Recruiting Corner: Alabama Basketball and Football Among Finalists for Big Names in Class of 2022, 2023
It is nothing new for Alabama football to be among the finalists for some of the top recruits in the country, but it is now becoming more and more of the norm for Alabama basketball as well.
Aided by the fact that the Crimson Tide has had four NBA Draft picks (Collin Sexton, Kira Lewis Jr., Joshua Primo and Herb Jones) over the last four years, plus the 2021 SEC championships and sweet 16 run, Tuscaloosa is quickly becoming a top destination for high-level basketball recruits.
On the other hand, Alabama and Nick Saban have been able to consistently pull in four and five star recruits, and then develop them into NFL draft picks.
Here are three big names that included Alabama as finalists over this past week.
Basketball- 2022 PG Jaden Bradley, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)
Could Bradley follow in the footsteps of some recent Alabama point guard success like Sexton and Lewis? He very well could be on his way as he is also considered one of the best PGs in his class.
Bradley released his top five on Thursday and the Crimson Tide made the list along with Arizona, Florida State, Gonzaga and Kentucky. He would be a huge get for the Crimson Tide and sources have indicated that Alabama is very much in the running to land the five star.
Football- 2022 OT Elijah Pritchett, Carver High School (Columbus, Georgia)
Pritchett is ranked No. 16 in the SI99 Preseason Prospect rankings for the class of 2022 and released his final four schools in the running last Friday. Alabama is on the list alongside Florida State, Georgia and USC. The offensive tackle made an official visit to Alabama over the summer in June.
Football- 2023 DL Lebbeus Overton, Milton High School (Alpharetta, Georgia)
I wrote a little bit about Overton when he released his top-12 list on Wednesday. The defensive lineman has a special connection to Tuscaloosa and has been recruited by Alabama for a long time. He will be one of the most coveted recruits in the class of 2023.
The Crimson Tide is among his top 12 with Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC.
