Alabama Football: Crimson Tide adds verbal commit and dead period extended

Alabama football adds 4-Star recruit and NCAA extends recruiting dead period.

The Alabama football class for 2021 added another verbal commit on Thursday. He is 4-Star, linebacker, Ian Jackson from Prattville, AL. Jackson had offers from other top programs, including Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma and Auburn. He becomes the sixth verbal commit in the 2021 recruiting class.

At 210 pounds, Jackson will need to add weight to play any linebacker position for the Crimson Tide. It is believed his frame is suited to adding another 20-30 pounds  While the Alabama football staff pushed hard for Jackson, going back to February, it was believed his Crimson Tide position would be outside linebacker. That could change.

With enough added weight, Jackson could play inside linebacker. An alternative would be adding strength but less additional weight and playing safety. He has the speed for the dime position of Money. Being a safety who plays in the box would utilize his linebacker talents.

Ian Jackson is rated through the 247Sports Composite as the No. 15 player in the state of Alabama and the No. 245 player overall in the 2021 class. The addition of Jackson pushed the Alabama football group of verbal commits up to No. 33 in the FBS.

What’s next for the Alabama Crimson Tide? It will not be in-person contact with recruits anytime soon. The NCAA extended the Recruiting Dead Period again – this time through July 31. The NCAA explained in its announcement, the primary purpose of the extension is to give coaching staffs more time to interact with current players returning to campus. According to the release, the Dead Period will be reviewed again in late June or early July. The NCAA decision applies to all sports.

When prospective recruits will be allowed to visit campuses is not known. Zoom tours of campuses are expected to be enough for more prospects. A later, compressed calendar for visits could mean top recruits may not use all their five official on-campus visits.

Coaches are impacted more than recruits. Summer evaluation periods drive offers for most players. There have been none this summer and it is possible the restriction will continue throughout the entire summer.

If many player decisions are made virtually, all of recruiting will change. There might be a summer rush to verbally commit. It could also drive a rash of decommitments. Another impact might be high school players picking a school close to home, rather than committing to a more distant one they have never visited.

Elite coaches, like Nick Saban, with long-established reputations, may have an advantage. The same could be true for the minority of FBS programs that consistently compete for a National Championship.

Check-in with Bama Hammer frequently for the latest recruiting developments. The Crimson Tide could soon be making a lot of moves up team recruiting rankings.