Alabama’s National Signing Day Storylines
National Signing Day is less than 24 hours away, and the University of Alabama has a shot at the No. 1 ranked recruiting class for a second straight year.
Here are the storylines to keep an eye on ahead of Wednesday:
What will McKinnley Jackson do?
Four-star defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson is set to make his long anticipated decision at 9:30 A.M, CT. Alabama and Texas A&M are the two schools presumed to be the leaders in the clubhouse along with LSU and Auburn well beyond. Back in December, the Crimson Tide could have been considered an afterthought for Jackson, but the hiring of Freddie Roach, numerous visits from Nick Saban, the coaching staff, and Jackson’s unofficial visit on campus last month have placed Alabama as the most likely spot for the Lucedale, Miss. native.
Does Ennis Rakestraw sign with the “school of his dreams?”
After Rakestraw received an offer from the Crimson Tide, he told BamaCentral that Alabama is a school that he grew up wanting to play for. Missouri and Texas are in the mix as well. He will make his announcement at 8 a.m., CT.
Will there be any drama in Alfred Collins and Sedrick Van Pran’s announcements?
Collins, a five-star defensive end, has long been linked to his home state Texas Longhorns. Alabama and Oklahoma have made it interesting since the contact period opened up last month, but not getting Collins in Tuscaloosa in the last three months hurts the Crimson Tide’s chances immensely.
Alabama did get the four-star offensive center, Van Pran, on campus for an official visit last month, and Saban has visited him at his school in between, but the longtime Georgia commit is expected to remain with the Bulldogs, even though he took an official visit to Florida last weekend.
Van Pran and Collins will sign at 10 a.m. and 3:50 p.m., CT, respectively.
Three of the Crimson Tide’s four current verbal commits are strong with Alabama
Both, four-star wide receiver Javon Baker and four-star defensive tackle Jamil Burroughs, have dealt with some academic hurdles, and are expected to sign with the Crimson Tide at 6:30 a.m., CT. Burroughs recently shut down his recruitment, while Baker did take an official visit to Arkansas.
Three-star offensive tackle Damieon George took his one and only official visit of his recruitment, last month to Tuscaloosa and he has not wavered on his pledge to Alabama since he committed last summer. He will make it official at 11 a.m., CT.
Finally, four-star defensive tackle Jayson Jones has narrowed his finalists down to Alabama, Baylor, Oregon, and Georgia Tech. The Crimson Tide want him to move to the offensive line, but he is set on playing defensive line. The Ducks had an in-home visit on Friday and the expectation is that he lands in Eugene. His announcement will come at 2 p.m., CT, at Calera High School.
