Recruiting Rumor Mill: Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game
MOBILE, Ala. – The annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game takes place this weekend in Mobile, but the teams and their players have been in town all week practicing and meeting with the media, among other events.
Rivals.com’s Nick Harris and Woody Wommack share the latest whispers they are hearing about potential flips, commitments, visits and other recruiting tidbits.
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RELATED: Suntarine Perkins discusses Ole Miss pledge, Alabama's push
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Woods is all-in with Clemson
When Peter Woods spurned in-state school Alabama to commit to Clemson over the summer, many thought it was a commitment that would change by the time Signing Day came around.
But with just two weeks until Woods makes it official with the Tigers he said he has no plans to take any other visits and hasn’t heard from Alabama coach Nick Saban about a potential in-home visit. Woods has been a destructive force in practice all week, making a strong case for a move up in the rankings. Letting him slip out of state is a tough blow for Alabama.
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Alabama trying to keep Collins in-state
Gardendale (Ala.) four-star defensive end Kelby Collins has been committed to Florida since August, but that won’t stop Alabama from trying to pull some late magic for one of the state’s top talents.
Collins sees an appeal to stay in-state and compete for national championships at Alabama, but Florida’s comfortability and vision for Collins as early as his freshman season keeps him committed to the Gators. Collins is done with visits before signing in a couple of weeks but each program will come in-home between now and then.
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Ole Miss not giving up with Nelson
Four-star Penn State defensive back commit Dakaari Nelson has been a force in practice, winning several one-on-one coverage reps in impressive fashion. But one thing that might concern Nittany Lions fans is that he’s done it all while wearing Ole Miss gloves. But despite the choice of attire – and the Rebels coaches not giving up on trying to flip him – Nelson said he’s found his home in Happy Valley.
Nelson said he’s expecting to have an in-home from James Franklin soon and that while the thought of staying closer to home crossed his mind at times, his fit in Penn State’s scheme is a big reason why he’s not entertaining other offers.
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Perkins set to officially visit Ole Miss amid Alabama push
Flip rumors around Raleigh (Miss.) four-star linebacker Suntarine Perkins have permeated through the air of Mississippi for months as Alabama has continued to push the talented defender away from his Ole Miss pledge. With Signing Day around the corner, Perkins will officially visit Ole Miss this upcoming weekend after the conclusion of the event before hosting Alabama for an in-home visit ahead of Signing Day.
Perkins remains comfortable with both staffs while players committed to both schools have been in his ear throughout the week. One interesting note in this recruitment is that Perkins is not an early enrollee, so if he decides to push to February, he will have that option.
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A potential Alabama sleeper?
Early in his career, Alabama wide receiver Sawyer Deerman added a number of Power Five offers and it looked like he was going to achieve his dream of playing in the SEC. But when his team needed him to switch positions to quarterback he did what was asked of him, playing two seasons under center despite being just 5-foot-10, 160 pounds. While he had success at quarterback, the move hurt his ability to add quality film at his natural position of wide receiver and many opportunities he thought he would have dried up.
But one school, Alabama, has kept in touch with Deerman and is working to find a way for him in the 2023 class. Deerman impressed at the Crimson Tide camp over the summer and could be back on campus for a visit next week. The question is, will he take a walk-on opportunity that could potentially offset by NIL opportunities, or hold out for a conventional offer from the Tide or someone else. Right now, Deerman is playing the waiting game, but believes with his impressive week in Mobile, a full-ride spot at a major program could open up. In the meantime, a chance to play for the Tide isn’t exactly the worse backup plan.
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Auburn making a push for Faulk
When Keldric Faulk committed to Florida State earlier this year, it was met with a collective shrug by the fans of in-state programs in Alabama. Many thought that Auburn and Alabama passed on Faulk and he jumped on a good opportunity at sub-.500 Florida State. But a few months later, Auburn is armed with a new head coach and has realized the error of its ways.
The Tigers are pushing to get Faulk on campus before signing day and Hugh Freeze and he’s also expected to do an in-home visit in the coming days. Despite entertaining the Tigers, Faulk says he has no plans to flip and that the ‘Noles strong finish the year has only reassured him that he made the right decision.
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Mississippi State closing in on touted in-state defensive lineman?
Vicksburg (Miss.) four-star defensive tackle Caleb Bryant decommitted from Utah in August amid a big push from Oregon, but a commitment to the Ducks never came while other programs took advantage of the open recruitment. Mississippi State has been the biggest benefactor as the Bulldogs are fresh off of hosting Bryant for an official visit this past weekend and have all of the momentum going into Signing Day.
Georgia Tech could get Bryant on campus for an official visit before his decision, while USC and Nebraska also continue to linger around.
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Ole Miss making late push for state’s top running back
Picayune (Miss.) four-star running back Dante Dowdell has been committed to Oregon since May, but Ole Miss is coming in hot with Signing Day approaching. With Dowdell, he’s comfortable with the “different” environment in Eugene, but Oxford presents a sense of comfort that Dowdell is already used to.
Dowdell hasn’t spoken with new offensive coordinator Will Stein at Oregon, while Ole Miss continues to apply pressure with the four-star at the top of the Rebels’ board.