Four-Star QB Dylan Lonergan Commits to Alabama
Alabama now has a second elite passer in its 2023 class. The Crimson Tide received a commitment from Dylan Lonergan on Monday as the four-star quarterback chose Alabama over South Carolina and Stanford.
Lonergan is rated as the No. 9 passer in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He sits one spot below fellow four-star quarterback Eli Holstein, who committed to the Crimson Tide in May.
Lonergan offers dual-threat ability at the quarterback position. During his junior season last year, he led Brookwood High School to the Georgia 7A quarterfinals, throwing for 32 touchdowns and 3,392 yards with just three interceptions while adding 600 yards and seven more scores on the ground.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound right-hander is also a star pitcher on the baseball diamond and is projected to be selected in the 2023 MLB draft. If Lonergan turns down the major leagues, he will be given the opportunity to play both football and baseball at Alabama.
While Lonergan is viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the current recruiting cycle, his time on the diamond has prevented him from showcasing his passing skills much this offseason. Sports Illustrated’s director of recruiting John Garcia Jr. recently told BamaCentral he believes Lonergan’s stock would have risen even higher had he been able to compete in events such as the Elite 11 Finals earlier this month.
“I think he’s as intriguing, athletically and arm-wise, of a quarterback as there is in this class,” Garcia said. “This class is as loaded as we’ve seen at the very top, and there’s a lot of depth thereafter. Lonergan is one who should be viewed very highly in that group. … He’s a very good athlete. I think it gets overshadowed because his arm is so strong and the baseball prowess is there, but he’s actually a very good athlete who’s mobile in the pocket and makes plays out of the pocket. Then, as you can imagine, with that baseball background he can manipulate his arm angle and throw in some of those modern ways that we see at the highest level.”
Alabama famously signed two quarterbacks during the 2017 class when it brought in Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones, who both went on to set program records en route to becoming first-round draft picks. The Crimson Tide had less success with its 2019 quarterback class that included Taulia Tagovailoa and Paul Tyson. Taulia transferred to Maryland in 2020 while Tyson moved on to Arizona State this offseason.
Assuming both Holstein and Lonergan retain their top-10 status, it will mark the first time Alabama has brought in two such passers in the same class. Ohio State was the last program to add two top-10 quarterbacks in a single class as it signed five-star talents Quinn Ewers and Kyle McCord in 2021. Ewers has since transferred to Texas while McCord is in his sophomore year with the Buckeyes.
“This is, at least from a numbers standpoint, the most talented pair ’Bama has brought in during the same cycle in the Saban era,” Garcia said. “Any new recruiting stat we can come up with for Saban is a big deal because he’s already hit all those other notes.”
Holstein and Lonergan are also an intriguing pair in that they offer different skill sets. While both quarterbacks present dual-threat abilities, Garcia says Holstein’s 6-foot-4, 222-pound frame is better suited for designed runs while Lonergan uses his athleticism in a more similar fashion to reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young.
“They are a pretty interesting contrast of one another, which is what you want,” Garcia said. “You want to bring in quarterbacks who are going to develop at a different rate and peak at a different rate because we all know quarterback depth and attrition is one of the biggest issues in college football roster management right now.”
Alabama will likely have an opening behind center next year as Young is widely projected to be a top-five pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Crimson Tide currently has two talented passers in sophomore Jalen Milroe and freshman Ty Simpson waiting in the wings. Adding Holstein and Lonergan to the mix figures to create one of the most intriguing quarterback battles in program history.
Assuming he continues to progress at his current rate, Lonergan has the talent to hold his own in that competition. The polished passer is a multi-year starter at his high school and is the son of former Penn State backup quarterback Dan Lonergan, who was a member of Joe Paterno’s 1982 national champion team.
“He’s got a ton of varsity experience under his belt, and he’ll obviously add another year to that before he gets to Alabama,” Garcia said of Dylan. “There’s a high floor there. He’s got an intriguing ceiling that we are still discovering, but the floor there is really strong. … I do think he has the floor to be able to compete right away.”
With Lonergan, Alabama now has 11 commits in the 2023 class. Seven of those have come in the last three weeks as the Crimson Tide has been one of the hottest teams on the recruiting trail recently.
