Iron Bowl Weekend Recruiting Central
Key targets to watch this weekend
Alabama will host an abundance of elite targets this weekend for the Iron Bowl. The Crimson Tide will see the majority of its commitments, including three who will take their official visit, return to campus, several key targets in the 2023 class and beyond.
Will Alabama add any commitments after the weekend?
Who are the key names to watch?
What will Caleb Downs on Saturday?
A new offer on deck for DB target?
Does the Tide have a chance to flip another one?
Top recruits flocking to Tuscaloosa for rivalry game
Tony Mitchell, Top 100 safety from Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama, Ty Lockwood, four-star tight end from Independence High School in Thompson’s Station, Tennessee, and Conor Talty, three-star kicker from St. Rita Catholic School in Chicago are the Tide commitments scheduled to take their official visit.
Jaren Hamilton, four-star wide receiver from Bucholtz High School in Gainesville, Florida, is currently the only ‘confirmed’ uncommitted recruit taking an official visit with the Crimson Tide this weekend. This is Hamilton’s first official visit. Alabama is the heavy favorite to land Hamilton’s commitment according to the On3 Sports RPM.
Alabama will also have a heavy dose of unofficial visitors in Tuscaloosa including the state’s top two recruits (James Smith, Qua Russaw). The Tide will also have a high number of top out-of-state targets in T-Town for the game against the Tigers.
CLICK HERE for the complete visitors list!
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Info regarding Caleb Downs visiting Ohio State today
The five-star Alabama commitment is visiting Ohio State today. The Buckeyes have been pressing hard for Downs since his summer decision. Downs has always intended to take visits this fall to UGA and Ohio State.
He visited Georgia three weeks ago. There were many anxious Alabama fans before, during and after his trip on his interest in the home state school. Most of the chatter regarding Georgia as a serious threat has subsided.
Downs mentioned in an interview last week that he would likely return for the Iron Bowl He decided with this being the final opportunity to see Ohio State this season to go to Columbus instead- like the originally planned.
Reason to be concerned? Any time a commitment visits elsewhere it’s always something to watch. I don’t think Alabama has…
Read more HERE!!
Five-star 2023 prospect to unofficially visit Alabama this weekend
It is difficult to express just how important getting Keon Keeley back on campus is for Alabama.
Keeley had the option to visit either Bama or Ohio State this weekend. The Iron Bowl is a rivalry game, but there are no playoff implications as the Tide have a very a small chance of making the College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes are playing Michigan in a top-three showdown that figures to be one of the best games, if not the best, of the season.
Keeley choosing to visit Alabama instead speaks volumes about where Nick Saban‘s program stands with him.
Despite Keeley not committing during our previously expected time frame (late October to early November), we’ve been consistent in saying that we still lean toward Bama for him. Keeley not committing right after his official visit seemed to benefit the Buckeyes, but we maintained that Alabama was continuing to do the right things and likely held the edge in his recruitment.
Five recruiting battles between the Tide and Tigers
Saturday marks the final game day at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the 2022 season. It also adds another chapter to one of the best rivalries in the SEC: Alabama vs. Auburn, a.k.a The Iron Bowl.
Auburn was the dominant team in this rivalry in the 2000s, winning seven of 10 matchups in the decade. Since then, Alabama has gone on to win eight of the previous 12 contests, including the past two.
The on-the-field results are always noteworthy with them, but so are the battles between these programs on the recruiting trail.
Thus far in the 2023 class, Alabama has beaten Auburn for multiple targets. Those include Jahlil Hurley, Hunter Osborne, Ryqueze McElderry, Wilkin Formby, and Yhonzae Pierre. Hurley even recently told BamaInsider that Auburn attempted to make a run for him after his commitment, but he eventually stopped returning their texts.
There are still several high-profile battles going on between the Tide and the Tigers in this recruiting cycle. BamaInsider takes a look at the five ongoing 2023 recruitments that both are still involved in, as well as a quick look at the 2024 class.
We won’t go as far as to say this visit makes Keeley a lock for the Crimson Tide’s 2023 class. It does, however, benefit Saban and his staff tremendously with Early Signing Period (Dec. 21) less than four weeks away.
Read more HERE!
In-state five-star duo remain a priority for both programs
Where James Smith and Qua Russaw opt to sign next month will drastically impact how the class they join is ultimately looked at.
If they land at Alabama, then it’ll be viewed as a massive addition to the already No. 1 class in the country. Smith helps to alleviate the misses of fellow in-state d-linemen Kelby Collins and Peter Woods, while Russaw gives them a versatile linebacker capable of playing different spots. There is no question that these are two of — if not the top two — remaining 2023 targets for Bama.
If they land at Auburn, then it’ll be as good of a start that the program’s next head coach could have drawn up. Securing the talented duo out of Carver High and keeping them away from the Tide is the type of recruiting win that assists in overcoming Alabama in future matchups. Two players won’t completely change a program, but it gets the Tigers going in the right direction in their next regime.
Of course, the likes of Florida, Georgia, and Ohio State remain in the mix here. The expectation, however, is that Smith and Russaw will stay in the state of Alabama at the next level.
There are still some unknowns here, such as what their full official visit schedule will look like and who Auburn hires as their next head coach. AuburnLive has reported that the hiring of Lane Kiffin would bode well for the Tigers. Russaw did recently say, however, that he does not expect to officially visit Auburn again after the next head coach is hired.
We’re still rolling with Alabama here, but it’s a close one. The Crimson Tide are expected to get them on campus for back-to-back weekends (this Saturday for the Iron Bowl and the following weekend for an official visit). The timing of that could help Bama greatly as both plan on committing and signing on Dec. 21.
Alabama leads for Russaw and for Smith on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.
Recruiting intel: The latest on On300 CB CJ Blocker
The next chapter of four-star cornerback CJ Blocker’s recruitment is officially underway.
Blocker, an On300 DB from New Caney (Texas) just north of Houston, backed off his longtime commitment to Utah on Wednesday. Multiple teams around the country have been reaching out to Blocker’s camp throughout the fall as his senior season tape caught wind.
The Lone Star State product clocked a 10.47 100-meet during track season last spring. He will take an unofficial visit to Alabama this weekend.
Recruiting Hot Board: Coaches who must deliver during the Early Signing Period
Alabama coaches will have a lot of pressure to secure key targets and hang on to commitments who continue to flirt with other programs. A lot of questions will be answered, on-and-off-the-field, within the next month.
BamaInsider takes a look at which Alabama coaches are currently under the most pressure from a recruitng perspective. How will they be remembered during the 2023 recruiting cycle?
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The coaches who made the list include Freddie Roach, Travaris Robinson, Charles Kelly, Coleman Hutzler, Pete Golding and even Nick Saban. Follow the link below to find out more on why these coaches must deliver and the remaining targets for each.
Crimson Tide safety commit Tony Mitchell is ready to make an impact at Alabama
Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson High product Tony Mitchell rewarded Alabama with his commitment on June 26, 2022.
Since then, the top-35 senior on the On3 Consensus has visited both Auburn and Texas A&M multiple times each. Throughout that period, Mitchell has also continued to reiterate — in interviews and on social media — that he is locked in with the Crimson Tide.
Mitchell, the No. 4 safety in his class, once again expressed excitement about making the move to Tuscaloosa.
“I’ve been excited since I’ve been committed to Bama,” Mitchell told On3’s Chad Simmons this week. “We have a great program. Coaches there are great as well. Just excited to get down there and continue to show people how Bama is the standard. I’m ready to get there early and try to make an impact.”
During a conversation with BamaInsider’s Andrew Bone last month, Mitchell said that he talks with Alabama “every other day.” Mitchell told Bone that he has built a strong relationship with both Freddie Roach and Travaris Robinson.
In his most recent interview with Simmons, Mitchell cited his bond with the staff as one of the reasons why he’s still solid with Bama.
“It’s my relationship with the staff,” Mitchell said. “Knowing what the program will do for you. Just trusting them.”
Alabama WR commit Perry Thompson is ‘locked-in’ with his decision
Alabama has put together a 2024 class that currently checks in at No. 2 on the On3 Consensus Football Team Recruiting Rankings.
The first junior prospect to team up with the Crimson Tide was Perry Thompson, who committed on June 24 of this year. Of course, a Foley (Ala.) High wideout teaming up with Nick Saban‘s program isn’t foreign to Bama as former star receiver Julio Jones committed to the school well over a decade ago.
BamaInsider caught up with Thompson recently to recap his stellar junior season, his commitment status with Alabama, other schools after him, and much more.
“We contact each other a lot,” Thompson said. “I text Coach [Holmon] Wiggins and Coach [Charles] Kelly from time to time. I’ve got a strong relationship with them two. They’re just making sure I’m still with them and making sure everything is OK at home and stuff.”
With Thompson committing so early, the Tide will have an additional 13 months of continuing to build upon their strong relationship with him and trying to keep him in the fold.
Thompson, the second-ranked junior in the state of Alabama, says his commitment is solid.
“I’m locked in,” Thompson said. “They make me feel like family. I love the culture. I like that they get [receivers] in there and get them out, like John Metchie and Jameson Williams. Every year, they get them in and get them out to the NFL. That’s what I’m ready for.”
The top-60 recruit in the 2024 class is now gearing up to return to Tuscaloosa yet again this weekend. At the Iron Bowl, Thompson says he’ll be recruiting another in-state target to join the fold.
“I’m trying to get Sterling Dixon from Mobile Christian,” Thompson said. “Telling him if you want to be the best, you’ve got to play with the best.”
CONTINUE READING MORE on Thompson’s commitment and off-season plans!
2023 CB Damari Brown remains high on Alabama, eyeing return visit
Damari Brown is one of the most sought-after uncommitted cornerbacks in the 2023 class. Brown holds offers from over two dozen programs, but narrowed that list to a top four of Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, and Miami earlier this month.
After taking an official visit with the Hurricanes from Nov. 5-6, the product of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage is looking to hit the road yet again.
“[Recruitment is] pretty mild right now,” Brown told BamaInsider following his team’s 49-0 playoff win on Saturday. “But I might get up to the Iron Bowl. Just don’t know yet… I’m leaning toward going. Just have to talk with coach [Travaris Robinson].”
This would be a significant visit for Alabama as Brown was also in attendance for their win over Mississippi State in October.
Continue reading more about what Brown had to say about his high interest in Alabama!
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