In lieu of a College Football Playoff and a potential third straight National Championship game appearance, the coaching staff for Alabama football is enjoying some extra time on the recruiting trail this December.
The Crimson Tide currently have the top-ranked class in the 2023 cycle with 24 commitments in the boat. Alabama is still pursuing several targets that will ultimately play a hand in determining whether or not the Tide can secure the top spot.
With the December 21st early signing day looming, Alabama football fans should soon have answers to some major question marks. 5-star defenders Keon Keeley, James Smith, and Qua Russaw are the biggest priority targets for Alabama. The Tide seem favored to land all three, but recruiting is never a sure thing and these are all tight battles. 4-star linebackers Arion Carter and Suntarine Perkins, an Ole Miss commit, are also major targets for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama is also still pursuing a pair of 4-star defensive linemen in Jordan Hall and Rueben Bain, and a trio of cornerbacks in Desmond Ricks, Tyler Scott, and Damari Brown. It doesn’t appear that the Tide have a definitive lead for any of these guys, but they remain in the mix for all of them.
There are a handful of committed elite prospects the Alabama coaching staff is still hoping to flip. Clemson commit Peter Woods is a 5-star from the state of Alabama and is one of the best defensive linemen in the nation. 4-star defensive lineman and Florida commit Kelby Collins is another in-state product the Crimson Tide would love to get back. It can be assumed that Alabama will continue to recruit Woods and Collins extremely hard until they actually sign.
Miami commit Cormani McClain and Texas commit Malik Muhammad are two more cornerbacks to keep an eye on. It is unlikely that Alabama will flip either of these corners, but it would be unwise to count Nick Saban out for any elite defensive back prospect. Tight end Lawson Luckie, a Georgia commit, could also be on flip watch for the Tide.
Along with landing a few more high-quality targets, Alabama needs to prioritize keeping the commitments of elite players like safety Tony Mitchell, running back Justice Haynes, and safety Caleb Downs.
There is currently a lot up in the air in the world of Alabama football, including coaching changes, bowl opt-outs, NFL draft entrants, transfer portal activity, and more. Amidst all of this, the early national signing day is almost upon us!