Alabama Crimson Tide Recruiting News and Updates

The Alabama staff has been mighty busy recruiting during this downtime. This weekend and next are big Official Visit (OV) weekends with the fledgling Early Signing period fast approaching.

CALENDAR

December 17: Quiet Period

December 18-January 11: Dead Period

December 20-22: Early Signing Period

CROOTIN NEWS

• Isaac Taylor-Stuart DB 6'2"/190 San Diego, CA **** - Due to the distance from home, this west coaster is a bit of a longshot to choose the Tide over Southern Cal. But Tosh Lupoi has convinced him to OV Dec 15.
• Justyn Ross WR 6'4"/195 Phenix City, AL **** - I included him because he is from Alabama and is a top 10 WR. But for some reason, his interest in attending the Capstone is not strong. Derrick Ansley paid him a visit this past week but he is looking like a Clemson lean with Aubie in a distant second. Basketball is his first love but his future lies on the gridiron.
• Penei Sewell OL 6'5"/340 St. George, UT **** - Tosh Lupoi and Brent Key have been giving this US Army All-American the full-court press of visits and it appears to be paying off. The big tackle took an OV to T-town for the Tennessee massacre. Penei's older brothers, Gabriel and Nephi, play for the University of Nevada, but he is not likely to carry on that tradition.
• Nick Petit-Frere OL 6'5"/265 Tampa, FL ***** Mike Locksley and Brent Key have made a late push for this Under Armour All-American and are picking up steam. Florida and Notre Dame are the competition for now, although the coaching change in Gainesville might have an effect on that.
• JJ Peterson LB 6'2"/206 Moultrie, GA **** - At outside linebacker, Peterson would fit right into the Alabama scheme. The U.S. Army All-American is looking like a strong lean to Bama but outgoing Tide DC Jeremy Pruitt was the lead recruiter. His Colquitt County head coach is Rush Propst who you may recall had Pruitt on his staff in their days back at Hoover.
• Tanner McKee QB 6'6"/220 Corona, CA **** Stanford may be the favorite here but Alabama has not given up on the #2 Pro-style QB. He made an OV to Tuscaloosa Nov 4 for ther LSU game. He is probably a longshot but Lupoi is on the case.
• Jaylen Waddle WR 5'10"/165 Houston, TX **** Saban met with this top 10 receiver in late Nov and made some leeway with him. The Aggies are busy trying to win him back with a visit from Jimbo Fisher and an OV this weekend. Brian Daboll has visited as well. This electric playmaker has a verified 4.37 time in the 40 timed at a camp last spring. The Tide might have a slight edge.
• Christian Barmore DT 6'6"/290 Philadelphia, PA **** - Saban and Karl Dunbar paid him a visit earlier this week followed by an official visit this weekend. Snow should be no big deal for the Philadelphian. By all accounts, it was a good visit and the Tide looks like they are now in the lead for his signature.
• Malik Langham DE 6'5"/269 Huntsville, AL *** - Without sounding too Gumpy or cliched, Langham might be a true under-the-radar diamond-in-the-rough. He is a consensus 3-star with 247sports ranking him 976th nationally (732rd composite.) It was looking like he would land at Vandy, but then a post-Thanksgiving offer came from Notre Dame. Nick Saban and defensive line coach Karl Dunbar extended an offer to the the defensive end during an in-home visit on Dec 4. Mike Locksley had dropped in on him a few days earlier. Since those visits, Langham has caught fire in recruiting circles including offers from Tennessee and Florida. Langham recorded 104 tackles - 61 solo - with 11 sacks, 23 quarterback hurries, nine pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 11 games this season. How this guy went unnoticed so long is amazing.
• Dominick Wood-Anderson TE 6'6"/255 Spring Valley, CA **** - The general belief was that Alabama would take one tight end in this class. Last week, the Tide got a commitment from Michael Parker and it was thought that they filled the quota. However, there is a strong chance that this #1-rated juco tight end could still land in T-town. He plans to sign in the early period.
• Eyabi Anoma WkDE 6’5/230 Baltimore, MD ***** - If you are not familiar with the story of Mike Locksley, he has been dominating the recruiting scene in the Mid-Atlantic states for decades. He continues that stronghold with the recruitment of this 5-star Under Armour All-American. Anoma made an unofficial visit to the Capstone for the LSU game and made his OV this weekend. 247sports rankes him #7 overall.

I CAN'T QUIT YOU BABE

Despite commitments to other teams, Alabama has not stopped wooing recruits.

• Emory Jones QB 6'4"/179 Franklin, GA **** Visits from Saban, Ansley, and Daboll have increased speculation that this dual-threat could flip from Ohio State. It is possible that he will announce within a week or so. Urban Meyer is desperately trying to keep that commitment solid until February. Auburn keeps pressing too but this is looking like a two-way fight.
• Brenton Cox DE 6 6'4"/245 Stockbridge, GA ***** This former Ohio State commit has already decommitted from the Buckeyes and put them in his rearview mirror. The favorite appears to be between Alabama and UGA.
• Asa Martin RB 6'0"/193 Decatur, AL **** - This Auburn commit was paid a visit by Brian Daboll two days after his OV to Auburn in late November. He is also looking at Florida.
• Bobby Brown DE 6'5"/270 Arlington, TX **** - As reported earlier this past week, the Texas A&M commit has gotten a big push from the Tide as of late. Saban and Lupoi spent time with him last week. New Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher paid him a visit on Dec 7, followed soon after by another visit from Lupoi.
• Josh Jobe DB 6'0"/176 Tampa, FL **** - It has become a two-way battle between Bama and Miami for this Hurricanes commit. Mark Richt has really been sweating this one. Saban paid the U.S. Army All-American a visit this week and has locked him into an Alabama OV this coming weekend. A flip looks like a real possibility. The Tide first offered him over two years ago. The U.S. Army All-American is planning on signing early.

BAMA BUMP

247Sports recently updated their composite rankings and a trio of Tide commits are trending up.

• LB Quay Walker from 122 to 74.
• DE Jordan Davis from 126 to 116.
• CB Jalyn Armour-Davis from 143 to 119.

This 2018 class is filling up fast. With a reported 22 signatures to get and 14 already committed, some slow-on-the-draw recruits might get stuck going somewhere else.