Alabama picked up another commitment in the 2012 recruiting class by adding tight end Kurt Freitag into the fold. Per Izzy Gould:
Buford (Georgia) tight end Kurt Freitag has committed to Alabama, according to Scout.com.
Freitag chose the Crimson Tide over Florida, and will sign in February.
While this comes as no real surprise and has in fact been expected by most recruiting followers in recent weeks, nevertheless a solid pick-up for the Tide. Rated a three-star prospect by the two major self-proclaimed recruiting expert services, Freitag had a solid offer list that included Florida, Auburn, South Carolina, and Florida State, and in general he could have gone just about anywhere in the SEC.
Many reports have had Freitag as a silent commitment the past several weeks, and that would be no real surprise. Having fellow Alabama commitment Dillon Lee coming out of the same high school probably only helped our chances with this one and by pledging to the Tide Freitag becomes the eighth commitment of the 2012 recruiting class out of the Peach State.
Freitag largely fits the mold of most Alabama tight ends in recent years under Nick Saban. At 6'4 and roughly 240 pounds, he has the size to be a legitimate threat as both a blocker and a receiver in the passing game, and with that frame he at least has the raw size needed to be an early contributor. Alabama has had a lot of success in recent years at the tight end position, and frankly given our complete inability to recruit standout wide receivers post-Julio Jones, picking up players like Freitag who can be legitimate threats in the short and intermediate passing game take on a larger-than-normal importance.
Freitag becomes the 21st commitment of the 2012 recruiting class.
Addendum: The obligatory YouTube video: