BREAKING: Alabama snags commitment from Top TE on West Coast
The ’25 recruiting cycle has created a lot of ‘firsts’ for Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. Many of those initial milestones stem from the success of the Crimson Tide’s effort in the Golden State. The new commitment on Tuesday falls in that category. Kaleb Edwards, No. 122 overall player in the On300, is the first high school tight end addition for the UA staff.
“I’m looking forward to getting to say that I play football for the University of Alabama,” Edwards told On3 regarding his decision. “I am excited to get that feeling of being part of the family and the culture. I like everything about that place.”
Edwards announced his commitment to the University of Alabama. He recently revealed finalists of Alabama, Auburn, Oregon, Texas, UCLA and Washington. He took an official visit June 17-19. It was the second time visiting the Capstone after Edwards attended the A-Day game (4/13).
Edwards is commitment No. 21 for Coach DeBoer in the current cycle. He received an offer on April 14, the day after the Tide’s spring game. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound athlete, who also stars on the basketball court, received an offer from Alabama offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan in January 2023.
He was not immediately offered by Coach Sheridan after becoming the Tide’s OC. Edwards had not previously met with the new tight ends coach, Bryan Ellis. The two met during the spring, and the offer was presented by Coach DeBoer after the weekend in T-Town.
“I love it there,” Edwards recently told On3 Sports. “I had a super good connection with Coach [Nick] Sheridan when he was at Washington and then now Coach Ellis at Alabama has just carried over. I had visited Washington twice with that (DeBoer) staff. They had two tight ends get drafted, and I think they combined for 1200 snaps or something crazy like that. At lot of 12 and 11 [personnel].”
Edwards accounted for 44 receptions for 828 yards with seven touchdowns during the 2023 season. He also stared on defense with 49 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Quick thoughts:
Several factors in-play for Alabama here in winning the recruiting battle. Coach Sheridan, Coach Ellis, Coach DeBoer, early-week OV, TE production in the system, etc… BOL reported in late April Edwards had surged ahead on the Tide’s ‘tight end’ board after his weekend in Tuscaloosa. It was an opportunity for the entire staff to spend time with him. There were only a few players who were still on the short list heading into summer official visits. He included UA on the official visit schedule, but there wasn’t any expectation.
Edwards mentioned Alabama, Auburn and Texas as top contenders in his recruitment prior to the official visit. He kept things relatively quiet until after a trip to Oregon two weekends ago. Still some uncertainty after the trip to Eugene as some believed the Ducks may had gained some momentum. That wasn’t the case, as most saw when BOL predicted Edwards to the Tide last week.
Very big week for Coach Ellis in his first four months on the job. The relationship started with Coach Sheridan more than a year ago, so that certainly played a major role. Alabama gets a signature tight end in this class. One who is a multi-sport athlete, a big-bodied player at a position of need and another signature recruiting win for the this UA staff on the West Coast (6).
Site Publisher Tim Watts shared his nugget (in-depth thoughts) regarding the new addition to Alabama’s class- READ IT HERE!
BOL will provide additional features regarding Edwards’ commitment to Alabama.
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