Alabama Football: Tide hope to land 4-star Ohio State decommit Smith

Alabama football is looking to steal a recruit from Ohio State.

It is very common to steal committed recruits in college football. Alabama football has done it plenty of times in the past, and plenty of teams have poached Tide commits. We are now looking at the Tide looking to steal Devonta Smith from Ohio State.

Smith is a 4-star corner out of the state of Ohio. He was committed to play for the Buckeyes, but he recently announced his de-commitment. He is now re-opening his recruiting, and the Tide appear to be the frontrunners to land him.

This commitment won’t have a large impact on 247 rankings, but it is a big deal for Alabama football.

Alabama football is recruiting Devonta Smith for a reason.

Forget 247 rankings. If Nick Saban is giving an offer to a student before their senior year, he wants them. That should be all it takes to trust that Smith will be a good player for the Crimson Tide. Smith also appears to be a versatile player. If he could find a way to play all across the defense, that would be priceless for the Crimson Tide in future years. We’ve seen this ability with players like Xavier McKinney, Eddie Jackson, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. With Patrick Surtain likely declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft, the need for other defensive backs to step up will be clear. There is no guarantee, but Devonta Smith might compete for a contributing role in 2021 if he decides to play Alabama football.

This will add to a recent surge of prospects for the Crimson Tide. After landing JC Latham to the class, the dominoes continue to fall. There are plenty of recruits who remain undecided, but the Tide like their odds to bolster their class this summer.

Alabama football has always been a dominant force in recruiting. Fans should expect nothing different in the 2021 class despite their slow start. Things are only now beginning to pick up, but the Tide are rolling.