Official visits in 2021 vs. 2022
Recruits had not taken official or unofficial visits for more than a year by the time Alabama had its first camp last summer. COVID-19 forced the NCAA to shut down visits between March 2020 through May 2021. There were still a lot of unknowns heading into last June. One of the biggest questions was if COVID would shut down visits again? We saw a high majority of top recruits take most, if not all of their official visits that first month.
What we also saw were a lot of quick decisions. We saw recruits immediately naming a leader after their first visit. Imagine being one of the top overall recruits in the country. Your very first visit to any college is an official. Where coaches roll out the red carpet for a three day weekend and it is completely paid for by the university. You also had NIL taking off with some schools using every possible resource while others were still trying to figure out the best approach.
It's a lot different this cycle. Many juniors attended games during the fall, they received visits from coaches during the winter evaluation period, they attended Junior Days, spring practices/games, they have been evaluated throughout the last month and now beginning to schedule official visits. Most coaches did not see any recruits until they stepped foot on campus last June, and many were taking official visits as their first trip.
It was different for some- it's rare for a recruit who is on an official visit to 'work out' for the school. So you had a lot of kids coming in for official visits, but not participating in camp. Some did, most didn't. You are also getting your first look at a player. You get an official height/weight, etc.. You get to know the recruit a little bit more than just a FaceTime or Zoom call. There were some who visited last summer that wouldn't have normally received an 'official' visit invite from Alabama.
Alabama had to give officials to some because they weren't sure if they would ever get the recruit on campus. It was almost like when schools 'offer' a recruit during the spring, but you still need to attend camp. There were recruits who did not have an offer from Alabama when they took an official visit or no longer had a committable offer after their visit last year because after seeing the recruit for the first time they realized it wasn't what was expected. 'Glad you told me you are 6-2, 225-pounds, but in reality you stand 6-0, 195."
Who gets the golden 'official visit' ticket?
We are seeing a lot of recruits schedule official visits in June, but these are players Alabama has evaluated throughout the year and heavily recruited to this point. Expect many additional visits to get announced throughout the next few weeks. We will likely add new officials each week and may not know of a few until the start of the visit especially if they are committed elsewhere.
I'll be very surprised if Alabama offers an 'official' visit to one they have yet to see in-person. Keep in mind- Alabama assistants have visited countless recruits in the last few weeks. They haven't just visited the top recruits on their board or the ones who rank the in top 300 in the country. They have hit as many schools as possible and making sure no stone is left unturned.
I am sure there are some who will earn an offer in camp or perhaps just do enough to get on the Tide's radar to earn an 'official visit' invite down the road. Alabama will be a little more hesitant on providing official visits next month. You want to give those visits to players who you are spending a lot of time recruiting, but also ones who are making decisions before the fall (unless X-recruit wants to unofficially visit and save the official).
An official visit won't always indicate having a green light to commit even in a normal year. Alabama has seen all of these players who will take officials this summer. You still want to sit down and get to know them better. You want current players on the team to get a feel for these recruits and have a better idea if they fit in with your program. Some, even ones who may end up at Georgia or Ohio State or wherever, just don't fit the Tide's plans. Same can be said for some who sign with Alabama.
It's fine for top programs to have different feelings on recruits. A lot of people- fans, reporters, etc.., just assume they the top programs recruit the same players. You'll also see X-recruit commit to Georgia over Alabama or vice versa without the other school. There are five-stars who Alabama doesn't recruit.
They know who they like (so far) in this recruiting cycle. They know who they want to bring in for officials and who they need to see in camp. There are some who can commit right now, but still need to camp to determine the best position for their future. There are some who will definitely have a green light to jump on board, but Nick Saban has to see them and there are some who can commit right now who will likely lose the chance if they have a bad showing in camp or someone simply just moves ahead after their performance. We saw Amari Niblack move to the top of of the TE board last year. Kobe Prentice,
Take a look at the official visits currently scheduled in June. We will see many more added during the next few weeks.
June 3-5: Brandon Inniss, Dylan Lonergan, Riley Williams, Cole Adams
June 10-12: Kadyn Proctor, Anthony Hill, Francis Mauigoa, Eli Holstein, Olaus Alinen, Raul Aguirre, Wilkin Formby
June 17-19: Caleb Downs, Justice Haynes, Makari Vickers
June 24-26: Edric Hill, Ronan Hanafin
I don't thin anyone will question these players receiving official visit invites from Alabama. Do they all have a green light to commit? Not necessarily. Lonergan is on the short list of QB targets, but will likely have to wait until Arch Manning and Eli Holstein announce their decision, but he has received a ton of evaluation from Alabama. They like him. It's not just wasting time bringing him in for a visit. He's one of the top quarterbacks on the Tide's board post-evaluation. Just not higher than Manning or Holstein.
The lowest ranked recruits above including Ronan Hanafin, Cole Adams, Edric Hill and Wilkin Formby. Hanafin, despite his ranking as a receiver, is one of Alabama's top linebacker targets. The staff is very high on him. Adams visited Alabama earlier this year. Holmon Wiggins went to see him practice three weeks ago. Edric Hill has visited Alabama a few times, and has moved up the Tide's DL board this spring. Formby is a local lineman who visited Alabama several times this spring. His stock will continue to rise.
Will more push visit dates to the fall?
A high number of recruits will try to take all of their visits this summer in order to announce a decision before the start of their senior season. It's unclear exactly what new rules will get put in place for NIL and how much it begins to effect recruits as far as holding off from announcing a commitment.
We have already seen a few recruits schedule officials to Alabama this fall including Myles McVay, Tyree Adams and Kelby Collins. Malik Bryant said he will wait to take an official visit to Alabama this fall (He is scheduled to announce a decision on July 23). In-state targets like Qua Russaw and James Smith also expect to save some of their official visits for later in the year.
Now that things are getting back to normal on the recruiting front (outside of the craziness of NIL) we may see more decisions stretched until the fall. Coaches will try to influence recruits to wait until they attend a significant home game during the season or possibly wait until later in year to officially visit especially if they feel they are behind in the recruitment.
When will more decisions take place?
There is very little concern regarding the number of commitments or lack there of in the 2023 class. Sure, everyone wishes more commitments were in-place, but it's also not like Alabama's top targets have committed elsewhere. To nobody's surprise we have seen a lot of recruits chose X-school over Alabama. Just because a recruit may visit Alabama doesn't mean he chose another school over Alabama. Not really sure if it's more reporters who like to write that headline or if it's recruits themselves who want to act like they chose a program over Alabama. Probably a little both. I've already seen it once this week for a recruit who hasn't been mentioned on this site as a legit target.
So who has committed elsewhere this spring truly wanted/recruited by Alabama? This does not include players who committed elsewhere last year still pursued by the Tide. Bryson Rodgers (Ohio State), Robby Washington (Miami), Ryan Niblett (Texas). Alabama signed five receivers in 2022 so it's not surprising it missed on Rodgers, Washington or Niblett. Alabama is still making a push to get all to Tuscaloosa this summer.
The expectation is that we we will start seeing commitments happen once the summer gets into full swing. Does that mean multiple commitments after the first official visit weekend? No. We thought a few might commit last year during the first big weekend. Le'Veon Moss did, but he was very unexpected.
Remember when Jeremiah Alexander named Clemson as his leader after an early June visit with the Tigers? You can't always focus on how a recruit acts, feels or says after that first visit. Recruits, for the most part, will tell coaches what they want to hear. They'll tell team specific reporters what they want to hear. Alabama does not allow this, but other schools like Auburn, FSU, etc.. allow reporters to speak with recruits while on campus. They walk out of the football complex and 5-6 team site reporters have cameras in their face asking how great their visit was, what all the like about the school and if they can see themselves playing there.
I think the biggest thing for the next month is just to be patient. The recruiting board will change. Some players may get 'nudged' to go ahead and make a decision. Some might feel a little pressure to jump on board if spots are starting to fill up at a particular position. Some may be ready to commit after a great official weekend. Some will get offered and want to make a quick decision (Amari Niblack). We may seem some who are committed elsewhere earn an offer and decide to flip (Mac Jones, Quinnen Williams, Kobe Prentice...)
Alabama is gearing up for a big summer full of visits, evaluations and commitments. Most were worried about the lack of commitments the last two cycles. Alabama finished No. 1 and No. 2. I think Alabama will be just fine per usual, but how it all unfolds is what will be fun to watch. There are many different scenarios that can play out during the next few months.
There is a better understanding of who the top guys are compared to last year when you were just seeing these players for the first time. Now it's more about recruits enjoying visits, considering NIL opportunities and making the best decision for their future. I expect Alabama to win the majority of those battles when the time comes for decisions.
Recruits had not taken official or unofficial visits for more than a year by the time Alabama had its first camp last summer. COVID-19 forced the NCAA to shut down visits between March 2020 through May 2021. There were still a lot of unknowns heading into last June. One of the biggest questions was if COVID would shut down visits again? We saw a high majority of top recruits take most, if not all of their official visits that first month.
What we also saw were a lot of quick decisions. We saw recruits immediately naming a leader after their first visit. Imagine being one of the top overall recruits in the country. Your very first visit to any college is an official. Where coaches roll out the red carpet for a three day weekend and it is completely paid for by the university. You also had NIL taking off with some schools using every possible resource while others were still trying to figure out the best approach.
It's a lot different this cycle. Many juniors attended games during the fall, they received visits from coaches during the winter evaluation period, they attended Junior Days, spring practices/games, they have been evaluated throughout the last month and now beginning to schedule official visits. Most coaches did not see any recruits until they stepped foot on campus last June, and many were taking official visits as their first trip.
It was different for some- it's rare for a recruit who is on an official visit to 'work out' for the school. So you had a lot of kids coming in for official visits, but not participating in camp. Some did, most didn't. You are also getting your first look at a player. You get an official height/weight, etc.. You get to know the recruit a little bit more than just a FaceTime or Zoom call. There were some who visited last summer that wouldn't have normally received an 'official' visit invite from Alabama.
Alabama had to give officials to some because they weren't sure if they would ever get the recruit on campus. It was almost like when schools 'offer' a recruit during the spring, but you still need to attend camp. There were recruits who did not have an offer from Alabama when they took an official visit or no longer had a committable offer after their visit last year because after seeing the recruit for the first time they realized it wasn't what was expected. 'Glad you told me you are 6-2, 225-pounds, but in reality you stand 6-0, 195."
Who gets the golden 'official visit' ticket?
We are seeing a lot of recruits schedule official visits in June, but these are players Alabama has evaluated throughout the year and heavily recruited to this point. Expect many additional visits to get announced throughout the next few weeks. We will likely add new officials each week and may not know of a few until the start of the visit especially if they are committed elsewhere.
I'll be very surprised if Alabama offers an 'official' visit to one they have yet to see in-person. Keep in mind- Alabama assistants have visited countless recruits in the last few weeks. They haven't just visited the top recruits on their board or the ones who rank the in top 300 in the country. They have hit as many schools as possible and making sure no stone is left unturned.
I am sure there are some who will earn an offer in camp or perhaps just do enough to get on the Tide's radar to earn an 'official visit' invite down the road. Alabama will be a little more hesitant on providing official visits next month. You want to give those visits to players who you are spending a lot of time recruiting, but also ones who are making decisions before the fall (unless X-recruit wants to unofficially visit and save the official).
An official visit won't always indicate having a green light to commit even in a normal year. Alabama has seen all of these players who will take officials this summer. You still want to sit down and get to know them better. You want current players on the team to get a feel for these recruits and have a better idea if they fit in with your program. Some, even ones who may end up at Georgia or Ohio State or wherever, just don't fit the Tide's plans. Same can be said for some who sign with Alabama.
It's fine for top programs to have different feelings on recruits. A lot of people- fans, reporters, etc.., just assume they the top programs recruit the same players. You'll also see X-recruit commit to Georgia over Alabama or vice versa without the other school. There are five-stars who Alabama doesn't recruit.
They know who they like (so far) in this recruiting cycle. They know who they want to bring in for officials and who they need to see in camp. There are some who can commit right now, but still need to camp to determine the best position for their future. There are some who will definitely have a green light to jump on board, but Nick Saban has to see them and there are some who can commit right now who will likely lose the chance if they have a bad showing in camp or someone simply just moves ahead after their performance. We saw Amari Niblack move to the top of of the TE board last year. Kobe Prentice,
Take a look at the official visits currently scheduled in June. We will see many more added during the next few weeks.
June 3-5: Brandon Inniss, Dylan Lonergan, Riley Williams, Cole Adams
June 10-12: Kadyn Proctor, Anthony Hill, Francis Mauigoa, Eli Holstein, Olaus Alinen, Raul Aguirre, Wilkin Formby
June 17-19: Caleb Downs, Justice Haynes, Makari Vickers
June 24-26: Edric Hill, Ronan Hanafin
I don't thin anyone will question these players receiving official visit invites from Alabama. Do they all have a green light to commit? Not necessarily. Lonergan is on the short list of QB targets, but will likely have to wait until Arch Manning and Eli Holstein announce their decision, but he has received a ton of evaluation from Alabama. They like him. It's not just wasting time bringing him in for a visit. He's one of the top quarterbacks on the Tide's board post-evaluation. Just not higher than Manning or Holstein.
The lowest ranked recruits above including Ronan Hanafin, Cole Adams, Edric Hill and Wilkin Formby. Hanafin, despite his ranking as a receiver, is one of Alabama's top linebacker targets. The staff is very high on him. Adams visited Alabama earlier this year. Holmon Wiggins went to see him practice three weeks ago. Edric Hill has visited Alabama a few times, and has moved up the Tide's DL board this spring. Formby is a local lineman who visited Alabama several times this spring. His stock will continue to rise.
Will more push visit dates to the fall?
A high number of recruits will try to take all of their visits this summer in order to announce a decision before the start of their senior season. It's unclear exactly what new rules will get put in place for NIL and how much it begins to effect recruits as far as holding off from announcing a commitment.
We have already seen a few recruits schedule officials to Alabama this fall including Myles McVay, Tyree Adams and Kelby Collins. Malik Bryant said he will wait to take an official visit to Alabama this fall (He is scheduled to announce a decision on July 23). In-state targets like Qua Russaw and James Smith also expect to save some of their official visits for later in the year.
Now that things are getting back to normal on the recruiting front (outside of the craziness of NIL) we may see more decisions stretched until the fall. Coaches will try to influence recruits to wait until they attend a significant home game during the season or possibly wait until later in year to officially visit especially if they feel they are behind in the recruitment.
When will more decisions take place?
There is very little concern regarding the number of commitments or lack there of in the 2023 class. Sure, everyone wishes more commitments were in-place, but it's also not like Alabama's top targets have committed elsewhere. To nobody's surprise we have seen a lot of recruits chose X-school over Alabama. Just because a recruit may visit Alabama doesn't mean he chose another school over Alabama. Not really sure if it's more reporters who like to write that headline or if it's recruits themselves who want to act like they chose a program over Alabama. Probably a little both. I've already seen it once this week for a recruit who hasn't been mentioned on this site as a legit target.
So who has committed elsewhere this spring truly wanted/recruited by Alabama? This does not include players who committed elsewhere last year still pursued by the Tide. Bryson Rodgers (Ohio State), Robby Washington (Miami), Ryan Niblett (Texas). Alabama signed five receivers in 2022 so it's not surprising it missed on Rodgers, Washington or Niblett. Alabama is still making a push to get all to Tuscaloosa this summer.
The expectation is that we we will start seeing commitments happen once the summer gets into full swing. Does that mean multiple commitments after the first official visit weekend? No. We thought a few might commit last year during the first big weekend. Le'Veon Moss did, but he was very unexpected.
Remember when Jeremiah Alexander named Clemson as his leader after an early June visit with the Tigers? You can't always focus on how a recruit acts, feels or says after that first visit. Recruits, for the most part, will tell coaches what they want to hear. They'll tell team specific reporters what they want to hear. Alabama does not allow this, but other schools like Auburn, FSU, etc.. allow reporters to speak with recruits while on campus. They walk out of the football complex and 5-6 team site reporters have cameras in their face asking how great their visit was, what all the like about the school and if they can see themselves playing there.
I think the biggest thing for the next month is just to be patient. The recruiting board will change. Some players may get 'nudged' to go ahead and make a decision. Some might feel a little pressure to jump on board if spots are starting to fill up at a particular position. Some may be ready to commit after a great official weekend. Some will get offered and want to make a quick decision (Amari Niblack). We may seem some who are committed elsewhere earn an offer and decide to flip (Mac Jones, Quinnen Williams, Kobe Prentice...)
Alabama is gearing up for a big summer full of visits, evaluations and commitments. Most were worried about the lack of commitments the last two cycles. Alabama finished No. 1 and No. 2. I think Alabama will be just fine per usual, but how it all unfolds is what will be fun to watch. There are many different scenarios that can play out during the next few months.
There is a better understanding of who the top guys are compared to last year when you were just seeing these players for the first time. Now it's more about recruits enjoying visits, considering NIL opportunities and making the best decision for their future. I expect Alabama to win the majority of those battles when the time comes for decisions.
