Making the Case: Four-star ATH Jerrion Ealy
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National Signing Day is bearing down on the recruiting world, with just a few more days until the remaining unsigned top prospects sign their official letters-of-intent. With that in mind, several elite players have announced their final lists and are prepared for commitment announcements. One of those players is four-star athlete Jerrion Ealy.
Today, experts from the Rivals.com network examine where he will end up. The candidates are Alabama, Clemson and Ole Miss.
THE SITUATION
Ealy spent more than a year committed to Ole Miss, with plans to play both baseball and football for the Rebels. But after a standout senior season on the gridiron his profile continued to rise nationally, with Clemson and later Alabama entering the picture.
After a standout performance at the Under Armour All-America Game, Ealy finally backed off his pledge to the Rebels, with all signs pointing to him landing at Clemson. After hosting him for a visit, can Ole Miss convince him to stay close to home? Will the lure of Alabama be too much to pass up?
We asked our team experts to state the case for their respective programs and let National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney issue a verdict.
ALABAMA
“Ealy took his final official visit to Alabama this past weekend. The Crimson Tide has surged high on his list in the last few weeks thanks to his relationship with new running backs coach Charles Huff, who was previously at Mississippi State. Alabama isn’t a new school in the picture. He has visited Tuscaloosa several times in the past two years. However, Alabama was not considered as a finalist a month ago. Things quickly changed. Alabama has the chance to land Ealy’s commitment after a great official visit. It definitely seems like his recruitment has become unpredictable in the last few days.” -- Andrew Bone, BamaInsider.com
CLEMSON
“Ealy committed to Ole Miss in December 2017, shortly after attending his first Clemson football game; he had gone to the Tigers’ baseball camp the previous summer. Clemson had not offered at that time, as it was unclear yet whether the Tigers would take a second running back this class – a prerequisite for offering Ealy considering the apparent pro baseball threat. So when Ealy returned for Clemson’s spring game, then traveled back again for a November game … well, his actions spoke louder than words.
Ealy has a strong relationship with co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, and the profile of Clemson’s football program makes the Tigers a more appealing if not prudent business decision. That’s not to mention Clemson being able to use Kyle Parker as an example of a former two-sport player who ended up a first-round baseball pick.
Alabama hasn’t shown to use running backs like him, while if Ole Miss were his preference, this recruitment wouldn’t have formally opened up the last month. Clemson just checks more of the boxes.” -- Paul Strelow, TigerIllustrated.com
OLE MISS
“Jerrion Ealy spent over 12 months committed to Ole Miss, but for fans of Ole Miss, the closer the early signing period got, the weaker his commitment began to feel. Fast forward to the week before his Clemson visit, and he made the decision to publicly open things up. Dabo Swinney has a policy at Clemson that he doesn’t allow committed prospects from other schools take official visits, so the decision by Ealy, and the timing, wasn’t really a surprise. As signing day nears, Ealy says he still doesn’t have his mind made up. Ole Miss has been recruiting him for four years.
"RB coach Derrick Nix , Ealy’s best relationship on the Ole Miss staff, was rumored at one point for some other Power Five coaching positions, but that turned out to just be rumor. He and Ealy spent quite a bit of time together during his official visit to Ole Miss. Can Ole Miss close on a Rivals100 kid in-state? Alabama making a renewed push with new RB coach Charles Huff makes Rebel fans uneasy, especially with them getting the last official visit.
"Kyler Murray’s recent decision to declare for the NFL draft may have helped put the negatives of specialization in youth sports, but it could end up hurting dual-sport athletes such as Ealy. Of course, February comes before June, but Ole Miss fans are watching closely to see what happens, both on Feb. 6 and June 3.” -- Russell Johnson, RebelGrove.com
THE VERDICT
"Just a few weeks ago it looked like a near certainty that Ealy would end up at Clemson and I really thought he could be the next Travis Etienne. After watching him dominate at the Under Armour game, I thought Ealy could be in consideration for five-star status and that Clemson would let him shine in that offense.
"But over the last couple days, it looks like Ole Miss is very much back in the picture and the lure of staying closer to home and playing in the SEC have pulled on Ealy's heart strings. Plus, he could be the complete focal point of the Rebels' offense. Clemson is still right there and then Alabama and Mississippi State are trying to stay involved but my guess now is that he re-commits to Ole Miss." -- Gorney