Does Alabama or Auburn Have Early Upper Hand with State's Top 2016 Recruits?
The battles on the recruiting trail between rivals Alabama and Auburn are often a prelude to their annual clash on the field in the Iron Bowl.
This year, the Crimson Tide and Tigers will have a handful of important duels to wage within state borders, with eight Alabama natives ranked among the nation’s top 200 overall prospects in the 2016 cycle.
Last year, both SEC West powers split the state’s top talent, with each school landing five of the state’s top 10 prospects.
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How are the early battles between the Tide and Tigers for Alabama’s top rising seniors shaping up in the early stages of the 2016 cycle?
A trio of 5-star standouts headlines the top in-state targets for each school.
Lyndell Wilson, OLB
The top 2016 prospect from the Yellowhammer state is 5-star linebacker Lyndell Wilson.
The 6’2”, 220-pound Montgomery native is the No. 7 overall player in the 2016 class and the nation’s second-best outside linebacker prospect.
According to BamaOnline’s Shane Youngblood, Wilson has mentioned the idea of playing safety at the next level.
On the recruiting front, Wilson released his top seven schools last month, with both Alabama and Auburn both making his list:
Both in-state schools figure to be players in his recruitment until the very end. He visited Auburn for its 2014 season-opening win over Arkansas and then made a pair of visits to Tuscaloosa for the Florida and Texas A&M games.
It’s early, but the Tide seem to have the upper hand among in-state schools.
Early Edge: Alabama
Ben Davis, OLB
Another in-state linebacker who figures to cause a heavyweight tussle between the Tide and Tigers is 5-star prospect Ben Davis.
However, as AL.com’s John Talty notes, his father, Wayne—who starred at the Capstone as a linebacker from 1983-86—admits that he hopes his son follows his footsteps and commits to Alabama.
"When it comes down to it, I'm going to be pushing my son to go to Alabama," the elder Davis told Talty. "He's going to make that decision with his own heart."
While Auburn is still in the picture for the younger Davis, landing him appears to be an uphill climb at best for the Tigers given his family's history with the Tide.
Early Edge: Alabama
Marlon Davidson, DE
While Davis has ties to Alabama, 5-star defensive end Marlon Davidson has a connection to the Tigers program.
His older brother, Kenneth Carter, played defensive end for the Tigers, per Youngblood.
As Keith Niebuhr of AuburnUndercover notes, Davidson has been a regular visitor on the Plains recently.
However, the 6’4”, 260-pounder—who rates as the No. 27 overall player in the 2016 class and the second-best strong-side defensive end in the country—also visited the Tide for a pair of games last fall.
While it isn’t a slam dunk that he ends up at Auburn, the Tigers seem to have the early momentum in his recruitment.
Early Edge: Auburn
Other Potential Battles
There are another five homegrown prospects who have already earned a 4-star rating in the 2016 cycle and are worth monitoring on the recruiting trail.
Of those recruits, the only one who currently has an Alabama offer is Jemison linebacker P.J. Blue. According to John Garcia Jr. of 'BamaMag, the Tide have turned up the heat on Blue, which could make them tough to beat for his services.
Auburn has offered a pair of 4-star defenders in corner John Broussard and linebacker Jeremiah Moon.
LSU figures to be Auburn’s main competition for Broussard while Moon is also interested in Mississippi State.
Other prospects who could emerge as targets down the line include 3-star fullback Malik Miller and 3-star athlete TaDarryl Marshall.
Overall, the crop of in-state talent should lead to another round of intense recruiting battles between the Tide and Tigers.
Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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