No matter how far a school's recruiting reach goes, at the end of the day, coaches want to win battles in their own backyards. This is especially true in SEC country, where the concentration of blue-chip talent is at its greatest, and so is the competition.
The bad news for Alabama is that it was unable to land the top in-state player on National Signing Day in four-star wide receiver Justyn Ross. Instead, Ross chose to go with Clemson, which has developed an unofficial College Football Playoff rivalry with the Crimson Tide.
At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Ross was the No. 7 wide receiver recruit nationally and the No. 47 player overall.
This is a big win for Clemson and a somewhat unexpected loss for Alabama, which was considered a heavy favorite for Ross according to 247Sports' Crystal Ball projections. Ross was also considering Auburn. He took official visits to Alabama and Auburn last month with an in-season visit to Clemson in November. As it stands now, Ross is the highest-ranked player to sign with Clemson on signing day.
What big-time recruits are headed to your favorite school? Visit 247Sports.com to see how your team's future will be changed forever. Their recruiting analysts are on the ground right now for National Signing Day. Plus, use the code SIGN2018 to get 30 days completely free on any plan they offer!
