Simmons Two Takes on Florida targets in Alabama

The high school football talent is only getting better in the state of Alabama. The talent pool is deeper, the prospects at the top are better and the talent is spread out across the state.

Rivals.com is spending more time in Alabama. After visiting close to two-dozen high schools, watching six practices and taking in a big game, here are five takeaways from the trip on top 2018 prospects.

LINK: Read the entire update on all five prospects

Birmingham (Ala.) Jackson-Olin four-star defensive lineman

Coynis Miller is not hiding that Florida is his leader despite being pursued by both Alabama and Auburn. He has a great connection with defensive line coach Chris Rumphand after visiting Florida over the summer, Miller said he compared each school and that Florida just looks the best to him right now. Expect this race to be very heated and for the in-state schools to turn up the pressure on him.

He is very familiar with Alabama and Auburn — both have him high on their boards, but he does not feel pressure to stay home.

“I will do my own thing. My family will let me go wherever I am most happy,” he said.

Florida has the edge now and all three SEC schools are expected to receive official visits. Miller at one time was close to committing late in the summer, but he has really slowed things down now and he may take his recruitment all the way to Signing Day.

Justyn Ross is a five-star wide receiver out of Phenix City (Ala.) Central. At one time he looked to be headed to Auburn, then Alabamawas trending, but Clemson is the school with the momentum early in the 2017 season.

He was at Clemson on Saturday for the Auburn game, and Clemson had a couple of coaches at his game against Auburn (Ala.) on Friday. The Clemson staff has done an excellent job recruiting Ross and building that relationship with him. Under Jeff Scott, Clemson has been producing elite wide receivers and that is one thing that appeals to Ross. The campus environment does too.

Alabama and Auburn are not going to go away and Florida and Florida State are hanging around, but Clemson is trending here. Not many early on saw Ross leaving his home state to play college football, but his interest in Clemson is real.

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