Alabama Crimson Tide

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It’s never a surprise to see Alabama football near the top of any ratings. Nick Saban has a proven track record on the field. That has translated to the recruiting trail as he has pulled in top classes year in and year out, finishing in the top three in recruiting in each of the past five years. He's had the top class for the past two seasons.

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When the updated ESPN 150 and the new ESPN 300 rankings came out Monday, Alabama climbed all the way up to No. 2 in the class rankings. The only school currently standing between them and a third consecutive No. 1 recruiting class is Michigan, the same Michigan program that was dominated by the Crimson Tide last September in the season opener.

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Top-rated defensive end Da'Shawn Hand (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) has kept his recruitment under control and organized. He had narrowed his list down to five schools but has since shaken up that group and trimmed his list to three.

Alabama, Florida and Michigan, listed in alphabetical order, make up the final schools he will consider. The No. 4 player in the ESPN 150 said these are the final three, with two more still having an outside shot.

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Da’Shawn Hand (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) came to Columbus, Ohio, over the weekend full of optimism and left with even more promise.

The fourth-ranked player in the nation and top-ranked defensive end, Hand was in town as part of the Columbus Nike Football Training Camp.

He left with an invitation to The Opening -- his second in as many years -- and even snuck in an unofficial visit to Ohio State the day before.

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NORCROSS, Ga. -- ESPN 150 defensive end Lorenzo Carter seems to never stop grinning, even on the football field. His 100-megawatt smile calls to mind another affable defensive end, Michael Strahan, complete with the trademark gap. Even a shoving match with a teammate resulted in Carter falling down laughing about it later.

During the Norcross spring game on Friday, Carter and offensive tackle Horatio Walker tangled as they went at each other in the trenches. Walker held Carter’s jersey and was rewarded with a shot to the helmet.

“Well it was a run, and I don’t think Horatio respects me on the run yet, but it is all good,” Carter said between guffaws. “He tried to bully me around, but I was not having that so I had to hit him back. I was having fun out there.”

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D'Andre Walker (Fairburn, Ga./Langston Hughes) racked up 105 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 21 sacks, two forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles and a blocked punt last season as a junior. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound pass rusher played a huge role in helping his team to a 10-2 record and its first playoff berth in school history and hit the recruiting map late in January, when North Carolina became the first program to offer Walker.

Since that time, 34 other programs have offered Walker. While Walker says all schools are now even, three coaching staffs have been able to connect with him the best so far. The 2015 prospect almost committed to one of them a few months back.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Viewers who tuned into last year’s SEC championship game were treated to an epic battle between Alabama and Georgia that was not decided until the last play of the game. It was the latest in a series of battles between schools that clash again and again on the recruiting trail, year after year. Both have targeted a sophomore defensive tackle from North Carolina. In fact, both programs offered Shy Tuttle (Lexington, N.C./North Davidson) on the same day.

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JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- A month ago, Jonathan Hilliman released a top 10. He is slowly whittling his list to a final school.

“It’s coming down to seven. I dropped some schools,” Hilliman said. “We narrowed it down so we could go out and see these places and get a feel for who’s who and who’s interested and who’s not.”

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It's been a busy week for running back Jonathan Hilliman (Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter's). Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Pittsburgh are all among the schools who have been by to evaluate him.

What are the coaches looking for when they visit the 6-foot-1, 202-pound back?

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Holding more than 40 offers, running back Joe Mixon (Oakley, Calif./Freedom) is arguably the most sought-after recruit in the West region. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound, four-star back is the top running back in the West and the No. 135 player in the country. His offer sheet has seemingly grown by the minute this spring, but he isn't in any hurry to narrow it down.

Despite tweeting out a list of 16 programs several weeks ago, Mixon said Sunday that he only did that to highlight the schools recruiting him the hardest, not anything to be taken as a group of finalists.

"I'm still talking to a lot of people," Mixon said. "The recruiting thing has been crazy the past couple of weeks. I've pretty much been taking it well. I talk to them before school, during lunch and after school. I'm not to the stressful part yet, but the hard part has been staying in contact with everybody."

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ASHBURN, Va. -- Cornerback Jalen Tabor (Washington, D.C./Friendship Collegiate), the No. 19 overall player in the ESPN 150, is in no rush to commit.

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ASHBURN, Va. -- At an event that featured three of the top 11 defensive prospects in the ESPN 150, third-rated offensive tackle Damian Prince of Forestville (Md.) Bishop McNamara impressed every bit as much as any of them Sunday at the Nike Football Training Camp outside of Washington, D.C.

Prince showed off a slimmed down frame -- he’s lost more than 30 pounds, he said, to reach about 285 -- and dominated in blocking drills against a stout group of defensive linemen.

Prince, No. 33 in the ESPN 150, put himself in position to rise over the upcoming months.

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The RN Top 10 will appear throughout the camp and combine season and rank prospects based strictly on their on-field performance at that particular event. It does not reflect their overall prospect ranking.

ASHBURN, Va. – The East Coast and mid-Atlantic states represented well on Sunday as eight players earned invites to The Opening at the Nike Football Training Camp outside of Washington, D.C. Defense ruled the day, led by two five-star prospects from Virginia.

10. Nick Scott
Fairfax (Va.) Fairfax |RB| 5-11, 180

Scott stood out among a field of backs who were overshadowed by the prospects at nearly every other position. He earned the attention of coaches for his strong play and versatility but missed the MVP award, which went to Vincent Lowe (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield), who also posted the top SPARQ score.

Scott committed to Penn State in February over an offer from Boston College.

ESPN national recruiting analyst Craig Haubert’s take: “He’s got a great frame, and what I like about him as a Penn State verbal, he’s a versatile player. He may not run by you, but he does a good job in route-running.”

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