BAMA Recruiting

Can you blame them?

Ready for Tuscaloosa

Andrew Bone
TideSports.com Senior Recruiting Analyst

Talk about it in Talk of Champions

Rashaan Evans, five-star linebacker from Auburn High School in Ala., believes he made the right decision for his future when he signed with Alabama on Wednesday.

There are plenty of people who support Evans regardless of his decision, but every fan base has a few immature individuals who take the decision of a high school stranger too personal. Those fans vent frustration on message boards and or social media.

"It's getting worse," Evans said on Monday evening. "Someone actually put out an article about my family's business telling all Auburn fans not to go there. We are going to eventually start losing money. People are telling restaurants in the town not to serve us.

"It's hard for me to go out and chill with my friends like I have always done because people keep coming up to me telling me I made a bad decision. It's grown men. They are asking me why I did this to them. I told them I had to do what is best for me.

"You know I knew this would happen. I knew people would be mad and say stuff. I didn't think it would be like this. It wasn't a complete shock to me, but I guess that's just how fans are.

"It's just crazy right now. What's getting crazy is people are going to the board at my school trying to get me in trouble. They are telling my teachers I am a bad kid and all this stuff. It's just bad right now.

"Social media has definitely been the worst. People on Instagram are telling me how they hope I tear my ACL in game one. They will laugh when I do. They are saying my family is horrible and how they didn't raise me right. It's just crazy."

Evans has another fan base eager for the nation's top linebacker to arrive in Tuscaloosa.

"The support from Alabama fans has been by far the greatest," he said. "They have made me feel a lot better about my decision. They are doing nothing but showing me love. They make me see I have people who are always going to have my back.

"Kirby [Smart] always sends me an inspirational texts. He tells me not to worry what people are saying. He said to make sure once I get there just get ready for work.

"Auburn fans are saying I am going to ride the bench, and I am going to be like Reuben Foster. People are adding his family and how they are low-lifes. They talk about his mom. You wouldn't think some of them are human. I knew it was going to be horrible. You know it's out of hand when people come up to you saying stuff. People you don't know. People who are grown men."

UTVolCountry · Feb 11, 2014

^That's ridiculous... People take shit too serious.

bamabear82 · Feb 11, 2014

UTVolCountry said:
^That's ridiculous... People take shit too serious.

Indeed, people are fucking idiots (including many Bama "fans" have did the same shit in the past). Not that surprising though, I'm sure he's glad to be getting the fuck up out of awwbun.

Hopefully he turns this into even more motivation to succeed. He definitely picked the right place/coaches to help make that happen.

UTVolCountry · Feb 11, 2014

bamabear82 said:
Indeed, people are fucking idiots (including many Bama "fans" have did the same shit in the past). Not that surprising though, I'm sure he's glad to be getting the fuck up out of awwbun.

Hopefully he turns this into even more motivation to succeed. He definitely picked the right place/coaches to help make that happen.

I'd want to murder Auburn on the field if I were him...

Yeah, we all have harsh turds in our fanbases. Main reason I stay off team boards. All the homer shit gets old. And if you disagree with people, you're a Vandy or Memphis fan pretending to be a Vol
:laugh3:

bamabear82 · Feb 11, 2014

UTVolCountry said:
I'd want to murder Auburn on the field if I were him...

Yeah, we all have harsh turds in our fanbases. Main reason I stay off team boards. All the homer shit gets old. And if you disagree with people, you're a Vandy or Memphis fan pretending to be a Vol

Edisto_Tiger · Jun 12, 2014

Yo Bama ... Chad Kelly? Good Luck!

Former Clemson QB Chad Kelly visits Alabama

4down20 · Jun 13, 2014

Edisto_Tiger said:
Yo Bama ... Chad Kelly? Good Luck!

Former Clemson QB Chad Kelly visits Alabama

Won't happen. We'll end up with Lane Kiffin for an OC before that shit happens.

HaroldSeattle · Jun 13, 2014

BamaInHoustonRTR said:
Birthday visit

It was quite the weekend for Alabama commitment Reggie Ragland, who celebrated his birthday on Friday.

Ragland had eight tackles for Bob Jones in a 28-13 win over Spain Park, one of the Patriots' biggest tests all year.

He was wished a happy birthday from UA head coach Nick Saban before attending the Crimson Tide's 38-14 win over Arkansas, and he finished off the weekend with a family cookout at his house on Sunday.

"I had fun," Ragland said. "I went down there and talked with Coach Saban before the game. He told me happy birthday and asked how my game went.

"I talked to Chris Black, Eddie (Williams), Tyler (Hayes), Ryan (Anderson), Dakota (Ball), Darren (Lake). I pretty much talked to everybody down there."

Ragland also saw Anderson's teammate T.J. Yeldon, an Auburn commitment, who was in Tuscaloosa for the game on Saturday. He didn't talk with the Daphne running back, but said that Anderson is working to sway his friend to come to Alabama with him.

"I talked to Ryan, and Ryan said that he was trying to convince T.J. to come to Alabama," Ragland said.

As for the game, Ragland kept a close eye on Crimson Tide linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw but thought the entire team looked great.

"They looked real good," Ragland said. "The offense was clicking. The defense was hitting. That's pretty much normal for Alabama."

The Bob Jones linebacker plans to come back in two weeks for the Vanderbilt game.

Linebackers unite

Alabama has one of the top linebacker classes in the country expected to enroll next year with Anderson, Lee, Ragland, and Tyler Hayes already committed and Jordan Jenkins looming as another possibility.

Jenkins and the four commitments were all on campus over the weekend to witness the Crimson Tide's victory.

Hayes, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound athlete who's expected to play linebacker at the next level, got a chance to talk with the other linebackers in the 2012 class before the game.

"They look like good athletes, and apparently they are, if they are Division I prospects," Hayes said. "It will be nice to meet and play with new people."

The Thomasville High School star has been to all three Alabama home games this season and others in years past but said that Saturday's may have been the loudest.

"It was loud, I can you tell that," Hayes said. "I don't think I've been to a game that loud. I'm pretty sure the players were nervous because I know when I get there, I'll be nervous with a big crowd like that. That's a good thing, though.

"They looked strong. They came out hard, and they just played Alabama football."

Hayes also plans to return for UA's next home game against Vanderbilt.

Notes

As mentioned earlier, Daphne linebacker Ryan Anderson brought an unexpected visitor with him for the game on Saturday as Rivals 100 running back T.J. Yeldon made the trip with his friend. Yeldon is currently committed to Auburn. Anderson's cousin and teammate Torren McGaster also tagged along with the group.

Alabama commitments Brandon Greene and Kenyan Drake had both talked about coming to the game but neither was able to make it. Greene got back late from his game on Friday night, and Drake had test prep classes for the ACT on Saturday morning.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Outrageous" Atmosphere Wows Jenkins

Greg Ostendorf
TideSports.com Recruiting Analyst
The Alabama defense hounded Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson throughout Saturday's 38-14 win, but Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban wouldn't have minded having top recruit Jordan Jenkins in there as well to help with the pass rush.

At least that's what the UA coach told Jenkins before the game.

"I talked to Coach Saban for a little while, and he said some great things," Jenkins said. "He said he wished that he could have me out there doing some pass rushing that night and hoped that I came there. That made me feel pretty darn good."

Jenkins, from Hamilton, Ga. although he was born in Washington, drove over to Tuscaloosa with his father and a couple of his teammates on Saturday. The Rivals 100 prospect had already been to five or six Alabama games, but this may have been the loudest one he had attended.

"It was a loud, loud game," Jenkins said. "It was just an outrageous atmosphere. After every first down when everybody started screaming 'Roll Tide,' it was almost at the point where it was starting to hurt your eardrum."

At Harris County High School, Jenkins plays primarily along the defensive line at defensive end, but at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, the UA coaching staff likes him as a Jack linebacker position at the next level.

Knowing that, Jenkins watched the Crimson Tide linebacking corps closely, keeping a close eye on the Jack position.

"I saw some great things come out of (Courtney) Upshaw and (Dont'a) Hightower," Jenkins said. "I saw them squeeze down, make some plays inside and also drop back to cover a couple of receivers. They made some key impact plays."

Before the game, he hung out with a couple of other players from his home state, including the Buford duo, Dillon Lee and Kurt Freitag, and 2013 commitment Reuben Foster from LaGrange, Ga.

"I shook hands and said hello to Dillon Lee and Kurt Freitag," Jenkins said. "I met with Reuben (Foster) because we always meet up with each other anytime we go somewhere. We had a good time together. He's always saying something, telling me to come down."

This was Jenkins' second unofficial visit of the season. He's scheduled to return to Tuscaloosa when Alabama plays LSU for his official visit, but he will get to see the Crimson Tide in action again next week when he travels to Florida for an unofficial visit.

Next week's game features his top two schools.

"I can't wait," Jenkins said. "I hope it's going to be a pretty good game. I went to it last year when it was at Alabama, and I thought it was going to be close but it was a blowout. This year it should be a lot closer because they're playing at The Swamp.

"Alabama and Florida are tied for one and two. I'm still going to wait and see how the game next week at Florida is going to be, and after that I think I'll be able to say which one's leading. After those two, it would be UGA, Auburn and Tennessee."

Jenkins plans to make a decision after his season, once he takes all of his official visits.

bamabear82 · Jun 15, 2014

Texas defensive end James Lockhart enjoys trip to Alabama, could be on verge of commitment | AL.com

UTVolCountry · Jun 15, 2014

On verge aka should be a done deal here $oon

bamabear82 · Jun 15, 2014

UTVolCountry said:
On verge aka should be a done deal here $oon

Sometimes it takes a day or two fer the check to clear.

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