day.
MORE ALA-MISS: SEC recruiting buzz from AL-MS | Big 12 and Ben Ten buzz
Latest: Who knows? Akers spoke in generalities on Monday before declining interview requests on Tuesday. He has become as difficult to project as any player in the country. Tennessee feels good about its chances, as do Florida State and Ole Miss. Ohio State and LSU remain involved to some extend as well. When every coaching staff feels like it leads the way for a commitment, nobody does.
Prediction: Ole Miss, but it’s no sure thing. Akers is proud of his Mississippi roots and would likely choose the rebels if all things were equal. Problem is the looming NCAA investigation and a mediocre season. Ole Miss has a chance to overcome that stuff, but this is no lock.
Latest: Ruggs refuses to name a leader but it seems as though Alabama has the inside track. Florida and Florida State remain involved and he plans to take his time with a decision, but the in-state Tide will be hard to beat here. Other schools are selling playing time. The Tide is selling a chance to stay home and play for a title.
Prediction: Alabama has too much pull with Ruggs and in-state products like him to miss out here.
Latest: Collins says Georgia is still in play and plans to visit Athens on Jan. 29. Michigan is still in pursuit of the four-star receiver, though. The in-state schools are involved to lesser extents, so it looks as though Michigan and Georgia could battle it out for Collins’ commitment.
Prediction: Collins has a longstanding relationship with the Michigan staff and has been enamored with the Wolverines for some time. Michigan is the slight favorite to land the Alabama-based star, but things could certainly change on that front.
Latest: Stanford is the biggest threat to steal Johnson from the state of Alabama. Johnson has already visited Stanford once and will return for his official visit in the near future. Auburn will need to fight off the Cardinal to keep Johnson home.
Prediction: Auburn, but slightly. Johnson’s official visit to Stanford could easily swing this battle in favor of the Cardinal.
Latest: It’s been quite the week for Brennan, who seemed to decommit via a message on Twitter, only to later couch his comments and say he is still indeed committed to LSU. Either way, several schools have entered the race for Brennan, including Oklahoma State, Cal and Baylor. Brennan said he will work on visiting all three programs next month.
Prediction: Oklahoma State. The Cowboys already have a quarterback commitment but seem to have taken quite a shine to Brennan. With LSU offering other options, Brennan will likely end up elsewhere.
Latest: A one-time Ole Miss commit, Gay backed away from his pledge and immediately cited interest in a number of schools. These days, Michigan, LSU, Ole Miss and Mississippi State comprise his final four. He visited Michigan a few weeks back and called his visit “special.”
Prediction: The prevailing thought is that Mississippi State will land Gay, but Michigan has made a strong push in recent weeks. Gay says his mother favors Michigan, but the allure of home is strong. The Bulldogs remain the team to beat by an ever-so-slight margin.
Latest: Avery is set to announce his decision on Dec. 14 and is coming off an official visit to Louisville earlier this month. Does that mean the Cardinals have the edge? Avery said at the beginning of the week that it's between Louisville and Auburn, but Mississippi State still appears to be in play as well.
Prediction: Auburn. Avery has spoken highly of the Cardinals, but something tells me he will end up announcing for the Tigers.
Latest: Johnston recently returned from an official visit to Iowa and spoke highly of the Hawkeyes' staff. More importantly, he has family ties to the area, something that could also play a major factor. Arkansas remains an option, and Ole Miss and LSU are likely to host Johnston for official visits in January.
Prediction: Iowa. Johnston would be a perfect fit in the Hawkeyes' defense, and despite the distance from home it seems like a realistic possibility.
Latest: The longtime Tennessee commitment backed off his pledge last month and said he hasn’t been in contact with the Vols since. The one school that has been in touch is Texas, and the Longhorns are expected to do an in-home visit after Rogers returns home.
Prediction: Texas. The Longhorns haven’t offered yet, but Rogers is putting all his eggs in that basket. If an offer doesn’t come through, look for a late option closer to home to pop up.
Latest: Mixon has become a priority target of Illinois and said he plans to visit the Illini next month. Assuming all goes well on the trip, Illinois should emerge as the school to beat.
Prediction: Illinois.
