The Alabama Crimson Tide rebounds to No. 1 again
By Ronald Evans
The last couple of weeks have challenged the confidence level of many Alabama Crimson Tide fans. After the upset loss to Vanderbilt and an even more troubling performance against South Carolina, some Alabama football have been sure the Crimson Tide's recruiting will suffer. Alabama fans began fretting over losing some top verbal commits to flips.
No such gloom and doom is warranted. On Wednesday, the Alabama Crimson Tide climbed back to the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2025 cycle in the On3 Industry Rankings.
The Crimson Tide is at 22 commits for the 2025 class. The most recent commit is JUCO Edge, Kevonte Henry. Pewr On3's recruiting experts, Henry is rated as a 4-star and the No. 3 JUCO player (No. 1 Edge) nationally for the 2025 class. Recruiting insiders speculate that Henry is good enough to make an immediate impact for the Alabama Crimson Tide next season.
By adding Henry, the Crimson Tide should be finished adding Edge guys to the 2025 roster. Previously committed to the Crimson Tide are 4-stars, Dawson Merritt and Justin Hill.
It has been speculated that Alabama is close to being finished adding high school and JUCO players to the 2025 class. Recruiting the 2025 class is currently focused on defensive line, cornerback, safety, and tight end. Alabama is competing for more top high school players but is not expected to add more than four or five more recruits. Depending upon ongoing evaluations of expected-to-be-available transfer players, the focus may move to adding more experienced and proven players.
An Alabama Crimson Tide 5-star Flip?
Alabama currently has five 5-stars, committed in the 2025 class. None of them have shown any sign of wavering. 5-star wide receiver, Caleb Cunningham recently visited LSU. The Bengal Tigers think they have a chance to flip Cunningham. Rivals and Yahoo recruiting expert, Adam Gorney disagrees, "Caleb Cunningham loved his LSU visit but Alabama will still sign him."
There will be recruiting surprises. For Alabama Football, good surprises should overcome any disappointments. Outside of SEC teams, LSU, Georgia, Auburn and Texas, programs from other Power Four conferences are finding it hard to catch up to the Crimson Tide.