Alabama leads for multiple prospects in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine

The No. 1 class in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings currently belongs to Alabama. The Crimson Tide lead the nation with three five-star commits in Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek safety Caleb Downs, Roswell (Ga.) Buford running back Justice Haynes and Lehigh Acres (Fla.) Lehigh Senior running back Richard Young.

Yet, head coach Nick Saban and his staff are not planning to slow down. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Alabama is in good position for multiple blue-chip recruits.

RPM was released to the public in December. The On3 engineering group teamed up with Spiny.ai to create the industry’s first algorithm and machine learning-based product to predict where athletes will attend college. 

It factors in machine learning, social sentiment, visits and historical trends. However, expert predictions are still a big piece of the RPM equation.

For more Alabama recruiting intel, check out BamaInsider.

5-star EDGE Keon Keeley
On3 Consensus: No. 8 
School: Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Alabama 49.4%, Ohio State 41.2%, Florida 7.8%
On3 NIL Valuation: $259K
The Skinny: It seems like a two-team race between the Buckeyes and the Crimson Tide for Keeley, a former Notre Dame commit. The Florida native took official visits to both programs this fall. According to recent recruiting intel from On3’s Chad Simmons, “the buzz remains around Alabama.”

5-star DL James Smith
On3 Consensus: No. 14
School: Montgomery (Ala.) Carver
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Alabama 40.9%, Georgia 28.3%, Auburn 23.6%
On3 NIL Valuation: $213K
The Skinny: Smith will make his seventh visit to Tuscaloosa this weekend when he attends the Iron Bowl. Simmons wrote that the Crimson Tide have “been trending for Smith for much of the season” and his decision may come down to Alabama and Auburn. Smith and five-star EDGE Qua Russaw, his high school teammate, plan to announce their decisions on Dec. 21 and play college football together.

5-star EDGE Qua Russaw
On3 Consensus: No. 23 
School: Montgomery (Ala.) Carver 
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Alabama 74.2%, Auburn 14.5%, Florida 4.5%, Georgia 2.9%
On3 NIL Valuation: $202K
The Skinny: Russaw and Smith seem like a package deal for a school. They have taken numerous visits together to programs including Alabama, Auburn and Georgia. That will be the case this weekend as Russaw is attending the Iron Bowl with Smith. Right now, “Alabama still looks to be the team others are chasing,” per Simmons.

4-star LB Arion Carter
On3 Consensus: No. 266
School: Smyrna (Tenn.)
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Alabama 97.4%, Ohio State 1.1%
On3 NIL Valuation: $13.7K
The Skinny: Carter, who recently decommitted from Memphis, is one of the fastest-rising recruits in the 2023 cycle. He currently holds 33 offers, and it seems Alabama is in a great position for his commitment. Carter has already been to Tuscaloosa twice, with an official visit scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 10. The Crimson Tide impress the Tennessee native for multiple reasons, according to Simmons.

4-star WR Jaren Hamilton
On3 Consensus: No. 317
School: Gainesville (Fla.) F. W. Buchholz
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Alabama 97.9%
On3 NIL Valuation: $6K
The Skinny: Hamilton has already visited Alabama three times and will return to Tuscaloosa for an official visit this weekend. Three wide receivers are currently committed to the Crimson Tide, including Longview (Texas) four-star Jalen Hale. Landing Hamilton would give Alabama another offensive asset in its 2023 class.