Following the Future: Alabama commits in action (Aug. 31 - Sept. 2)
Future members of the Alabama Crimson Tide‘s football program will take to the gridiron in the coming days. Most of Bama’s commits are two or three weeks into their 2023 campaigns, while one of them will begin their senior season this weekend.
Remaining Needs in ’24: Alabama focusing on key positions
In the story below, BamaOnLine provides a preview of which Alabama commits are playing this week.
2024 defensive back commit Jameer Grimsley will not be playing due to a recent in-game injury, while Peyton Woodyard (high ankle sprain/mild MCL sprain) will “probably” sit out this week, per his father. Woodyard, however, is expected to return next week. Also, IMG Academy’s road game at Thompson has been canceled, so Alabama running back commit Anthony Rogers will not be taking the field this week.
Five-Star Plus+ QB Julian Sayin, Carlsbad (Calif.) High School: Carlsbad (2-0) has put together two straight wins in dominating fashion, with their average margin of victory being 28.5 points per game. They’ll next have a road matchup with San Pasqual on Friday, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. local time/9:00 p.m. Central.
On ESPN last week, Sayin completed 12 of 14 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns against Mater Dei Catholic.
Five-Star ATH Jaylen Mbakwe, Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville High School: Clay-Chalkville (1-0) is coming off a 31-point shutout at Briarwood Christian to start their season. The Cougars will stay on the road as they will play at Hueytown on Friday. That game will start at 7:00 p.m. Central.
Mbakwe, who plays quarterback for his team, completed 12 of 18 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown in last week’s win. He also had six rushing attempts for 64 yards and a touchdown.
TE Caleb Odom and OL Zykie Helton (2026), Carrollton (Ga.) High School: The Trojans (1-1) bounced back last week with a 49-0 victory over South Paulding. Next up, Carrollton will play on the road at Rome High School on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Central.
Last week, Odom had three receptions for 79 yards and a couple of touchdowns. His season stats thus far are 10 catches for 157 yards and three touchdowns.
DB Zabien Brown, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei: The Monarchs (2-0) will play host to Creekside (from Georgia) on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. local time/9:00 p.m. Central.
OL Casey Poe, Lindale (Tx.) High School: Lindale (1-0) beat Kaufman 56-46 in their season opener, and will hit the road for their second game of the season. They’ll play at Pine Tree High School on Friday, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. Central. Pine Tree is home to Texas A&M defensive lineman commit Dealyn Evans.
DL Jeremiah Beaman, Birmingham (Ala.) Parker High School: Like others mentioned above, Parker started their season with a convincing win (55-0 over Fairfield). On Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Central, they’ll play at Ramsay High School. Ramsay’s roster features 2024 linebacker Quinton Reese, who will visit Alabama on Saturday.
VISITOR LIST: Recruits heading to Alabama in September
LB Sterling Dixon, Spanish Fort (Ala.) High School: The Toros (0-1) will look to bounce back from last’s three-point loss. Spanish Fort will play host to Blount High School on Friday, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. Central.
In his first game at Spanish Fort, Dixon had 14 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and one quarterback pressure.
LB Cayden Jones, Arden (N.C.) Christ School: Christ School (0-2) is looking to secure their first win of the season. The Greenies will play host to Carrollwood Day School on Friday at 6:00 p.m. Central. This will be an interesting matchup with Jones on one defense, and Alabama EDGE target Solomon Williams on the other defense.
In his first two games of the season, Jones has 25 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and a forced fumble.
WR Amari Jefferson, Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School: Baylor School (1-1) is back in the United States after playing in Ireland last week. Baylor will play host to Archbishop Stepinac on Friday at 6:00 p.m. Central.
Jefferson recorded 8 catches for 178 and two touchdowns in last week’s win over Seton Hall Prep.
WR Rico Scott, Harrisburg (Penn.) Bishop McDevitt: Bishop McDevitt (1-0) travels to DePaul Catholic after winning their season opener over Mount St. Joseph last week. This Friday’s kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m. Central.
Scott had nine catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 20-14 victory.
DL Isaia Faga and DB Red Morgan, Phenix City (Ala.) Central High School: After a 48-24 victory over Hewitt-Trussville, Central High School will host Smiths Station on Friday. Kickoff for that one is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central Time.
In their season opener, Morgan recorded four tackles and a pass deflection, while Faga had four tackles and one tackle for loss.
OL Williams Sanders, Brookwood (Ala.) High School: Brookwood shutout Holt High School 40-0 in last week’s season opener. They’ll now play host to West Blocton on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Central.
DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Gadsden City (Ala.) High School: Alabama legacy Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. and his teammates at Gadsden City are coming off a 37-20 victory over Carver High School. They’ll now take on Hewitt-Trussville at home, with that game slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. Central on Friday.
Kirkpatrick Jr. had two interceptions against Carver to start his senior season.
OL Joseph Ionata, Clearwater (Fla.) Calvary Christian: Ionata and his teammates at Calvary Christian open up their season this weekend. The Warriors will play host to St. John Paul on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Central.
TE Jay Lindsey, Butler (Ala.) Patrician Academy: Alabama’s newest commitment will take the field this week in his first game as a member of Bama’s 2024 class. Lindsey, who committed to the Tide on Tuesday, will play on the road at Banks High School on Friday. Start time for that one is 7:00 p.m. Central.
Patrician Academy is 1-1 to start the season.
Must Read: New Alabama TE commit Jay Lindsey goes in-depth on decision
2025 Alabama commitments
Five-Star Plus+ WR Ryan Williams, Saraland (Ala.) High School: Alabama’s highest-rated commit in the Class of 2025 got off to an impressive start last Friday on ESPN. Williams, the No. 1 wide receiver in his class, had six receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns in Saraland’s 31-30 win over Lipscomb Academy.
Saraland is now set to face off against Murphy on the road on Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central.
WR Jaime Ffrench, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin High School: Alabama’s other star wide receiver commit in the 2025 class also started off his junior season on a good note. Ffrench had four catches for 82 yards in Mandarin’s 43-21 win last week.
Next up, the Mustangs will host Bolles on Friday, with that game set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Central.
OL Dontrell Glover, Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes: Langston Hughes is off to a strong start to the season as they’ve beaten the powerhouse Carrollton Trojans and also McEachern this past week. They’ll face off against Butler at home on Saturday. Kickoff will be 7:00 p.m. Central.
OL Mason Short, Evans (Ga.) High School: Evans High School (0-1) has an away game at Greenbrier on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Central. The Knights lost a close 14-7 game against North Augusta in their season opener two weeks ago.
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