Decision Day: Will Alabama land in-state guard R.J. Johnson?
The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball program is looking to generate more momentum in their 2023 class. At this time, the only verbal pledge that Nate Oats and Company hold in this cycle is from Sam Walters, who rewarded the staff with his commitment on June 3.
On Friday, however, Alabama is hoping to add another commit alongside Walters as in-state guard R.J. Johnson will announce his decision later today. Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect out of Grissom High School in Huntsville (Al.), recently collected an offer from the Crimson Tide.
Here are the details for Johnson’s upcoming decision and which school is trending for his services.
Date: Aug. 26
Finalists: Alabama, Florida Atlantic, Georgia, Tulane, and Wichita State
How he will announce: Johnson told On3’s Joe Tipton he will announce the commitment in a video on his Instagram
Time: 12:30 p.m. CST
Discussion: Talk of Champions message board
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Who is trending for Alabama-based guard R.J. Johnson?
Earlier this month, R.J. Johnson unveiled a final group that featured Alabama, Florida Atlantic, Georgia, Tulane, and Wichita State. He has yet to formally announce which programs are his finalists heading into today’s decision, but indicated on Instagram that it will come down to the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide.
Looking at the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, there is one school that clearly holds the edge for Johnson at this time. Per the On3 RPM, Alabama is given a 99.5 percent chance of landing Johnson today.
On3 National Basketball Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw submitted a prediction in favor of the Crimson Tide on Thursday. The confidence level on Shaw’s prediction is 90 percent.
How did Alabama get into this position for Johnson’s services?
When Johnson released his top five in early August, the Tide had yet to extend him an offer. He posted that list and announced a commitment date of Aug. 22, but things changed for Johnson just over a week ago.
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Last Wednesday, Johnson took a visit to Alabama’s campus, as seen in the picture at the top of the article. He walked away from Tuscaloosa in possession of an offer from Oats’ staff.
Johnson would go on to tell Matt Landry of Crimson Crossover that his commitment had been delayed following the offer. That delay coming after the Tide gave him the green light certainly bodes well for the Tide’s chances on Friday.
If Johnson commits to Alabama, the program will be getting one of the state’s best prospects in this recruiting cycle.
Per the 2023 On3 Consensus, Johnson is the No. 197 overall player in the nation. He also checks in as the No. 36 point guard in this class as well as the second-ranked recruit in Alabama.
Stayed tuned to BamaInsider to see if Nate Oats and his staff will add commitment No. 2 to their 2023 class this afternoon.
