Five-stars Caleb Downs, Justice Haynes to join Alabama's football team this week
It was just under 12 months ago that the Georgia Bulldogs beat Alabama to win their first national championship in 40 years.
Now, in roughly 24 hours, the top two 2023 prospects from the Peach State will be in Tuscaloosa to begin the next chapter of their already stellar football careers.
Early Signing Period Insider Report: Details on key Alabama targets
On Wednesday, five-stars Caleb Downs and Justice Haynes will sign their letters of intent to play at Bama at the next level. The pair of highly coveted recruits are also arriving in T-Town tomorrow and will participate in bowl practice with the Crimson Tide.
This is massive news for Nick Saban and his staff as Downs and Haynes are two of their top three highest-rated 2023 signees, per the On3 Consensus. With them participating in bowl practice, it also gives the incoming true freshmen an even earlier head start to their collegiate careers than had they started in spring of next year.
The On3 Consensus tabs Downs as the No. 6 overall prospect in the nation, as well as the No. 1 senior in Georgia and the top-ranked safety in his class. Haynes is labeled as the No. 31 overall player in this class, the second-ranked running back, and the No. 2 senior in Georgia.
Alabama held off Georgia, Ohio State for the Peach State five-stars
Of course, there was stiff competition for Alabama in their recruitment of Caleb Downs and Justice Haynes. Both were sought after by programs across the country, with Georgia and Ohio State being the biggest threats to Bama’s chances of landing them.
Over the summer, Alabama shocked the world by landing not one, but both prospects in the span of 11 days. Haynes, a Georgia legacy, committed to the Tide on July 17, with Downs later following suit on July 27. Interestingly enough, Haynes told On3’s Chad Simmons that it was Ohio State — not Georgia — that finished second in his recruitment at the time.
Both programs continued their pursuit of Downs and Haynes throughout the season and into December. Downs and Haynes attended two Georgia games (one in Atlanta and one in Athens), with Downs also making his way up to Ohio State for their matchup with Michigan.
Downs even hosted multiple Buckeye coaches, including head coach Ryan Day, for an in-home visit last week. In the end, however, it’s Alabama that he will be playing for in college.
“It’s time to go chase a ring at Alabama,” Downs told On3’s Chad Simmons after his state championship win on Dec. 10.
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While Ohio State got a final in-home with Downs, that was not the case with Haynes. The highly decorated high school running back canceled both his in-home visits with Georgia and Ohio State last week.
“There were times when those schools — they were constantly coming at me — and I was thinking about it,” Haynes recently told Simmons. “But Alabama always remained at the top, and that’s why I’m locked in with ‘Bama and am committed to ‘Bama. As much as they tried, and I listened to what they had to say, ‘Bama just stayed on top. And God just kept giving me signs to go there.”
While most Alabama fans consider the season to be a down year, that was far from the case on the recruiting trail.
Downs and Haynes are a part of a 2023 class that currently checks in at No. 1 on the 2023 Consensus Football Team Recruiting Rankings. The staff is looking to add even more five-stars to the fold on Wednesday as the program is currently trending for in-state targets James Smith and Qua Russaw, as well as Iowa pledge Kadyn Proctor.
Get the latest on each of Bama’s remaining targets in Andrew Bone’s latest insider report HERE!
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