Following the Future: Alabama commits in action (Sept. 7-9)
While all eyes will be on Saturday’s top-11 matchup with Texas, future members of the Alabama Crimson Tide’s football team will take to the gridiron this week. All but three of Bama’s 25 total commits are set to play, with one expected to return from injury on Friday.
In the story below, BamaOnLine provides a preview of which Alabama commits are playing over the next few days.
Alabama Recruiting Mailbag: Bone answers the burning questions
2024 defensive back commit Jameer Grimsley is not expected to play due to a foot injury suffered last month. Justin Okoronkwo, Bama’s linebacker commit out of Germany, has wrapped up his season. Class of 2025 offensive line commit Dontrell Glover and his teammates at Langston Hughes are on a bye this week.
Five-Star Plus+ QB Julian Sayin, Carlsbad (Calif.) High School: Carlsbad (3-0) is looking to continue their hot start to the season. The Lancers will host Casteel High School out of Arizona this Friday at 7:00 p.m. local time/9:00 p.m. Central.
Sayin threw for five touchdowns in last week’s 56-0 victory over San Pasqual.
Five-Star ATH Jaylen Mbakwe, Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville High School: Clay-Chalkville (2-0) is also off to an undefeated start as they’ve put together back-to-back wins, holding their opponents to a combined three points. They’ll next travel to Pell City High School for a Friday matchup that begins at 7:00 p.m. Central.
TE Caleb Odom and OL Zykie Helton (2026), Carrollton (Ga.) High School: Carrollton (2-1) will face off against Villa Rica at home on Saturday. Kickoff for that game is set for 6:30 p.m. Central.
Odom added a couple of more touchdowns last Friday, including this sensational effort to hit pay dirt.
DB Zabien Brown, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei: The Monarchs (3-0) will host Kahuku from Hawaii on Saturday, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. local time.
OL Casey Poe, Lindale (Tx.) High School: Lindale (1-1) will look to bounce back after last week’s loss to Pine Tree. The Eagles will host Van High School on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Central Time.
VISITOR LIST: Alabama versus Texas
DB Peyton Woodyard, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco: Woodyard missed last week’s game and most of the previous one with a high ankle sprain/mild MCL sprain. This week, St. John Bosco (3-0) will play host to St. Frances Academy on Friday at 9:00 p.m. Central. His father, Gerald, informed BOL that as of Thursday afternoon, the expectation is that Woodyard will play this week.
DL Jeremiah Beaman, Birmingham (Ala.) Parker High School: Parker High School (2-0) is gearing up for another Thursday matchup. Tonight, they’ll take on Jackson-Olin, with that game scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. Central.
LB Sterling Dixon, Spanish Fort (Ala.) High School: Coming off a 44-0 win over Blount High School, Spanish Fort will travel to Baldwin County HS on Friday. Kickoff for that one is set for 7:00 p.m. Central.
LB Cayden Jones, Arden (N.C.) Christ School: Christ School (0-3) is aiming to get into the win column this week. The Greenies have an away game at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee in Georgia this Friday at 7:00 p.m. Central.
WR Amari Jefferson, Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School: Baylor’s sole loss was to the aforementioned Rabun Gap-Nacoochee Eagles. Since then, they’ve won two straight games, and will host Lipscomb Academy on Friday. 6:00 p.m. Central is kickoff time.
WR Rico Scott, Harrisburg (Penn.) Bishop McDevitt: The Crusaders (2-0) will play host to La Salle College HS on Friday at 6:00 p.m. Central.
DL Isaia Faga and DB Red Morgan, Phenix City (Ala.) Central High School: Central High School (2-0) has won their first two games by an average margin of victory of 37.5 points per game. Next up, they’ll play on the road at Enterprise High School this Friday at 7:00 p.m. Central.
OL Williams Sanders, Brookwood (Ala.) High School: The Brookwood Panthers (1-1) will look to bounce back from last week’s 34-12 loss when they take on Hueytown this Friday. 7:00 p.m. Central is the scheduled kickoff time.
DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Gadsden City (Ala.) High School: Gadsden City (1-1) will travel to Buckhorn High School this week for a 7:00 p.m. Central kickoff on Friday. Last week against Hewitt-Trussville, Kirkpatrick recorded his third interception of the season.
OL Joseph Ionata, Clearwater (Fla.) Calvary Christian: Calvary Christian (1-0) is set to host Carrollwood Day on Friday at 6:00 p.m. Central. This matchup features 2024 EDGE target Solomon Williams, who is expected to visit Alabama this weekend.
BamaOnLine’s Joseph Hastings will be in attendance for this game and is going to provide live updates on the BOL Round Table.
TE Jay Lindsey, Butler (Ala.) Patrician Academy: Patrician Academy (1-2) will have their third away game of the season coming up on Friday. The Saints will take on Pickens Academy, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. Central.
2025 Alabama Commitments
Five-Star Plus+ WR Ryan Williams, Saraland (Ala.) High School: Saraland is undefeated in their last eight games dating back to last season. The Spartans (2-0) will next take on St. Paul’s Episcopal at home on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Central time.
WR Jaime Ffrench, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin High School: Behind Ffrench and Florida State quarterback commit Tramell Jones, Mandarin (2-0) is averaging 42.5 points per game this season. Up next, the Mustangs will do battle with Riverside High School on the road. Kickoff for that game is 5:30 p.m. Central on Friday.
OL Mason Short, Evans (Ga.) High School: The Evans HS Knights (1-1) will host Burke County on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Central.
RB Anthony Rogers, IMG Academy in Bradenton (Fla.): After last week’s game at Thompson High School was canceled, IMG Academy will be back on the gridiron this Friday. The Ascenders will travel to Ben Davis High School in Indiana, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. Central.
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