Top Ranked TE Jaleel Skinner Commits to Alabama Over Florida Gators

The No. 1 rated tight end prospect in 2022, Jaleel Skinner, commits to the Alabama Crimson Tide over Gators and others.

The Alabama Crimson Tide has added another top-tier prospect to their 2022 recruiting class, with the No. 1 rated tight end Jaleel Skinner announcing his commitment on Friday.

BREAKING: Five-Star TE Jaleel Skinner has Committed to Alabama, he tells @On3Recruits

The Crimson Tide now hold the #1 Class in the 2022 Team Rankings

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— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) October 8, 2021

Considered the 36th-ranked player in the nation by Sports Illustrated All-American, Skinner committed to the Tide over Florida as well as Clemson, Texas, Florida State and Miami.

Skinner, standing at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds with a borderline elite skill set as a pass-catcher already, has been the top tight end on the Gators recruiting board since the  2022 class became the top priority in late January. At one point in his recruitment, he reciprocated that feeling by naming UF his leader. 

It did not, however, remain for long.

Taking time to re-evaluate his options for his collegiate career, Skinner separated himself from the UF program, dropping them from his top schools in mid-July. 

However, surprisingly earning a hat on the table next to his top five schools, Florida was viewed as a sleeper in his recruitment at the very end but failed to outsell the dominant Crimson Tide on the trail.

In an interview with On3Sports, Skinner provided insight into his decision to align with Nick Saban and Bama at the next level and added why the Gators remained in the mix until the end.

“I chose Alabama because it is the best choice for me to get where I want to in life and football,” Skinner said. “The relationships that I built with the coaching staff, specifically

Coach (Charles) Kelly

and

Coach (Drew) Svoboda

, played a role in making the decision to commit to Alabama.”

“I made the decision a while back that I was going to play in the SEC, and it was between Alabama and Florida. I am a big competitor, and I feel the best play in the SEC, so I wanted to play with the best, and compete against the best ... Florida is a great school, and they were telling me I could be the next

Kyle Pitts

, so I thought about them a lot. I liked their offense, I like the class they are bringing in, but for me, Alabama just felt like the best school for me."

With his commitment to Alabama, the rollercoaster saga of his relationship with the Gators has concluded with tight ends coach Tim Brewster losing out on the talented prospect.

Skinner's commitment comes at an inopportune time after the Gators lost their lone tight end commit CJ Hawkins to Stanford on Thursday.

Going forward, the options for tight ends on the Gators board look to be slim, but AllGators highlighted a few directions UF could look to fill the gaping hole at the position.

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.