Nick Saban addresses progress of Alabama's early-season enrollees

Under head coach Nick Saban, the Alabama Crimson Tide football program has constantly churned out elite prospects over the past decade. Spring practice is currently underway for the 2022-2023 season for the Crimson Tide. Several of the early enrollees for Alabama’s 2022 recruiting class are already on campus and getting their feet wet in spring drills. Earlier this week, Nick Saban spoke about the freshman and their developmental process.

“I know you’ve probably asked me about the early enrollees,” Saban said. “I’m sure if you got to speak to them, they’d all tell you that there’s a lot of anxiety. My first practice. My first as a college player. They’re all sort of going through a different level of a learning curve that they have to go through. We’re pleased to have them here. I think it’s gonna be good for their development and I think some of these guys will be able to contribute to our team.”

According to the On3 Consensus Rankings, the top two players for the Crimson Tide are a pair of devastating pass rushers, Jeremiah Alexander and Jihaad Campbell. Both players were rated as five-star prospects and they were both ranked as top 20 overall prospects in America for the 2022 recruiting class, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings. Both edge defenders could make an instant impact during the 2022-2023 season for the Crimson Tide.

While it’s much easier for elite high school football prospects to come in and compete for a starting position right away at other college football programs across the country, Alabama is an entirely different story. While the Crimson Tide churn out top tier NFL talent year after year, they’re also pulling in blue-chip talent from high school and the transfer portal, to replace them.

It’ll be exciting to watch the development of the 2022 recruiting class and see which players separate themselves over time.

Alabama features two of the nation’s best pass rushers

For now, Alabama features a pair of the nation’s best pass rushers in Will Anderson, Jr. and Dallas Turner. Turner impressed in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Georgia, bending the edge with ease and showed off his freakish ability to get in the backfield in the blink of an eye. As a freshman last season, the former five-star prospect racked up 30 tackles and 8.5 sacks. His potential is sky-high and he’ll be a name to remember for the 2022-2023 season. Will Anderson, Jr. could legitimately win the Heisman Trophy, he’s a name that needs no introduction for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He finished fifth for the hardware last season and if you were ever going to bet on a defender to win it, at 30-1 odds per VegasInsider, he looks like a bargain. The man is an absolute nightmare to block and he’s going to rack up staggering numbers yet again.