On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Alabama big leader for Eli Holstein

Even though he was on an unofficial visit with the Florida Gators on Wednesday, there’s been a significant shift in the race to land four-star quarterback Eli Holstein out of Zachary (La.) High.

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, the Alabama Crimson Tide now has a commanding lead in the battle to land Holstein. Alabama has an 81.3% chance of landing Holstein ahead of Texas A&M at 12.1% and Florida at 2.8%.

Alabama’s major move to the top spot with Eli Holstein is a big development, especially since it comes at the same time that Texas has taken over as the leader in the recruitment of No. 1 recruit and Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Arch Manning. The Longhorns now have a 38.1% chance of landing Manning, while Alabama fell to 27.2% with Manning.

Holstein’s recruitment – maybe more than any other quarterback in the class – is linked with Manning. Both have Alabama offers and could commit to the Crimson Tide. But neither has yet to pull the trigger.

“I think Eli Holstein for sure is impacted the most if Arch waits things out,” On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons said. “I don’t know what Bama would do if he were to try and commit. Do they say no to him? He’s right up there on Bama’s board.”

More trips on the horizon for Eli Holstein

Eli Holstein was on campus at Alabama last weekend for the Crimson Tide’s spring game. It was his third visit to Tuscaloosa since March 5 and his second trip since he backed off his commitment to Texas A&M.

On3’s Sam Spiegelman says Holstein has been eyeing a trip out West to see Stanford, but dates haven’t lined up so far. He also said Florida, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon and even Texas A&M remain in the mix.

What is the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine?

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine 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, expert predictions, social sentiment, visits, and historical trends. However, expert predictions are still a big piece of the RPM equation.

There are currently zero predictions in Eli Holstein’s recruitment, so there could be potential for more significant shifts could be in order. However, insiders say it’s telling that Alabama has taken such a commanding lead, according to the On3 RPM.

Eli Holstein currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $50,000. The On3 NIL Valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time. Holstein ranks No. 54 in the High School Football NIL Rankings.