Great hands and fast feet should giveXavier Williamsa shot to compete for touches in Alabamas receiving corps right away. He committed to the Crimson Tide more than a year ago and stayed loyal despite his two main recruiters, Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier, leaving for jobs at other schools.
Position/Ranking:4-star cornerback/No. 2 (JUCO)
NOTE: Text on certain recruits also appears in Bleacher Reports National Signing Day 2018: Tracking Top 100 College Football Recruits article. Recruiting rankings from247Sports compositeunless otherwise noted. Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter .
High School: American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Position/Ranking: 3-star cornerback/No. 436 overall
Jaylen Moodychose Alabama over Arkansas and Ole Miss on national signing day, coming on board only a few days after getting offered by the Crimson Tide. The No. 49 inside linebacker in the 2018 class mirrors his game after former Bama star Reuben Foster, per247Sports.
High School:Cathedral(Indianapolis, Ind.)
Alabama doesnt frequently go the junior college route for recruiting, but it made an exception withSaivion Smith. He was the No. 48 player in the 2016 class and played in 10 games as a true freshman for LSU that year before transferring. With a JUCO season under his belt, hell be ready to step in and challenge for a starting spot in the secondary.
High School:Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, Fla.)
Position/Ranking:4-star defensive end/No. 74
Position/Ranking:4-star offensive tackle/No. 132
Position/Ranking:4-star defensive end/No. 131
Rated as the third-best center in the 2018 class but just as capable of handling either guard position,Emil Ekiyorhas a solid shot of seeing the field immediately, with Alabama losing both its starting and backup centers. Ekiyorflipped from Michiganin October.
Jaylen Waddle, who was one of the lasttop 100 players in the countryto choose his school, went with Alabama over Oregon, TCU, Texas and Texas A&M. The fifth-best receiver in his class is on the small side but more than makes up for it with speed and explosiveness. He is a potential yards-after-catch wizard as well as someone who can break off big plays in the return game.
Position/Ranking:4-star all-purpose back/No. 369
Position/Ranking:4-star cornerback/No. 109
That marks the 11th consecutive year Alabama has had a top-10 class under Saban but the first since 2010 that wasnt No. 1 overall. That doesnt make this group any less talented, however, particularly since it has two 5-star prospects, including the highest-rated uncommitted player entering Wednesday in cornerbackPatrick Surtain Jr.
Tommy Brownpicked Alabama over Arizona State, Auburn and California as West Coast recruiting guru Tosh Lupoi won another key battle. Brown, whose father Vince Brown was a shot-putter for Alabama in the early 1980s, is likely to redshirt in 2018 because of the Crimson Tides massive depth at offensive tackle.
High School:Southwind(Memphis, Tenn.)
Welcome @Saivion_1k – the newest Alabama signee! RollTide NextWave
Christian Barmorewas rated as the fifth-best player from Pennsylvania and the No. 16 defensive tackle in his class. Originally committed to Temple, a big senior year led to more offers, with Alabama beating out Baylor and Georgia for a prospect who figures to be able to contribute on the interior of the line and occasionally outside.
High School:Neumann Goretti (Philadelphia)
Position/Ranking: 4-star wide receiver/No. 39 overall
Heres analphabeticalplayer-by-player rundown of the Tides newest future stars, which will be updated as any additional signings are announced:
Position/Ranking:5-star defensive end/No. 4
High School:West Monroe (West Monroe, La.)
High School:Olympus (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Position/Ranking: 5-star cornerback/No. 6 overall
High School:IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Position/Ranking:4-star center/No. 113
The tight end position runs in the family forMichael Parker, whose brother Jacob is a walk-on with Alabama at the same position. He committed in early December but didnt sign until February. In order to see playing time, hell need to get up to speed on the run and pass blocking techniques needed to be a tight end for the Crimson Tide.
Position/Ranking:4-star defensive end/No. 108
National signing day wasnt without drama, though, as two players who had previously been committed to Alabama4-star LBQuay Walkerand 4-star DTBobby Brown, ended up flipping to Georgia and Texas A&M, respectively.
Joey Bosa: Nick Light Years Ahead of Where I Was ?
Welcome @JoshuaMJobe to the Alabama Football family! NextWave RollTide
Position/Ranking:3-star tight end/No. 685
Eddie Smithchose Alabama on national signing day over Mississippi State and Tennessee, giving the Crimson Tide yet another defensive back to help fill their thin secondary. The 15th-best player from Louisiana played all over the field in high school and could end up being a valuable special teams weapon and defender.
Jerome Fordis a former track standout who became a hot commodity in the 2018 class after focusing primarily on football. Alabama figures to use him in the backfield but more as a pass-catcher than a rusher, similar to the role Kenyan Drake played in 2016.
Junior College:Mississippi Gulf Coast CC (Perkinston, Miss.)
High School:Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Position/Ranking:3-star all-purpose back/No. 494
High School:Cheshire Academy(Cheshire, Conn.)
How Cadillac-Brown Became SECs Greatest RB Duo
The possibilities are endless forSlade Bolden, who played quarterback, running back and wide receiver in high school. In his senior year, he had more than 3,000 all-purpose yards with 40 total touchdowns. He would fitnaturallyat slot receiver as well as on special teams, either as a gunner or return man.
Cameron Latuis the third-best prospect from Utah and the No. 7 weak-side defensive end for 2018. He originally intended to wait until February to sign but reversed course and turned in his national letter of intent in December after an official visit to Tuscaloosa. I know thats the place I want to be, he said, perSEC Country.
Position/Ranking:3-star punter/No. 1,553
Though Alabama tends to be stacked everywhere on the field, its overabundance of athletic defensive linemen stands out above all other areas.Eyabi Anomacould be the next great Crimson Tide edge-rusher, rated at the top of the 2018 class among weak-side defensive ends. He recorded two sacks in the Under Armour All-America Game, an early indication he may quickly slide into a role as a pass-rushing specialist.
High School: Episcopal (Bellaire, Texas)
Report: As Ink Murray, Allowed to Play 1 Yr of QB at OU
The top-rated player from Connecticut,Josh Jobedecommitted from Miami (Florida) right before the early signing period thanks to an impressionable official visit to Alabama in mid-December. A thin secondary due to graduation and NFL declarations means Jobe could be seeing significant action as a true freshman.
Jordan Daviswas the second-best prospect out of Tennessee and the 2018 class sixth-best weak-side defensive endthough in Alabamas defense, he translates more as an outside linebacker who will help bolster the pass rush. Davis picked the Tide in December 2016 and stayed firm to that commitment despite late offers from Florida State, Ohio State and Tennessee.
Patrick Surtain Jr.was the highest-rated uncommitted player in the 2018 class entering national signing day. He was also widely expected to choose LSU, which had been his leader for some time, yet Alabama managed to sway him. The top-ranked cornerback in the country is the son of former NFL corner Patrick Surtain Sr., a second-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 1998 who played 11 NFL seasons and had 37 career interceptions.
High School:St. Frances Academy(Baltimore, Md.)
The only in-state player Alabama added during the early signing period,Jalyn Armour-Davisis the No. 13 cornerback in the 2018 class, but he could see the field immediately with the Crimson Tide losing starters Anthony Averett and Levi Wallace as well as nickelback Tony Brown. Armour-Davis has excelled at both press coverage and playing off the receiver thanks to his recovery speed.
High School:St. Pauls Episcopal (Mobile, Ala.)
Stephon Wynnis the No. 3 strong-side defensive end in the 2018 class, but he could end up being the next Raekwon Davisan interior defender too fast for offensive linemen to deal with. Wynn picked Alabama in July over Georgia and South Carolina.
Position/Ranking:4-star cornerback/No. 107
High School:Nation Ford (Fort Mill, SC)
While kicking remains one ofAlabamasfew flaws, the same cant be said for its punting. JK Scott was a wizard for four seasons, and now the Crimson Tide have his successor inSkyler DeLong, the No. 4 player at that position in the 2018 class. Committed since June after flipping from Tennessee, DeLong was the first recruit toturn in his national letter of intentduring the early signing period.
Position/Ranking:4-star defensive tackle/No. 175
High School:Westminster Christian Academy (Huntsville, Ala.)
Position/Ranking: 3-star linebacker/No. 1,207 overall
Even before Alabama finished off its second national championship in the past three seasons and fifth since 2009, the Crimson Tide were well on their way to laying the founding for future titles with another strong recruiting class. The Tide added 14 players during the early signing period and five more on national signing day, coming in overall with the nations seventh-best class, per the247Sportscomposite rankings.
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