Alabama Recruiting Outlook: LIVE! All-American Bowl Updates

Alabama is not expected to host any weekend visitors. That doesn’t mean things are quiet. Fans will need to have their eyes on at least three decisions this weekend including the No. 1 overall player in the 2025 class. The Transfer Portal window frenzy will also come to a halt before resuming in the spring.

Alabama will have a few of its top signees participating in one final game prior to beginning their college career in Tuscaloosa. BOL will have several updates posted throughout the weekend with notes dropping on the RoundTable!

Below is the closer look at the top storylines in regards to the Crimson Tide.

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All-American Announcements:

• Zay Mincey, No. 3 CB from Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida
• Daniel Hill, four-star RB from Meridian High School in Miss.

Alabama has a pair of targets who will reveal their college destinations during the All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Saturday. The game will kick-off at noon on NBC. The specific announcement times for each player has not been revealed. Alabama fans have plenty of reason to pay attention, not just for the potential additions to the ’24 class.

Mincey is the only player in the top 50, according to the On3 Sports Player Rankings, yet to announce a decision. He did sign with the school of choice on December 22, however, and will enroll at the university next week. Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Miami were the finalists prior to signing last month.

BOL dropped intel on New Year’s Eve which included the feeling on Mincey’s chances to sign with Alabama. A lot of momentum is on the Crimson Tide side with the Top-25 overall recruit heading into the decision.

“It’s great coaches, a great coaching staff all-around, and they’re just winners,” Mincey told On3 Sports this week. “It was great when Coach Saban came out to the school. That was something that never happened at my school, and it showed seeing he cares to take enough time out of his day to come see me.

“It was pretty difficult,” he said about his thought process on the decision. “I started praying on it and talking to my parents and my loved ones. In the end, I just went with my heart.”

BOL Exclusive: Zay Mincey’s mom previews the upcoming decision

Hill will also reveal his college choice on Saturday after signing on December 20. He was scheduled to announce a decision on August 23 before deciding to wait until after fall visits which included four games in Tuscaloosa along with official visits to Mississippi State and Tennessee.

Alabama has been in the race from start to finish. It started to look as if Hill might follow in his father’s (Demetrius) footsteps to Mississippi State after a December visit with the new staff led by Jeff Lebby. The Gamecocks were high on the list, but distance from home has been a significant factor, at least from the parent’s perspective.

Alabama signed Kevin Riley, No. 3 running back from Tuscaloosa County High School in Northport, after he flipped from Miami on December 20. Alabama had room for two backs, and Hill held a committable offer through the end of the process. The Crimson Tide is trending ahead of the announcement.

“Honestly, I think everyone knows where I’m going, but I felt like I did enough trolling,” Hill told On3 during Wednesday’s All-American Bowl practice. “It wasn’t a hard decision. When it all came down to it, talking with my family and sorting everything out, we all came to a conclusion about whatever was the best fit for me and I think I made the right choice.”

Hill was named one of the top overall players in practice at the All-American Bowl on Day 3. He will enroll at the college destination next week.

Alabama signees in All-Star game

While a few Alabama targets will announce their intentions, there are also Tide signees who will compete in the All-American Bowl. Alabama freshmen defensive backs Peyton Woodyard (Woodyard interview) and Zabien Brown flew from the Rose Bowl to San Antonio. Both have received strong reviews this week which included Brown earning On3 Sports Day 3 MVP.

“Alabama signee Zabien Brown turned in a strong day of coverage on Thursday at the All-American Bowl. The Alabama signee arrived to the event a bit later after going through College Football Playoff practice with the Crimson Tide. He’s acclimated quickly to the setting in San Antonio and built on a good day on Wednesday with an even better showing on Day 3. Brown has good stature at around 6-foot-1 and is technically refined. We didn’t see him lose a rep in 1-on-1’s on Thursday.

“Brown consistently stayed in phase and rarely left the hip pocket of receivers. We saw him force incompletions against Ryan Wingo and fellow Alabama signee Amari Jefferson in 1-on-1s in addition to sticking with Courtney Crutchfield during the team period. Brown’s combination of frame, length, technical acuity and awareness in coverage presents a high-floor prospect who should roll into Tuscaloosa ahead of the curve. – Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power

Other Alabama signees participating in the game: DL Jeremiah Beaman. LB Justin Okoronkwo was selected, but he was unable to attend. He will fly from Germany to the U.S. as an early enrollee next week, along with Beaman.

Must-Read: On3 Sports Analysis of Alabama signees, commit at Under Armour Game week

The QB dominos are ready to fall

Alabama will have an outstanding quarterback room heading into the spring with the return of Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, Dylan Lonergan and freshman Julian Sayin. There are challenging aspects when it comes to recruiting the best QBs in the country which in many cases includes NIL.

Depth is also a concern, and when Alabama is coming off just signing the top ranked QB in the previous class (Sayin) it takes an incredible sales pitch to lure a top two or three player at the position the following year. Yet Alabama has, at the very least, put itself as a finalist for the top two quarterbacks in the ’25 class with decisions expected soon.

Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall player per the On3 Sports Industry Player Rankings, will announce his decision at 4:00 p.m. (CST) on Saturday. The contenders: Alabama, Colorado, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Oregon and Penn State. There has been a lot of momentum on the LSU side prior to a visit to Alabama on December 15-17.

This was a surprise visit to many. It was Underwood’s second visit to Alabama. Is it enough to overtake LSU, or possibly another school? Colorado wouldn’t mind pulling off another surprise like it did with Jordan Seaton last month. LSU still appears as the favorite, but Alabama has remained in contact this week.

Alabama’s success at the position is hard to overlook. BOL recently spoke with Underwood’s long-time trainer, Donovan Dooley, on what makes the Crimson Tide an attractive option for the top QB in the ’25 class.

“Now, they’ve modernized their offense, whether it’s RPOs or their progressions. I think they’ve got a blend of everything, and they showcase really well,” Dooley said of Alabama. “They allow their athletes to play well in space. The run game creates different boxes for them so their quarterbacks can take the shots and win one-on-ones. I think they’ve done a hell of a job with that, which fits a quarterback of Bryce’s stature.”

Underwood threw for 3,165 yards with 40 touchdowns and two interceptions during his junior season. He also added seven rushing touchdowns.

George MacIntyre, No. 2 QB per the On3 Industry Player Rankings, has yet to release a commitment date. He has said there are no plans to take any additional visits before announcing a decision. The top three consists of Alabama, LSU and Tennessee. It’s really considered a top two, but the Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy star has not divulged those programs.

The ones who have followed MacIntyre’s recruitment closely the last several months can see the two programs are Alabama and Tennessee. He has visited LSU several times, and he has high interest in the Tigers, but this is an old school rivalry battle between the Crimson Tide and Volunteers.

“Alabama is about winning,” MacIntyre told On3 Sports earlier this week. “They are still the standard of college football in my mind. LSU has that track record of developing quarterbacks. Tennessee is about the explosive offense and how their team is always led by the quarterback.”

There is a lot of pressure to remain in his home state which, many can imagine, will come with NIL incentives. Elite QB, in-state recruit, school known as a big spender in the NIL space. It doesn’t appear as a primary focus for MacIntyre, however. Many in Knoxville see MacIntyre as the next in-line behind Nico Iamaleava, who will enter his sophomore year this fall. The Volunteers signed four-star QB Jake Merklinger in its ’24 class.

Alabama stole one of the best from the Volunteer State a couple of years ago in Ty Simpson. UA signed Mr. Football, Amari Jefferson, in December. MacIntyre has a great relationship with the Alabama staff, players and several commitments including five-star wide receivers Ryan Williams and Jamie Ffrench.

This has been a see-saw battle. The Tennessee side certainly feel confident in keeping MacIntyre away from Alabama, but it’s been close as he stated earlier this week. Alabama may or may not have a returning starter at QB by the time MacIntyre would arrive on campus. UA will not sell promises other than a chance to compete for the starting role.

Portal Window set to close:

• Several Alabama players have entered the transfer portal since Tuesday. The list includes QB Eli Holstein, WR Malik Benson, WR Shazz Preston, TE Miles Kitselman, OL Terrence Ferguson, DL Monkell Goodwine, LB Ian Jackson, DB Earl Little Jr., and safety Kristian Story. More players may add to the list before the midnight deadline on Saturday night.
• Expect the Crimson Tide staff to continue to keep eyes open in the portal, most likely for an additional offensive lineman. The second transfer portal window opens on April 16-30. Graduate transfers, however, are allowed to transfer at any time. Additional OL nuggets- HERE
• We’ve also seen several players who expect to return next fall including quarterback Ty Simpson who would have been a hot name in the portal.

The Alabama 2024 Roster Tracker: VIEW HERE

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