Nobody has recruited the edge rusher position like Alabama football over the last three years. In the 2020 cycle, Alabama landed arguably the top three edge rushers in the nation. Will Anderson Jr., Chris Braswell, and Drew Sanders (listed as an athlete) were all five-star recruits and top 25 players in the country. It also landed 4-star Quandarrius Robinson.
Sanders has since transferred to Arkansas. Braswell has been a backup, focusing on gaining weight over the last two years, and looks to play his biggest role in 2022. Anderson Jr. has developed into a generational player for the Tide and looks to cement his legacy this season.
In the 2021 class, Alabama once again landed the top edge rusher in the class in five-star Dallas Turner, as well as four-star Keanu Koht. Turner proved to be a game changer as a true freshman.
In 2022, Alabama football brought in two more five-stars, as Jeremiah Alexander and Jihaad Campbell were the top two edge players in the class.
In 2023, only four-star Yhonzae Pierre has committed to the Tide. However, Alabama is heavily in the mix for several elite prospects.
Alabama Football: Projecting the edge position in 2023
The Crimson Tide will lose Will Anderson Jr. following the 2022 season, but it gets Dallas Turner back for another year. The edge unit is so deep that versatile players such as Jihaad Campbell and Demouy Kennedy could supplement the inside if necessary. Competition will only thicken if they play outside. As of now, here is how the edge position at Alabama could potentially look in 2023:
JACK: Chris Braswell, SR; Jeremiah Alexander, SO; Keanu Koht, RS-SO
SAM: Dallas Turner, JR; Quandarrius Robinson, RS-JR, Yhonzae Pierre, FR
This would already be a stacked edge room, as Turner and Braswell alone would likely make it the class of college football once again. However, Alabama is still in contention for several impact prospects at the position in the 2023 cycle. These include five-star recruits Damon Wilson, Qua Russaw, and Keon Keeley, the top edge player in the class for whom Alabama is considered the overwhelming favorite.
Even if the Tide only lands Keeley out of these three, it would continue its run of dominance in recruiting the position. If it can manage to land two out of the three, next year’s room would become loaded beyond belief.
Of course, a transfer or two would likely be inevitable. As is typically the case for Nick Saban teams and championship-level rosters, the cream would rise to the top of the depth chart. In just the past two offseasons, Alabama has lost former highly-touted recruits such as Kevin Harris, Ben Davis, Drew Sanders, and King Mwikuta from its edge room. Each was supplanted by an even better player, and Alabama Football will feature perhaps the best edge rotation of all time in 2022.
Based on the way Coach Saban and company have recruited, it doesn’t look like the position will take a step back any time soon.