Alabama, Ohio State Early Leaders for 5-Star Linebacker Raekwon McMillan

An epic showdown between the top two recruiting head coaches in the nation is about to get really heated when Nick Saban and Alabama battle Urban Meyer and Ohio State for the services of five-star inside linebacker Raekwon McMillan (Hinesville, Ga., Liberty County) on the recruiting trail.

The Buckeyes had been viewed by many recruiting analysts to be the early favorite for the 6-3, 235-pounder who is viewed as the No. 2 inside linebacker according to Scout and 247Sports and the No. 16 player overall according to Rivals, but the two-time defending national champion is now considered an equal.

“Kirby Smart (Alabama’s defensive coordinator) is a great coach and a great recruiter and I like him a lot. He has a great defense every year and having a chance to play beside Reuben Foster at linebacker would be great too. Alabama is just a great program with all their tradition, the way they win, and they are coming on strong for me,” McMillan told Chad Simmons of Scout.com.

It was only a matter of time before McMillan got the recruiting pitch by Smart, who, in addition to being the best defensive coordinator in America, is also one of the game’s best recruiters. Considering that McMillan lives in the middle of SEC country in Georgia and the power of the Crimson Tide knows no bounds, this innocuous tweet may give a hint where his heart is at the moment.

https://twitter.com/Kwon_daTRUTH/status/306597522938404864

Clearly, that doesn’t mean that Ohio State is going to stop recruiting him and in his interview with Simmons, he had glowing remarks for the process the school is using to pursue him. He respects the program’s history and coaching staff and is looking forward to visiting Columbus again.

McMillan is blessed with great size, speed and is one of the fiercest hitters in his class. He is being pursued by practically the entire SEC with Clemson and Florida State near the top of his list as well, but it’s a two-team race right now.

It’s going to be quite the battle to see who can land the talented McMillan, who has totaled 249 tackles, eight sacks and 10 forced fumbles over the last two seasons.

http://youtu.be/x2-K-i_5C3o

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Patrick is the host of “The Wake-up Call,” on Sportstownchicago.com airing Wednesday mornings from 8-10. View his show’s website here.