The commitment
Jedrick Wills, five-star offensive tackle from Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky, broke the internet on Tuesday morning when he reveled his commitment to the University of Alabama. Wills has been relatively quiet since August when he was on the verge of announcing his commitment to Alabama.
Some thought Wills may have been told to hold off from making a decision. That was not the case. Alabama was expecting Wills to commit. He informed the Alabama coaching staff along with a few of Alabama's top commitments (Alex Leatherwood, Mac Jones, VanDarius Cowan, etc..) of his intentions to release a video on his decision. It was approved by the staff.
Wills, for some reason, decided to hold off from announcing. He wanted to do a video production. Maybe the timing was bad. Maybe he wanted to take official visits. I'm not sure the answer at this time. However, he decided to wait until now, and Alabama was happy to get him on board.
The player
Alabama has been very high on him since day one. They love his ability to play any position on the offensive line. He is likely to find a home as a guard.
"Has the look of a guard but the feet of a tackle. Very athletic and mobile lineman who uses his hands extremely well and adjusts to counter moves with ease. He could play guard and move to tackle eventually or could pick up tackle right away. His hands and feet are what makes him special but he has size and power as well."- Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell.
The numbers
Alabama has five offensive line commitments, and 22 overall in the 2017 class. I've been told, as of today, Alabama is still heavily recruiting Trey Smith, Rivals100 offensive tackle from University of Jackson School in Tennessee. Smith has a spot in the class. Isaiah Wilson's spot may have just been taken by Wills. Does this mean Alabama will stop recruiting him? No. Wilson is scheduled to take an official visit to Alabama next weekend. We'll just have to wait and see how the numbers play out down the road.
Will Alabama lose any of its current offensive line commitments? Alex Leatherwood isn't going anywhere. Kendall Randolph isn't budging and Hunter Brannon isn't thinking about anyone else. Alabama has no interest in those players looking elsewhere.
Elliot Baker is taking official visits to LSU and Texas A&M. Alabama does not want to lose his commitment. They are fighting to keep him on board. Some have already asked if Alabama took Wills because of Baker's official visits plans. The answer is no. They were going to take Wills regardless if Baker or anyone else in the class took visits. You can almost guarantee other programs will use the OL numbers in Alabama's class to try and get Baker to flip.
One player to keep an eye on as a possible flip or decommitment is Jhavonte Dean, four-star cornerback from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. Dean has been very quiet this fall, and did not make his official visit to Tuscaloosa last month as expected. I'm told Dean's performance on the field this season has been subpar, and may not be much concern if he decides to go elsewhere. Miami is likely his destination.
Jedrick Wills, five-star offensive tackle from Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky, broke the internet on Tuesday morning when he reveled his commitment to the University of Alabama. Wills has been relatively quiet since August when he was on the verge of announcing his commitment to Alabama.
Some thought Wills may have been told to hold off from making a decision. That was not the case. Alabama was expecting Wills to commit. He informed the Alabama coaching staff along with a few of Alabama's top commitments (Alex Leatherwood, Mac Jones, VanDarius Cowan, etc..) of his intentions to release a video on his decision. It was approved by the staff.
Wills, for some reason, decided to hold off from announcing. He wanted to do a video production. Maybe the timing was bad. Maybe he wanted to take official visits. I'm not sure the answer at this time. However, he decided to wait until now, and Alabama was happy to get him on board.
The player
Alabama has been very high on him since day one. They love his ability to play any position on the offensive line. He is likely to find a home as a guard.
"Has the look of a guard but the feet of a tackle. Very athletic and mobile lineman who uses his hands extremely well and adjusts to counter moves with ease. He could play guard and move to tackle eventually or could pick up tackle right away. His hands and feet are what makes him special but he has size and power as well."- Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell.
The numbers
Alabama has five offensive line commitments, and 22 overall in the 2017 class. I've been told, as of today, Alabama is still heavily recruiting Trey Smith, Rivals100 offensive tackle from University of Jackson School in Tennessee. Smith has a spot in the class. Isaiah Wilson's spot may have just been taken by Wills. Does this mean Alabama will stop recruiting him? No. Wilson is scheduled to take an official visit to Alabama next weekend. We'll just have to wait and see how the numbers play out down the road.
Will Alabama lose any of its current offensive line commitments? Alex Leatherwood isn't going anywhere. Kendall Randolph isn't budging and Hunter Brannon isn't thinking about anyone else. Alabama has no interest in those players looking elsewhere.
Elliot Baker is taking official visits to LSU and Texas A&M. Alabama does not want to lose his commitment. They are fighting to keep him on board. Some have already asked if Alabama took Wills because of Baker's official visits plans. The answer is no. They were going to take Wills regardless if Baker or anyone else in the class took visits. You can almost guarantee other programs will use the OL numbers in Alabama's class to try and get Baker to flip.
One player to keep an eye on as a possible flip or decommitment is Jhavonte Dean, four-star cornerback from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. Dean has been very quiet this fall, and did not make his official visit to Tuscaloosa last month as expected. I'm told Dean's performance on the field this season has been subpar, and may not be much concern if he decides to go elsewhere. Miami is likely his destination.
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