Alabama Football Recruiting: Recapping a Big Weekend of Official Visitors

Tuesday, June 27th is the first day of the dead Period for college football recruiting. Alabama wrapped up there biggest recruiting weekend on Monday before heading into the break. While the Crimson Tide had an impressive contingent of official visitors, they did not receive any commitments. That is not to say that the weekend was a failure. It was definitely a successful one. Bama fans should see some announcements in the coming days and weeks.

While Alabama had many visitors on campus on unofficial capacities, we will focus only on the 2024 official visits. It was sort of a Noah’s Ark kind of weekend as many recruits arrived in twos.

THE EARLY TWO

It is never a good sign when a prospect visits during the week rather than that weekend - especially when the weekend is reserved to see another program. Alabama hosted two offensive tackles starting last Wednesday.

• OT Grant Brix 6’6”/270 (Logan, IA) - This 4-star went from Kansas State last weekend to Tuscaloosa midweek and then onto Nebraska on Friday. He also visited Oklahoma earlier in the month. It looks like this guy stays somewhere in the Great Plains.
• OT Michael Uini 6’7”/290 (Copperas Cove, TX) - Another three city tour for this one. He traveled from Ann Arbor to T-Town to Athens, GA across two weekends. The experts seems to think Michigan is in the lead.

THE BUFORD TWO

If you have followed college football recruiting over the last several years, you will know that Buford High School, north of Atlanta, GA, has built their program into a power. It has taken some time, but Alabama has broken through and built a pipeline from the North Gwinnett County school to Tuscaloosa. It began in 2020 with center Seth McLaughlin. Next came WR Isaiah Bond and DB Jake Pope in 2022. And then last year came the grand larceny of the second ranked player in the Peach State in RB Justice Haynes. Can Bama coach Travaris Robinson keep that train running? He is the lead recruiter on a pair of 5-stars.

• S KJ Bolden 6’2” 181 - The No. 7 player in the nation appears to be leaning towards UGA over Bama and Ohio State. But he will not announce a decision until the fall. It is vital that Alabama gets him back on campus for a football game.
• DE Eddrick Houston 6’4” 257 - It is hard to imagine how the No. 19 rated player can look at the Tide depth chart and not see early playing time. Affable Jaheim Oatis was his player host. A few predictors have Houston heading to Ohio State, but this one is far from over.

[Oddly enough, UGA has had some difficulties recruiting this high school. At this point, it should be noted that the top rated 2024 player, QB Dylan Raiola, has transferred from a high school in Arizona to play his senior year at Buford. I cannot imagine who orchestrated such a move.]

TWO COMMITTED BULLDOGS

There are three kinds of recruits who are committed elsewhere who go to visit another school: the ones who are genuinely interested in exploring their options, the sightseers, and the saboteurs. The first category is self-explanatory. The second one is just guys who want to goof around and have a fun time. And the final one is a person who might want to recruit fellow visitors to his own school. Though this final classification is rare, it does happen. There is no telling what category each of these types of guests fall into, but it sure would be easy to infiltrate another program if a coaching staff is that slimy.

• S Peyton Woodyard 6’2”/188 (Bellflower, CA) - After his trip to Alabama, the No. 75th ranked player is strongly considering the Crimson Tide. Bama rolled out the red carpet for him. BamaOnLine reported that he rode to dinner with Nick Saban on Friday night. In addition, his player host was freshman and the top ranked 2023 safety Caleb Downs. Woodyard’s flip from UGA is a possibility but not a lock.
• CB Ellis Robinson 6’1’’/185 (IMG by way of New Haven, CT) - Reports have it that the No. 4 player had a really good visit to Tuscaloosa and has a genuine interest in the University of Alabama. The Tide staff hope to have him return for a game this season. This one might be more difficult to flip but the Tide is in the running.

THE MATER DEI DUO

A pair of high 4-stars from Bryce Young’s high school made the trip from Santa Ana, California. Alabama is pushing very hard for both of these players.

• RB Nathaniel Frazier 5’11”/205 - The belief is Bama will take only one or two running backs in this class and Frazier is the top target. He is the No. 58 player and fourth highest ranked running back for 2024. Oregon is looking like the top rival to the Tide for his signature. Georgia and Southern Cal are also in the mix.
• CB Zabien Brown 6’1”/180 - The No. 62 prospect is down to Alabama, Southern Cal, and Ohio State with the Buckeyes looking like third place. He has been to Alabama campus several times and feels comfortable there. He may announce a decision soon.

MORE OFFICIAL VISITORS

• IOL Casey Poe 6’4.5”/290 (Lindale, TX) - By all reports, he had a really good visit and has Bama as a finalist. However, he has made several trips to Oklahoma and plans an OV for late July when the Dead Period ends. 247sports ranks him No. 144 overall. On3 is a little more high on him placing him at No. 34 and as the top interior lineman. UPDATE: Following his OV to Alabama, Poe has moved his announcement date up to July 12.
• OT Marques Easley 6’5”/345 (Kankakee, IL) - To be frank, this prospect may be a Plan B for Alabama if they miss out on others. There are many additional options who rank higher on the Tide recruiting board. He is ranked No. 260 and fifth in Illinois.

OTHER STUFF

• 5-star Bama commit Julian Sayin was also in town this weekend and was a major help on the recruiting front.
• Utah commit Isaia Faga is very close to flipping. He is a 3-star DL from Phenix City, AL.
• QB Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 ranked player in the 2025 class, camped at Bama this past week and had a really good showing in front of the Tide staff. For now, the Belleville, MI native is favored to pick home-state Michigan. 5-star QB George MacIntyre (Brentwood, TN) camped the week before. These are the top two quarterback targets for Alabama.
• Alabama extended an offer to Maryland commitment Justin Okoronkwo after an outstanding camp this past weekend. He is a versatile linebacker originally from Germany who measures 6’3” and 224 pounds. He ran a 4.54 forty this past week at camp.

A FEW OTHERS TO WATCH

• EDGE Colin Simmons (Duncanville, TX) #6 overall
• EDGE Dylan Stewart (Washington, DC) #9
• LB Demarcus Riddick (Clanton, AL) #29 - UGA commit.
• TE Caleb Odom (Carrollton, GA) #68 - Will announce his commitment July 15.
• OT Daniel Calhoun (Marietta, GA) #96
• WR/DB Aeryn Hampton (Daingerfield, TX) #131
• RB/H-back Daniel Hill (Meridian, MS) #199

DEAD PERIOD

This current Dead Period of no in-person contact ends on July 24, 2023. Coaches can still communicate with prospects via phone, email, social media, etc. during this time span.