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Recruiting Rundown: First Big Weekend For New Staff

It's new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer's first recruiting weekend on the job in Tuscaloosa and it's shaping up to be a big one.
Joe Gaither|
Recruiting Rundown: First Big Weekend For New Staff
Recruiting Rundown: First Big Weekend For New Staff

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Alabama Crimson TideAlabama Crimson Tide

They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. This weekend is that chance for new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff as the Alabama Crimson Tide football program is hosting its first major recruiting weekend under the new regime. 

The majority of headlines involving Alabama football players of the last week have centered around players entering the transfer portal and recruits decommitting from the Crimson Tide program as the new staff finds its place. This weekend is a great opportunity to stem the Tide and start creating positive momentum for the future. 

Checking out the Capstone

First up on our list of visitors to Tuscaloosa this weekend is Noah Carter. Carter is a 4-star edge rusher out of Peoria, Ariz., who had originally signed his letter of intent with the Washington Huskies. Carter was released from his NLI and is back on the market as 247Sports considered him a top-10 edge rusher in the Class of 2024. Carter is 6-foot-3, 218-pounds who tallied 55 tackles with 11 sacks as a senior in high school

Highly coveted wide receiver prospect Ryan Williams out of Saraland plans to be in Tuscaloosa this weekend. Williams is the top prospect in the state of Alabama, even after reclassifying into the 2024 class. He was committed to the University of Alabama until Saban's retirement but appears to be giving the new staff a fair shake as he nears a decision. Williams is still reportedly signing his letter of intent on February 9, his birthday. 

  • Four former Washington Huskies will be in Tuscaloosa this weekend checking out the University of Alabama. One player is already publicly on-board with the new staff as Austin Mack announced his commitment to transfer to Alabama on Thursday night. 
  • Former Washington center Parker Brailsford - Brailsford is a 6-foot-2, 275-pound interior offensive lineman with two years of eligibility remaining. He was a Shaun Alexander Award semifinalist in 2022 and was Second-Team All-PAC-12 this past season for the Washington Huskies.
  • Former Washington cornerback Jabbar Muhammad - Alabama's losses in the defensive back room have been significant during the transition to the new coaching staff. Muhammad would go a long way towards stabilizing Alabama's back-end. He's a former 3-star recruit who went to Oklahoma State and then Washington and has just one-year of eligibility remaining. Muhammad started all 15 games for the Huskies and earned Second-Team All-PAC-12 honors finishing seventh in the nation in passes defended. Muhammad reportedly has heavy interest from Alabama and Texas.
  • Former Washington receiver Germie Bernard - Bernard visits the Capstone this weekend after spending his freshman year at Michigan State and his sophomore year at Washington. He played in 14 of the Huskies 15 games in 2023, hauling in 34 passes for 419 yards. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound receiver will have two more years of eligibility remaining. 

Tide-Bits

Alabama basketball hosted Mikel Brown Jr. this past week on an official visit. Brown Jr. is consider a 5-star point guard by the 247Sports Composite. The No. 15 player in the Class of 2025 is a potential candidate to reclassify into the 2024 class. He stands at 6-foot-2, 165-pounds and plays for Overtime Elite out of Atlanta. 

Elite Class of 2025 football prospect George MacIntyre plans on announcing his commitment on Monday. MacIntyre is a 5-star quarterback out of Brentwood Academy just outside of Nashville and is reportedly considering Alabama, Tennessee and LSU.

New Staff Sends Offers

The Alabama Crimson Tide football staff has to move quickly in order to keep the current roster together but also to maintain any momentum already established on the recruiting trail.

2025 Offers

Micah DeBose - 4-star OL - Vigor High School

George MacIntyre - 5-star QB - Brentwood Academy

Dijon Lee - 5-star cornerback - Mission Viejo, Calif.

Zaydrius Rainey-Sale - 4-star LB - Spanaway, Wa.

Marco Jones - 4-star LB - Danville, Calif.

Jackson Lloyd - 3-star OL - Carmel, Calif.

Re-Opening Their Options

It's been just over a week since the Alabama Crimson Tide football program learned of the retirement of legendary head football coach Nick Saban. Most of the attention has been given to established Crimson Tide players who have entered the transfer portal but Alabama's losses don't just end there. There are two early-enrollees in the class of 2024 who have entered the transfer portal and five players in the class of 2025 that have decommitted from the University of Alabama.

2024 Departures

  • Julian Sayin - The 5-star quarterback enrolled early at the University of Alabama and participated in Rose Bowl practice with the Crimson Tide. Sayin is considered the No. 1 quarterback in the class by 247Sports. He is heavily rumored to be considering transferring to Ohio State.
  • Jameer Grimsley - The 4-star cornerback enrolled early at the University of Alabama. He's one of seven defensive backs to have hit the transfer portal during this cycle. Grimsley's high school coach was collegiate teammates with departing defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson.

2025 Decommitments 

  • Zion Grady - The 5-star edge rusher from Enterprise, Ala. decommitted on Wednesday. He's largely considered the second-best prospect in the state of Alabama. Grady committed to the Tide in November but is opening things back up with the coaching change.
  • Jaime Ffrench - A 5-star receiver out of Jacksonville, Fla. He hauled in 62 passes for 1,247 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior and is considered the No. 12 overall prospect in the Class of 2025.
  • Dontrell Glover - A 4-star offensive tackle out of Fairburn, Ga., had been committed to Alabama since April of 2023. 
  • Javion Hilson - A 4-star edge rusher out of Cocoa, Fla., flipped his commitment on Tuesday from Alabama to the Florida State Seminoles. 
  • Mason Short - A 6-foot-5, 300-pound interior lineman out of Evans, Ga. He was committed to the Crimson Tide since April of 2023. Short was the first Class of 2025 commit to re-open his recruitment as, ironically, he already had a visit scheduled to Georgia before Saban announced his retirement.

Report: 5-Star Early Enrollee Julian Sayin to Enter Transfer Portal

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Joe Gaither
JOE GAITHER

Joe Gaither oversees videos and podcasts for Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral. He began his sports media career in radio in 2019, working for three years in Tuscaloosa covering the University of Alabama and other local high school sports. In 2023 he joined BamaCentral to cover a variety of Crimson Tide sports and recruiting, in addition to hosting the “Joe Gaither Show” podcast. His work has also appeared on the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt web sites.

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