On300 WR Jalen Hale commits to Alabama over Texas, Texas A&M

Jalen Hale was torn between a pair of college football’s bluebloods since the summer. Before one of Longview (Texas) High’s biggest games of the season, the dynamic receiver made one of his toughest decisions.

Hale, the On3 Consensus No. 10 wide receiver, committed to Alabama over Texas on Wednesday in front of a jam-packed colosseum full of teammates and coaches and members of the community in East Texas. The four-star pass-catcher made the decision to roll with the Tide on Sunday night in a close call over the in-state Longhorns. Alabama checked all the boxes down the stretch.

“I ain’t gonna lie. I just came to the decision last Sunday,” Hale told On3. “The biggest factor was fitting in at Alabama. It felt like home and the coaches treated me well and everything went smooth on the official visit.”

Hale was on hand for the Tide’s opener against Utah State and was dialed in on the receivers. Not only does Alabama has a long track record of producing NFL wide receivers, but there’s an opportunity for Hale to compete for playing time soon in Tuscaloosa.

“The highlight was going to the game. I saw how they used the receivers, how they move them around and use them everywhere. Seeing it in person went well,” Hale said. “I feel like I’d be a good fit there, they can use me and they’ve used lengthy receivers, fast receivers that can move. It’s a fit for me.”

“Everyone was treating me good, too, and I loved it. It felt good,” he added on his official visit earlier this month. “It’s what we expected going down there. It was a good official viist, a good game and everybody treated me and my family well.”

Alabama is one of the few contenders that built a strong foundation with East Texas blue-chipper as an underclassman and was able to close strong over a pair of in-state contenders. Holmon Wiggins was critical from the start and Nick Saban continued to make his presence felt in Hale’s recruitment.

“The relationships we built,” he started. “They’re both like father figures to me. They only tell me the right stuff.”

“The talks we’ve had,” Hale continued. “If you want to be developed, if you want to be great, go to ‘Bama.”

Hale is the nation’s No. 53 overall player according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.