Preview: Trio of five-stars highlight Alabama vs. Vanderbilt visitors list

This upcoming weekend marks the start of conference play for Alabama’s football program. The Crimson Tide will kick off their 2022 SEC slate with a game against Vanderbilt on Saturday, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. Central.

**Alabama/Vanderbilt Game Week Central***

Bama’s home matchup with the Commodores precedes a Texas A&M game (Oct. 8) that will feature a boatload of recruits. Even so, some key prospects will be in town this weekend, including two of the staff’s top remaining 2023 targets.

Talk of Champions: Running list of visitors for Alabama vs. Vanderbilt

BamaInsider previews which targets are expected to visit, as well as notes on a couple of basketball visitors.

In-state duo of James Smith, Qua Russaw set for return visit to Alabama

** Note: After posting this article, we were able to confirm that five-star 2024 cornerback Desmond Ricks will be visiting on Saturday. Ricks is the No. 2 overall junior and the top-ranked cornerback on the 2024 On3 Consensus.

** For the first time since June 20, Montgomery (Al.) Carver High five-stars James Smith and Qua Russaw will be making their return to Tuscaloosa. Per the On3 Consensus, they are the No. 1 (Smith) and No. 2 (Russaw) senior prospects in the state of Alabama, respectively.

Smith and Russaw have been on campus multiple times since June 2021, including for the A-Day Game on April 16 in which they were accompanied by former Crimson Tide linebacker Mack Wilson.

The elite tandem have seen everything possible at the school; their upcoming visit will give Saban’s staff an opportunity to further build upon their relationships and drive home their pitch to Smith and Russaw.

This is also an important trip as Smith and Russaw have visited Auburn two times this month. They will potentially officially visit Florida next month, and will likely make their way out to Georgia and Ohio State this season as well.

Click HERE for the latest intel on Smith and Russaw via On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons.

Smith and Russaw will be also be joined on their visit by 2023 running back teammate Antonio Trone. Trone, who holds a couple of FCS offers, is a three-star prospect on On3.

** Another 2023 target making his way into town this weekend is Bryce Thornton. The four-star safety, who has a commitment date of Oct. 13, is taking an official visit to Alabama.

At this time, it appears that Thornton is likely to head elsewhere at the next level. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Florida has a 90.7 percent chance of landing him.

** Leeds (Al.) junior defensive lineman Kavion Henderson will be back in T-Town tomorrow.

This is a well-timed visit for the Crimson Tide as Henderson recently set a commitment date of Nov. 6. Ahead of his decision, Henderson has a top five of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, and Oklahoma.

Henderson recently spoke with BamaInsider’s Andrew Bone about this month’s offer from the Tide, message from Freddie Roach, and more.

** Not surprisingly, several Bama commitments are going to be in attendance at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. 2023 pledges Brayson Hubbard, Hunter Osborne, and Wilkin Formby, as well as junior commit Jaylen Mbakwe and Perry Thompson, are all confirmed to be visiting. Unlike the others, this will mark Hubbard’s first Alabama game he’s attending this season.

Be sure to follow our running weekend visitors list for any additional prospects that are confirmed to be going to Saturday’s game.

Pair of basketball official visitors will be in town

For the third weekend this month, Nate Oats‘ basketball program will host at least one official visitor on campus.

Making his way to Tuscaloosa over the weekend is The Skill Factory product Kaden Cooper. Cooper, a small forward target for the Tide, has taken officials to Kansas and LSU already this month.

According to the 2023 On3 Consensus, Cooper is the No. 42 overall player in his class. He’s also tabbed as the No. 7 small forward and the fifth-ranked prospect in the state of Georgia.

Unlike football prospects, basketball recruits in the first half of their junior years can take official visits to a school. That has paved the way for 2024 power forward Aiden Sherrell to make his way to campus this weekend as well.

Sherrell, who plays for Hillcrest Prep, was the recipient of an Alabama offer back on Aug. 18. He’s the No. 40 overall player in his class, the No. 7 power forward, and the fourth-ranked 2024 recruit in the state of Arizona.

BamaInsider will have weekend-long coverage of the Tide’s upcoming football game and their efforts on the recruiting trail.