RCS Preview: Alabama defense
The state of Alabama features three five-stars on the defensive side of the ball in Marlon Davidson, the nation's No.1 defensive end from Greenville High School, Ben Davis, the nation's No.1 inside linebacker from Gordo High School, and Lyndell Wilson, the nation's No.1 outside linebacker from Carver High School in Montgomery.
All three of these players participated in the Under Armour Elite 50 in Orlando in January. All will participate in the Rivals Camp on Saturday in Atlanta with a great chance to receive an invitation to the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in Baltimore in June.
Advertisement
The state features several elite defensive players in the 2016 and 2017 class. Most will travel to Atlanta on Saturday to showcase their skills.
Defensive line
The D-line is led by Davidson who ranks as the No.2 overall prospect in the country. There is pressure since he is rated the No.1 player in the Southeast. He is still hoping to earn the No.1 overall spot. Davidson has scholarship offers from across the country. offer list He does not have a list of favorites at this time. Davidson's older brother, Kenneth Carter, played at Auburn.
Darius Whitfield, four-star defensive end from St. Paul's Episcopal School in Mobile, is another star eager to compete. Whitfield actually outperformed Davidson at the RCS Camp in Hattiesburg a year ago. He walked away as the defensive line MVP.
Whitfield has double-digit offers including Arizona State, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri and South Carolina. He is the younger brother of Alabama sophomore offensive lineman, Joshua Casher. Whitfield's teammate and fellow defensive lineman Ryan Johnson, will also compete. The 2017 lineman has offers from Auburn and Duke.
Other defensive linemen hoping to make a name for themselves this weekend include Tyreik Martin, defensive end from Valley High School, and Griffin Gentry, defensive end from Homewood High School, who have received a lot of interest from major programs. Martin has received his first SEC offer from Kentucky. He also has an offer from Louisville. Gentry received his first offer from South Alabama on Tuesday.
Linebackers
The state of Alabama knows how to produce elite linebackers. It's no exception in the 2016 and 2017 classes. Ben Davis and Lyndell Wilson, rank as the top players in the country at their position. Davis released his top seven schools (no order) last month: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss and USC. Wilson has yet to reveal his favorite schools, but he has taken several visits to Alabama and Auburn.
Jeremiah Moon, four-star linebacker from Hoover High School, has kept things relatively quiet regarding his recruitment. He has offers from Auburn, Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin. The Gamecocks are recruiting him the hardest at this point. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound defensive star for the Bucs will attract a lot more attention this spring.
A few other backers from the 2016 class eager to garner more attention are Riley Cole, from Oneonta High School, Zo Bridges, from Opelika High School, and Travis Sailo, from Sipsey Valley High School in Buhl. Cole was one of the top linebacker performers at the Rivals Camp in 2014. Bridges has offers from Kentucky, South Alabama and Troy. Sailo has offers from Mississippi State, Utah and Washington State.
The state will remain in good hands at the position in 2017. Markail Benton, four-star linebacker from Central High School in Phenix City, and Will Ignont, four-star linebacker from Buckhorn High School in New Market, were ranked on the Rivals100 watch list last week. Benton and Ignont are among the high-profile underclassmen who will compete on Saturday.
Benton will challenge for the top overall spot in the state. His offers started earlier with the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Tennessee. Ignont started gaining steam recently and now has offers from Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Tennessee and Troy. Will the state have back-to-back years of the No.1 inside and No.1 outside linebacker in the country?
A few players missing in action this weekend include P.J. Blue, four-star linebacker from Park Crossing High School in Montgomery, and Tre Threat, four-star linebacker from Spanish Fort High School. Blue had recent shoulder surgery, and Treat has a baseball game. Both prospects competed in the Rivals Camp in 2014.
Defensive backs
John Broussard, four-star cornerback from Central High School in Phenix City, leads a talented group. He will announce his decision on May 7. The finalists are Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU and Mississippi State. Teammate Jamal Couch recently committed to Florida State.
P.J. Hall, three-star cornerback from Hoover High School, has been a starter on back-to-back state championships for the Bucs. Hall has offers from Mississippi State and Western Kentucky. Jermarius Jordan, three-star cornerback from Bessemer City High School, recently transferred from Hoover. He has offers from Miami, Missouri, Tulane and Vanderbilt.
A pair of 2017 prospects will also compete including one of the best athletes in the Southeast. Malcolm Askew, Rivals100 athlete from McAdory High School in McCalla, has close to 20 offers including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, N.C. State, Ohio State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and UCLA. Askew can play on either side of the ball.
Karon Delince, cornerback from Central High School in Phenix City, added an offer earlier this year from Kentucky. Delince should see his offer list continue to grow throughout the spring since many schools will stop by Central to see numerous prospects.