Simmons' Takeaways: Busy weekend in Alabama, Georgia

After viewing a game in Alabama on Thursday and three games in Georgia on Friday and Saturday, I was able to watch many high school stars. Some are considered to be strong commitments, some are committed but looking, some are still uncommitted.

Here are six of my takeaways from the weekend.

QB SPOTLIGHT: Lawrence vs. Fields

There have been plenty of questions surrounding Auburn commit Joey Gatewood, but based on what he showed Saturday on the road at Cartersville (Ga.), he could be a star on the Plains. There has never been questions about Gatewood’s athleticism, but instead about his passing and whether he could throw accurately on the next level. He is still raw with his mechanics, but he threw the ball a lot better in this game than he has in the past. Gatewood splits time with Riley Smith, but he finished 10-of-13 passing for 184 yards and one touchdown. He rushed for 123 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns. He ran through defenders, showing explosion, and proved that he is just different. The takeaway here is that he could be on his way as a quarterback, and if he continues to develop as a passer, he could be scary for the Tigers.

Adam Anderson made a lot of noise in a huge game against Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison on Friday night. He had three sacks, caused a fumble that was scooped up and returned for a touchdown by a teammate, and he was simply all over the field. He faced five-star quarterback Justin Fields, who has speed, but Anderson showed he could run with him. For four quarters, Anderson was dominant and he even played above his No. 74 ranking in the country.

But after the game, it was hard to get much out of him. He said a lot of the same stuff whether he was asked about Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State or Georgia. He is not tipping his hand on where he stands with recruiting right now. Anderson said, “I could commit tomorrow or I could wait for a while. I am not sure what I am going to do yet.”

On Thursday, in Montgomery (Ala.), Lanier played Lee, and a pair of Missouri commitments had strong performances. The Tigers are very active in Montgomery this cycle, and they hope to add more pieces to their 2018 class out of that area. They already have commitments from Lanier teammates James Foster and La’Dedric Jackson, and they should be very happy about that.

Foster did miss on a couple of deep passes, but he showed good mobility, a strong arm and he made a beautiful 30-yard touchdown throw down the sideline to close things out late in the game. Jackson, due to being a linebacker and not a quarterback, is not always the headliner, but he was active and playing fast in this game. He was around the ball a lot and showed good athleticism. There is some chatter about Foster maybe still looking to take some visits to other schools, but he and Jackson said all the right things when talking Missouri.

Yes, Justin Fields and Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison lost to defending state champion Rome (Ga.) 33-21 Friday night, but Fields still did what he does — make plays. Fields finished with 238 yards passing and two touchdowns while adding 66 yards rushing and one score. His arm has matured so much over the past year. He can throw a laser on one play, then show great touch. He threw a ball more than 40 yards on the run to his right for a touchdown, but it was called back due to holding. He trucked a defender, he hurdled a defender, he reversed field when pressured and he played under control despite the constant pressure all night.

Auburn, Florida State and Georgia are fighting for the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country, and he continues to show why week in and week out. He is a special talent, but what takes him to another level is how he plays the game, how he carried himself, his sportsmanship and just who he is with or without the pads.

There has been a lot of talk about who the No. 1 prospect in the 2018 class is the last few months. Trevor Lawrence has been that guy for Rivals since the 2018 rankings came out and he has done nothing to say that he does not still belong in that spot. Cartersville (Ga.) played on ESPN in front of a national audience Saturday night, into Sunday morning due to a lengthy weather delay, and Lawrence was unbelievable.

He missed on only five passes out of 23 attempts and finished with 404 yards and five touchdowns. Some of the passes he threw were simply on a different level. His arm strength, how he sees the field, his anticipation and his understanding of the game are just some of the things that make him different. Regardless of who plays quarterback for Clemson in 2017, the Tigers are going to have a very difficult time keeping Lawrence off the field next fall.

Emory Jones always seems to be wearing some Ohio State clothing every time you see him. He has been committed to the Buckeyes for over a year now, but is Columbus going to be where he ends up?

He says all the right things. He calls his commitment “100 percent” to the Buckeyes, but Alabama is there lurking. Jones visited Tuscaloosa late in July and he was hoping that visit would stay quiet. Urban Meyer got word of the visit pretty quickly and wasn’t happy. All seems to be good now between the two, but keep an eye on Alabama. There could be another school or two work to get him on campus for a visit, but for now, Ohio State has to worry about Alabama with Jones.