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Two SEC teams stand out to five-star JaCoby Stevens with another getting close
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Considering he is ranked as the nation’s top athlete prospect for 2017, JaCoby Stevens of Murfreesboro, Tenn., has a long list of suitors at his disposal. In fact, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, along with Tennessee and Vanderbilt are all planning to attend a satellite camp at his high school this week.
While Stevens recently tweeted out his latest Top 7 list, the five-star prospect recently told Bleacher Report three teams have shown the most interest in him of late – Auburn, LSU and Clemson.
“With Auburn, I feel like Coach [Gus] Malzahn is turning things around,” Stevens said according to Damon Sayles of Bleacher Report. “They pulled in one of the best DTs in the country [Derrick Brown], and they’re getting ready for a big run. Adding Coach [Wesley] McGriff from the Saints was a great move. He’d be a good DBs coach for me if I choose to go to Auburn.”
Stevens recently took an unofficial visit to the Auburn campus for the Tigers’ Big Cat Weekend and was excited to get to ride in Malzahn’s $140,000 BMW. The trip obviously left an impression with Stevens and may have helped Auburn take a lead role in his recruitment.
Of course Stevens is originally from Louisiana and was once an LSU commit. After decommitting from the Tigers, Stevens continues to remain high on the Bayou Bengals.
“LSU is a school that I’ve always loved,” Stevens said. “I like the family there, and I like what Coach [Les] Miles and Coach [Corey] Raymond are doing. Their recruiting classes are always amazing. They’re always shooting for championship runs and dynasties. There’s a special feeling and a special vibe in Baton Rouge.”
While the in-state Volunteers did not get mentioned as one of the top three schools, Stevens did say Tennessee was working hard to join the others schools at the top of his list. UT gaining the commitment of top in-state defender Maleik Gray over the weekend was something that certainly gained Stevens’ attention.
“They’ve been working the hardest. They always stay in contact,” Stevens said. “Coach [Bob] Shoop, Coach [Willie] Martinez and Coach [Butch] Jones all have been very serious about putting the program back to the top. I know they pulled in Maleik, so that tells me how much they’re trying to build the program.”
Where he lands is anyone’s best guess at this point but it would appear these four schools, not to mention Georgia and possibly a few other premier SEC options, will all likely be in for a battle to the end to land Stevens’ commitment come signing day. However, being mentioned on this list should give fans of these schools confidence that their coaching staff is currently doing whatever they can to lure in one of the top overall prospects in the nation.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
