B/R Recruiting Notebook: Bama Surging with Moses; USC Pledge Keeping Doors Open

Sundays are supposed to belong primarily to the NFL. Recruiting found its place in the news this past Sunday with the assistance of four words Saturday that ultimately became a cryptic message.

"Savages play with savages," IMG Academy 5-star linebacker Dylan Moses tweeted late Saturday evening as he was on an official visit to Alabama. The nation's top-ranked outside linebacker went on to verbally commit to head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, becoming the program's 20th pledge and third 5-star player, per Scout.com.

"

Ready to work #TheProcess pic.twitter.com/zCoH9GlL0y

— King Ⓜ️oses (@Dylan1Moses_) October 2, 2016"

Moses' commitment brings a familiar question to the table: Can Alabama ultimately catch Ohio State in the 2017 team recruiting rankings? Top-ranked Ohio State holds a solid lead over No. 2 Alabama, but with several stud targets still in play—for both powerhouse programs—the next four months until national signing day will be an interesting race.

Ohio State likes the position it's in for a few 5-star athletes, including running back Cam Akers and cornerback/athlete Jeffrey Okudah, but don't count out Alabama and its recruiting efforts. Akers, Okudah, 5-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson and 5-star offensive tackle Trey Smith are players to keep an eye on as the Crimson Tide look to close 2017 recruiting strong.

With Moses, Alabama is getting an immediate playmaker at the linebacker position. He can play outside or inside because of his speed, strength and nose for the football. Moses, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native and one-time LSU commit, has been a household name in college football recruiting since the eighth grade, and he's yet to disappoint as a star prospect.

What may be more important for Alabama is that Moses announced he is shutting down his recruiting process and choosing not to take any more visits. Credit Saban and co-defensive coordinators Tosh Lupoi (outside linebackers) and Jeremy Pruitt (inside linebackers) for their recruiting efforts on an athlete who can be a game-changer in the SEC early in his career.

USC commit Carr: 'I'm taking my visits'

Credit: Student Sports

Fontana, California, 5-star running back Stephen Carr has been committed to USC since March 23, 2015. For more than 18 months, the Trojans have been able to maintain their keystone pledge.

The big question: Can USC hold Carr for another four months? Carr reconfirmed to Bleacher Report that while he is still committed, he will take all five of his official visits. He said he has an idea of which schools he wants to visit, but he isn't releasing that information at the current time.

"I'm committed to USC, but I'm keeping my options open," Carr said. "I'm taking my visits. I still have a long time until signing day, and I know that anything can happen."

Carr said he will publicly announce his official visit schedule soon. He also did not confirm that USC would receive an official visit—even though he's made multiple trips to the campus.

For USC fans, that may sound like bad news, but Carr reiterated his love for the program and the coaching staff. He added that the Trojans' 41-20 win Saturday over Arizona State was fun to watch.

Still, Carr said he will take his visits to reassure himself that he's made the right decision.

"I just want to make sure I feel the same about USC as how I did when I committed," he said.

Official visit No. 2 on deck for 4-star CB Molden

Credit: Student Sports

Two weeks after his first official visit to Stanford, West Linn, Oregon, 4-star cornerback Elijah Molden is set to take an official to his home-state school.

Molden will visit Oregon this weekend as the Ducks host Washington. The Huskies will get an official visit the weekend of Oct. 22 when they host Oregon State.

For now, Oregon will be the school to watch, and the Ducks will have big shoes to follow. Molden gave his Stanford visit "a 10" and said he's hoping to get a similar feel for the upcoming weekend.

"I'm looking to see how I fit in their program and with the players," Molden said. "I'm trying to see where I see myself. I honestly can see myself at all the schools, but I want to envision where I see myself best."

Molden said he hears from all three schools frequently, but he said Washington may hold a slight lead in correspondence. He's built solid relationships with head coach Chris Petersen and co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake.

Molden said a verbal commitment could come "most likely in early December," but nothing has been finalized. The weekend will serve as a major opportunity for Oregon to keep one of the Beaver State's top players close to home.

"It's all getting a little stressful, because you don't want to turn down any school," he said. "I'm looking at what's best for me."

Junior college DE/OLB Clemons a name to watch

The stock is rising for Cisco College (Texas) defensive end/outside linebacker hybrid Micheal Clemons. The talented junior college prospect now has double-digit offers—the latest coming from Oklahoma State—and has three official visits planned before February's signing period.

"I plan on taking an official to Oklahoma State in December, and I'm going to take visits to Ole Miss and Missouri in January," Clemons said. "I'm going to take all five [visits], but I haven't figured out the other two yet."

Clemons is one of the enigmas of the 2017 recruiting cycle. He finished high school ball at Sachse High School outside of Dallas as a 6'4", 195-pound linebacker. He is now a 6'6 ½", 240-pound defender who can play strong-side defensive end, weak-side defensive end, inside linebacker and outside linebacker.

After being redshirted his freshman year, Clemons is lining up at linebacker for Cisco and may be moved to defensive end at the FBS level. In addition to the three schools he plans to officially visit, Clemons has offers from North Carolina State, Kansas State, Minnesota, Tennessee, Arkansas and others.

"I redshirted so I could get bigger and stronger and learn new positions," he said. "This past spring, the coaches moved me to 'Will' [weak-side] linebacker, and I pretty much took advantage of that. I had a pretty good spring.

"When I first got to [Cisco], I was 218. I did a lot of working out and a lot of eating after high school and here at school. This is the JUCO struggle, but I feel my coaches have prepared me for whatever is next."

Clemons said he may wait to commit on national signing day, but nothing is set in stone regarding a commitment date. He's looking for a school that will help him grow on and off the field. He said he wants a school that has both a strong athletic and academic background.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of Scout.com. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles