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Three-Point Stance: High school bans, stacked classes, Calibraska

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with a disappointing look at a recent story out of Louisiana, a rundown of teams loading up early at one position and a look at how the Calibraska movement is still very much alive.

MORE: Early enrollees who should contribute | Survey: Recruits on early signing period

1. BANNING PROGRAMS FROM HIGH SCHOOLS IS A DISSERVICE

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Nick Saban
Nick Saban (AP Images)

It was big news last week when Parkway (La.) High School head coach David Feaster was fired just days after he shared that Nick Saban and Alabama "can't come to Parkway" to recruit because, he claimed, the Crimson Tide weren't "ethical in their recruiting" practices.

The discussion in the immediate aftermath of Feaster's dismissal was that his termination is a great example of Saban’s power in the Southeast. I understand that line of thinking, but to me the whole situation was more about a coach beating his chest for all of the wrong reasons and hurting his program and, most importantly, his players.

Now, of course, there are two sides to every story. The school has maintained that Feaster was fired for insubordination because he never sought approval for the ban. Feaster has said publicly that the ban had been in place for years and was approved by the school's previous principal.

This isn’t the first time a high school or junior college coach has tried to ban a school from his campus and it won’t be the last. But from my 10,000-foot view of this, the ban seems ridiculous.

It all started with the recruitment of quarterback Brandon Harris, a four-star recruit and Under Armour All-American. In 2013, Harris was extended what turned out to be a non-committable offer from Alabama. The Crimson Tide eventually added a commitment from quarterback David Cornwell after evaluating him at a summer camp. That’s what we call recruiting in my line of business. Alabama has to offer multiple quarterbacks every year and, if all goes well, the Tide take the one they like the best and the others go elsewhere. For the 2014 recruiting cycle, Alabama was set to take one signalcaller and Cornwell earned the offer while Harris landed at LSU.

I really don’t see how that’s reason to ban any school from your campus and I certainly don’t see how this gets brought up again and again this many years later. Feaster went on the radio in 2015 to beat his chest about banning Alabama and then did it again a few days before he was fired last week. What good does that serve?

What about the players on Feaster's team, like four-star wide receiver Terrace Marshall and others, who might be interested in being recruited by Alabama?

High school football coaches are extremely important to the recruiting process and great mentors of boys becoming men. Most of the ones I’ve known forever wouldn’t think of grandstanding and banning a school from their hallways. I always urge high school coaches to assist in the process – assist parents and others as they deal with the difficult recruiting landscape – but when the process becomes all about them, they’ve gone too far. In this instance, at least to me, that appears to have been the case.

2. LOADING UP AT ONE POSITION

Lorenzo Lingard
Lorenzo Lingard

It’s not often you see programs load up with early commitments at a single position group but there seems to be a little spurt of activity on that end recently. Here are a few of the big ones:

Miami RB duo – First it was potential five-star Lorenzo Lingard who popped to Miami about 10 days ago and then last week he was joined by Camron Davis. This gives the ‘Canes a great 1-2 punch at the position. Lingard is the taller, more angular back who makes people miss with an effortless, gliding running motion. Davis is stouter and more powerful but boasts amazing top end speed. Both can score from anywhere and should complement each other well.

Notre Dame bolsters secondaryKalon Gervin is an aggressive corner and a leader while Derrik Allen has played corner but could also be a safety or even grow into a linebacker and is excellent close to the line of scrimmage. These two will play off each other’s skills very well. And to get both in a 12-hour period is impressive.

Sooners' future at WR – They might not have stars yet, but the 2019 wide receiver combination of Theo Wease and Arjel Henderson is a nice double-whammy from junior day. After loading up in 2017 with some serious wide receiver talent, these two tall receivers give the Sooners a nice gap for development.

Seminoles add endsKayode Oladele is raw and new to football, but he has great athletic upside. Stacy Kirby could end up being a hybrid guy. Neither is a four-star, so they don’t get as much attention as some others, but each could end up being in the backfield of opponents down the road.

Double DTs – After whiffing on Phidarian Mathis and Marvin Wilson at defensive tackle down the stretch, LSU added some help for 2018 with Davin Cotton and Nelson Jenkins. Cotton is an athletic kid who can shoot the gap while Jenkins is bigger and stouter along the line. While neither is to the level of Mathis or certainly Wilson at this stage, this is a key position of need for the Tigers.

3. CALIBRASKA MOVEMENT STILL ALIVE AND KICKING

Tyjon Lindsey
Tyjon Lindsey

Remember when the Calibraska movement was dead?

Remember when Jamire Calvin put on that Oregon State hat on national television at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and the Nebraska faithful melted down? Yes, the Huskers had quarterback Tristan Gebbia and wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson Jr. in the class, but things looked bleak after missing on Calvin, Darnay Holmes, Addison Gumbs, Jaylon Johnson, Thomas Graham and others.

Fast forward to Feb. 21 and things are looking up. Since that afternoon in San Antonio, aside from Calvin’s commitment and decommitment, Nebraska has landed wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey, defensive back Elijah Blades and 2018 athlete Eric Fuller and are in the mix for more in 2018. The recent hire of Bob Elliott will only help things in California as will the pending NCAA legislation that would allow early official visits.

With assistant coaches Donte Williams and Keith Williams -- both of whom have coached in California, Mike Riley’s Cali connections and now Elliott, get ready for another rollercoaster ride in California for the Huskers.

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