Alabama fans have been starving for good news on the recruiting trail, and this week should bring some.
While the main course is coming on Saturday with the announcement of 4-star WR Osani Gayles, who has been heavily trending toward Alabama, the Crimson Tide should have a few appetizers this week leading up to the weekend.
On Tuesday, a trio of Alabama targets who have recently visited Tuscaloosa are all set to make their college decisions. Heading into those decisions, Alabama is trending for two of the three and in a fierce head-to-head battle for another.
Alabama trending for 3-stars Tyler Younger and Stafford Willis, fighting for Cedrick Simmons
3-star EDGE Tyler Younger and 3-star OL Stafford Willis, a couple of recent offers by the Crimson Tide, took their official visits to the Capstone this weekend. Alabama evidently made a big impression on both.
Recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong logged expert predictions on Sunday night for Alabama to land both Younger and Willis, per the Rivals Prediction Machine.
Younger, a native of Norcross, Georgia, picked up his Alabama over just over a week ago after a standout performance camping in Tuscaloosa. He's a raw prospect, but he's got all the physical tools you could want in an EDGE prospect, listed at just under 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds. A couple of years in a college strength and conditioning program, and spent refining his technique, Younger could certainly make an impact for the Crimson Tide down the road.
Offensive line hasn't been a big priority for Alabama in this class, much to the chagrin of fans. But Alabama added 11 offensive linemen between the Transfer Portal and the high school recruiting class over this past offseason, all 11 of whom have multiple years of eligibility remaining. From a numbers perspective, this was never going to be a big class up front.
But Alabama is taking a flier on an in-state 3-star in Willis from Arab, who picked up an offer from the Crimson Tide two weeks ago. That offer resonated, and Willis quickly planned his trip to Tuscaloosa. It obviously went well, and now Alabama appears set to beat out UCLA, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, and Virginia to land him.
3-star WR Cedrick Simmons was in Tuscaloosa last weekend for his official visit and left with Alabama in the lead. But Simmons took a trip to the Plains to see Auburn this past weekend, and it's an Iron Bowl battle for the impressive in-state product set to make his announcement tomorrow.
Simmons is a bit undersized, but hyper-productive. He led the state of Alabama in receiving yards as a junior, and the Selma native has generated some significant recent buzz on the recruiting trail. Simmons would be a nice complementary piece to the class for Alabama, which hopes to add Gayles and is still in the mix for 5-star Monshun Sales as well.
This trio might not be the biggest names or the highest-rated prospects, but all three have the potential to make an impact for Alabama down the line. They are inexpensive upside swings that you have to take - and that can make a massive difference - in this age of roster-building.
Add us as a preferred source on Google