National Signing Day Recap for Alabama Football Recruiting………….

During the first day of the National Signing Period (early? ), Alabama enjoyed a near perfect day. Everyone who was supposed to sign did so. In addition, the Tide added another signee and two pretty prominent flips from other teams. Here is the article and open thread from CB that we covered yesterday:

The five-star defensive end Eddrick Houston’s decision to remain at Ohio State was the only significant setback of the day. There were rumors that he may suddenly switch to Alabama, but that never materialized. Nevertheless, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN all ranked the Tide as the #2 overall recruiting class, surpassing OSU (Rivals has the Tide ranked third, Texas second).

The biggest news for Alabama fans were the flips of Kevin Riley and Aeryn Hampton. Riley is a top-5 running back from Northport, AL, who had been committed to Miami since last summer. Recent rumors had led to many projecting the flip to happen, to it wasn’t TOO much of a surprise, but it was a still a big addition to a class that didn’t have a single running back.

Then there is Hampton

He’s one of the class’s most fascinating prospects and has had an interesting recruitment history. He pledged to Baylor for almost a month in 2021, decommitted from Texas in 2022, recommitted to the Longhorns the following summer, and has since signed an NSD contract with Alabama. He may not even be able to play defense or offense, but according to Coach Nick Saban’s press conference, he possesses the elusive “Dawg.”

Steve Mboumoua, a defensive lineman, was the third addition of the day. Since then, it has been revealed that the Canadian had been secretly committed to Alabama ever since the South Florida game.

In the days preceding National Signing Day, the Tide also acquired Texas A&M’s L.T. Overton through the transfer portal, and edge rusher Jayshawn Ross committed a few days ago. Despite weighing 280 pounds, Overton was a 5-star prospect, and the Aggies were adamant that he would play linebacker instead of defensive line.

Here’s the press conference Saban gave, in case you’re interested:

Saban underlined once more how much he likes having “mid-year” players since it allows them to start practicing earlier. I put that in quotations because I found the phrase to be intriguing and a reflection of how times are evolving. These were referred to as “early enrollees” not too long ago, and each class typically contained a small number of them. Now that the roster limits have been loosened, almost the whole class is enrolling at Alabama in December or January. Instead of being an early enrollee, he is now merely a mid-year student; similarly, December is now known as National Signing Day rather than the “Early Signing Period.”

There are now two expected guys that have not yet signed with Alabama. Birmingham native Quinton Reese is a three-star linebacker who might or might not have received a scholarship offer. A rumor has it that he might be a grayshirt man. Ryan Williams, the most well-known student in the class, comes next. The internet rumors and competition surrounding the five-star receiver, who is rated as a top ten talent, are expected to intensify over the next several months since he is expected to sign on his birthday in February. As of now, though, there has been no indication that he is anything but firmly committed to the Tide.

Two anticipated players still haven’t committed to Alabama. Birmingham native Quinton Reese is a three-star linebacker who might or might not have received a scholarship offer. A rumor has it that he might be a grayshirt man. Ryan Williams, the most well-known student in the class, comes next. The internet rumors and competition surrounding the five-star receiver, who is rated as a top ten talent, are expected to intensify over the next several months since he is expected to sign on his birthday in February. As of moment, though, there has been no evidence that he is anything but totally dedicated to the Tide.

For the other two, there are still two uncommitted prospects who are likely high targets for the Tide:

Zay Mincey is a tall, rangy cornerback who could be safety in college. Most people believed he’d be a Florida guy, or maybe Miami, but whispers have been pointing more and more toward Alabama here.

Daniel Hill is a personal favorite of mine as a 230-lb running back out of Meridian, MS, who might develop into a TE… Or just be a huge running back. No one’s really been able to read on him. South Carolina and Mississippi State seem to be locked in with Alabama in a 3-way tie right now.

Both Mincey and Hill are expected to sign this week but not announce until the

Ultimately, this class seems pretty well complete at this point with a little bit of open space to add a player or two in the January-February time frame. It’s highly unlikely the Tide could pass Georgia for the #1 overall class, but they should hang on to #2 as long as Ryan Williams sticks with the commitment.

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