New Names Emerge In Updated Player Rankings
By Kirven Lang
The class of 2018 may not be the best class to come through but it is panning out to be a decent class. Although some of the top prospects have decided to transfer out of state, we decided to keep them in the rankings with our new format.
Diante Wood is the top player in the class but it’s not necessarily clear cut. Trey Jemison, Myreon Jones and Xavier Williams were all in contention along with Markise Davis who has emerged on the scene with a bang. Wood has a host of offers including several high majors including Alabama while Auburn was in heavily but Chuck Person Person was the lead recruiter. Davis has all the tools to be the top prospect but we would like to see how his senior season starts to roll before we jump the gun. Williams had the best summer as he was the most consistent and reeled in some impressive offers including South Florida. Jones came onto the national scene midway through when he switched from Team Thad on the Under Armour circuit to the EYBL circuit with the Georgia Stars. Jemison, a Hoover transfer, still has high major offers but didn’t play much with Team Penny on the EYBL circuit but his recruitment kept him afloat.
Diante Wood is the top player in the class but it’s not necessarily clear cut. Trey Jemison, Myreon Jones and Xavier Williams were all in contention along with Markise Davis who has emerged on the scene with a bang. Wood has a host of offers including several high majors including Alabama while Auburn was in heavily but Chuck Person Person was the lead recruiter. Davis has all the tools to be the top prospect but we would like to see how his senior season starts to roll before we jump the gun. Williams had the best summer as he was the most consistent and reeled in some impressive offers including South Florida. Jones came onto the national scene midway through when he switched from Team Thad on the Under Armour circuit to the EYBL circuit with the Georgia Stars. Jemison, a Hoover transfer, still has high major offers but didn’t play much with Team Penny on the EYBL circuit but his recruitment kept him afloat.
Myreon Jones and Tony Johnson were the two who transferred out of state, both moved to Georgia. Jones made the move to Lincoln Prep in suburban Atlanta while Johnson transferred to Berkmar which is suburban Atlanta as well. Johnson was also a contender at the top spot and was one of the best player to ever play at Eufaula. He didn’t get as much playing time as expected with the Southern Stampede (EYBL).
The fact that Alabama didn’t have a fully sponsored 17-under team on any shoe company circuit ultimately played factor in a lot of kids being looked over as they played with surrounding state programs and had to battle with playing with the natives. Others played on independent programs and just didn’t get the looks.
The Battle For The Rankings was a perfect realm for players with little notoriety to make a name for themselves. Several players from the camp entered the new rankings along with a boost in their recruitment. We could possibly extend the rankings to 75 by midseason with the way the class is developing. There may not be a lot of high major talent but there will be a lot of D-II, D-III, NAIA and JUCO prospects to go around. We can see some of these guys taking the JUCO route and developing while others could end up in the record books in some lower level programs.
The fact that Alabama didn’t have a fully sponsored 17-under team on any shoe company circuit ultimately played factor in a lot of kids being looked over as they played with surrounding state programs and had to battle with playing with the natives. Others played on independent programs and just didn’t get the looks.
The Battle For The Rankings was a perfect realm for players with little notoriety to make a name for themselves. Several players from the camp entered the new rankings along with a boost in their recruitment. We could possibly extend the rankings to 75 by midseason with the way the class is developing. There may not be a lot of high major talent but there will be a lot of D-II, D-III, NAIA and JUCO prospects to go around. We can see some of these guys taking the JUCO route and developing while others could end up in the record books in some lower level programs.