Region IDs: Alabama Gulf Coast New Names, Part I

The Alabama Gulf Coast is one of the best recruiting hotbeds in the southeast. Per capita, there aren't many places in the country with more talent packed into a small area. Here, we focus on some of the high schools west of Mobile Bay, before diving into the east part of the bay later this week.    Strong is a productive LB prospect with adequate size and a hot motor. I wouldn't consider him a burner over long distances, but he flashes the twitch from C gap to C gap to react quickly and dodge traffic. He does an outstanding job of engaging blockers with his hands and plays with max effort every play. Raw as a tackler, would love to see him explode through contact. His combination of size and effort is intriguing. Certainly someone I could see picking up D1 buzz down the line.     McCarroll is a stout IOL projection with a low center of gravity. Well equipped with play strength and manipulates defensive linemen. It's hard to create movement against him, and he does plenty of moving himself. He does it without wasted or awkward movements. He is a power scheme guy who is best at moving mountains, but he is a capable athlete and is light on his feet, given his size. Lack of length is probably what's keeping P4's away, but he has several D1 offers and his strength offers a high floor.     Darryl Blackmon is a traitsy prospect with the tools and traits to develop into a premier prospect out of Alabama in the 2028 class. Blackmon measures in beyond his years, around 6'3 200, and doubles as a basketball prospect. He is a tough matchup vertically and is willing to fight for position with smaller defenders. He is still growing into his body and developing that initial twitch, but he builds up to a top speed that lifts off from defenders. He already holds FBS offers, including a P4 offer from Arkansas. This is shaping up to be a fun recruitment.     [player_tooltip player_id='1850682' first='Jailen' last='Wheeler'] is a speedy, one-cut style runner with D1 offers under his belt. Wheeler is a real tough player to catch in space thanks to his get-away and stay-away speed. He isn't super fluid when changing directions and is rather a one-cut runner, exploding through his cuts and clicking into new running lanes. Wheeler will play best at the next level as a playmaker in space, but he showcases the willingness and ability to fight through contact. Wheeler has fun tape and is looking to build off a productive junior season.     Myles Johnson is a long-limbed, lanky corner with both ball and tackle production as a sophomore. He aggressively comes downhill to make tackles and uses all of his length to engulf ball carriers. He does a good job getting his hands on receivers in the route process and clouds the catch pocket when he is in phase, again attributed to his length. Flashes some fluid hips and smooth COD, helping him match and run routes with receivers. Biggest question is based around his top speed. Will need to prove in camp that he can run. Regardless, has D1 tools and is a pretty quiet prospect recruiting-wise.     Roberts is a big OT prospect with flashes of violence and nastiness on tape. Well equipped athletically with good foot speed and powerful hands. It's a real lonely feeling for a defender when he is engaged on you. He toys with defenders and continues his violence through the turf and the whistle. He wins right now with his sheer power and mean streak alone. Will have to learn to win with technique and nuance as he gets older. Regardless, he passes the eye test and plays mean. He holds FBS offers and has P4 tools.     Sewer is a scrappy DB prospect coming off a highly productive junior season as a tackler. He is a T/F athlete with verified 11.39 100M speed. He is a downhill defender who projects best as a safety. He is an aggressive pursuer of the football and flashes solid closing speed. He works hard to bring ball carriers to the turf at the point of attack. His feet run hot when mirroring ball carriers. Sewer is an underrated prospect who should be an interesting late eval for small schools.     Dinkins is a big QB prospect coming off a breakout junior season. He is on the thinner side of his 6'3 frame and is twitched up enough athletically to dodge pressure and pick up a few yards as a runner. He has adequate arm strength, a quick release, and taps into different paces on the ball. He does a good job of stepping through the pocket and is willing to take on contact as he lets the ball go. I think there's more meat on the bone here as a prospect. He holds D1 offers and has a high ceiling.     Crandle is a long, athletic DB prospect with some position versatility. I think he plays best off the line, it looks like he tracks the ball best this way and is best driving downhill. Crandle is 6'2 175 and runs an 11.31 in the 100M, painting the picture of an impressive size/speed prospect. He violently engages blockers on the outside and uses his length to keep his chest clean. He also uses his length to widen his tackle radius and upend prospects. Crandle plays hard and has an impressive athletic profile. He is a clear D1 grade prospect and holds FCS offers.

The Alabama Gulf Coast is one of the best recruiting hotbeds in the southeast. Per capita, there aren't many places in the country with more talent packed into a small area. Here, we focus on some of the high schools west of Mobile Bay, before diving into the east part of the bay later this week.