Simmons Road Show: Alabama prospects eye out-of-state options

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

On the way to the Rivals 3 stripe camp presented by adidas in New Orleans, recruiting analyst Chad Simmons made stops at over a dozen high schools in Alabama. He saw some stars that are already known and he visited some could be in the next year or so that have caught his attention on film.

Here are some notes from the road.

MORE: Ten biggest Southeast commits since NSD | Questions about 2020 class

Javion Cohen and Joshua Jones are big-time offensive tackles who have become two of the best in the state of Alabama. Both helped Central High School in Phenix City win the state title this past season and they will look to do it again in 2019.

Both were offered by LSU last week and both could make decisions before the 2019 season kicks off. In the last couple of months, Cohen has added offers from Alabama, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and others.

Jones has been just as hot. The last four offers have come from Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State and Tennessee.

Both offensive tackles have re-shaped their bodies, improved their technique and become big-time targets for numerous SEC schools.

Is there a school trending for the twin towers? Some feel South Carolina could be that school for Cohen because of the relationship he has developed with that staff. Keep an eye on LSU for both of them though. They are visiting Baton Rouge this weekend. Mississippi State is one to watch for Jones, too.

Is Dabo Swinney going to do it again? It is not all Dabo. It is not all Clemson winning national championships. Jeff Scott and Todd Bates played big roles in five-star WR Justyn Ross choosing Clemson over Alabama, Auburn and many others on National Signing Day in 2018, and they are back at it again — at the same school.

EJ Williams is that guy now in 2020. Clemson is trending here. Ross has stayed in contact with Williams and Clemson has made the Rivals250 receiver at Central in Phenix City a priority. The buzz around Central’s campus is that Williams is a Clemson lean.

The culture, the way Clemson has produced receivers and the fit are things Williams himself talked about that draw him to the Tigers. This is going to be one to watch, because he is still listing around 10 schools, but Clemson looks to be in a good spot right now.

Albany Casey missed half of the 2018 season due to an ACL injury, but Scott Frost came down in January, spent time at Baldwin County and Nebraska is in the mix.

The Huskers have stayed in contact with Casey and his coaches. They are pushing for a visit and they are likely to get one

Casey is a 6-4, 240-pound edge rusher with length and a burst off the ball. He has filled out, added good weight and he is now close to 100 percent after playing the last few games in the fall at around 80 percent.

This could be a big spring for him as coaches see him compete in practice. He is one that definitely passes the eye-test immediately, so he is expected to draw a lot of attention.

Frost taking the time there early, the Huskers offering early and the staff in Lincoln showing high interest in recent months have Nebraska right in the thick of this race at this stage.

Rivals250 linebacker Demouy Kennedy recently re-opened his recruitment by decommitting from Auburn. The four-star out of Theodore remains in contact with Auburn, but based on some behind the scenes chatter, another Tigers team may be trending.

Kennedy recently took a trip to Baton Rouge, and LSU may now be the school that others are chasing. At this time, it looks like Kennedy has hit the reset button and will take his time and not make a decision any time soon, but LSU definitely has his attention.

The success LSU has had on defense, Dave Aranda’s history and the environment in Baton Rouge are among the things that have made LSU a strong contender. Plenty of schools are still involved, and Kennedy plans to take numerous visits in the coming months, but LSU is a school at or near the top for one of the best in Alabama.

The Williamson program looks to be going back in the right direction after being down for some time. The high school in Mobile produced the likes of Jamarcus Russell and Tee Martin years ago, and now it is home to athlete Robert Woodyard.

The 6-foot-1, 210 athlete is a freshman who had over 80 tackles at linebacker and scored double-digit touchdowns at running back. He loves running back, and he runs with great power and balance, but he may grow out of that position.

He has already picked up offers from Auburn, Indiana, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Texas A&M. Many more will come in the months ahead.

Former Williamson star Russell is the offensive coordinator there now and Martin is coaching at his alma mater, Tennessee. So Woodyard has ties to Baton Rouge and Knoxville through those guys. Jimbo Fisher coached Russell at LSU, so the Aggies have Woodyard’s attention, too. He camped in College Station last summer.

This is going to be a prospect everyone in the South - and maybe the nation - will be talking about in the years to come.

1. Kendrick Simpkins is a new name to many. He is a 2020 defensive back at Montgomery Lee and he recently picked up an offer from Tennessee. Georgia is another SEC school that has started to show interest and a visit to Athens is likely in the coming weeks. Auburn is the school he grew up a fan of and he said the AU coaches just started following him on Twitter.

2. Chase Little is a large young man. He played at Lowndesboro last season, but has since transferred to Montgomery Catholic. Little is a 6-6, 305-pound offensive tackle and he has picked up offers from Indiana, Purdue and Troy among others recently. He is visiting Mississippi State on March 23 and he could have a big spring as coaches hit the road during the evaluation period.

3. Anthony Mix Jr. is a quarterback to know in the 2022 class. The 6-2, 215-pound freshman has already been offered by Memphis, Nebraska, SMU and a few others. He is an Auburn legacy and he will add many more offers.

4. There was some Ole Miss buzz around the name Keyshawn Woodyard at back-to-back state champion school UMS Wright in Mobile. Woodyard was in Oxford recently and he really likes what they do at the receiver position. The Rebels are losing guys like AJ Brown and DK Metcalf, so Woodyard feels he could be next in line.

5. Auburn and LSU are the schools recruiting Vigor defensive back Sidney Williams the hardest right now. He has visited Alabama, Auburn and LSU so far in 2019 and Nebraska and Tennessee are two schools he hopes to visit in the coming months. He is not going to rush the process.