College Football Recruiting: Predictions for uncommitted five-star recruits

Dec 6, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; The Alabama Crimson Tide Million Dollar Band’s Flag Corp perform before Alabama’s game against the Missouri Tigers in the 2014 SEC Championship at the Georgia Dome. Alabama beat Missouri 42-13. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Who: 5-Star OLB Ben Davis

• Hometown/High School: Gordo, AL /Gordo School
• Rankings: No. 20 overall, No. 3 outside linebacker and No. 2 in Alabama

Davis is the type of player that makes his presence known on the field. Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, his size is certainly an asset, He possesses tremendous reaction time and that helps him get off his blocks quickly to make plays. In what is somewhat of a rarity for a player of his stature, he also brings to the table a tremendous amount of speed, which helps him when he begins his pursuit of the ball carrier, particularly if it is a mobile quarterback or a running back who can bounce to the outside quickly.

I see him staying in-state and going to the Alabama Crimson Tide. His style of play would fit well in the SEC, particularly against teams like Texas A&M, where Kenny Hill can both run and pass the football. He would bolster a Tide defense that ranked No. 20 in the country in 2014 with 4,061 yards allowed and give them versatility off the line of scrimmage as his combination of speed and strength can overwhelm offensive linemen.

Currently the Tide 2016 class ranks No. 4 in the country and No. 2 in the SEC per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. A commitment from Davis would be the first five-star commit of the class and the third linebacker commit overall joining four-star commit Jaquan Yulee and three-star commit Riley Cole.

The only other team that may have a shot at him is Auburn due to the proximity factor, but I can’t see Saban losing a recruit to an in-state rival.

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