Following the Future: Four Alabama commits to play on ESPN this week
This week, a handful of Alabama commitments will take the field for the second week of their 2023 seasons. Several other future members of the Crimson Tide’s football program are gearing up for their first games of the year.
It is a weekend of note as four Bama pledges will be playing in games broadcasted by ESPN this Friday and Saturday.
In the story below, BamaOnLine provides a preview of which Alabama commits are playing this week. Not included on this list are jamborees or kickoff classics; each of these games listed below count toward their respective team’s 2023 standings. Also, unless it is noted otherwise, the games listed below will take place this Friday.
Five-Star Plus+ QB Julian Sayin, Carlsbad (Calif.) High School: Carlsbad (1-0) is coming off a 29-6 victory over Inglewood last week. On Saturday, the Sayin-led Lancers will host Mater Dei Catholic at 7:00 p.m. local time/9:00 p.m. Central. This matchup will be broadcasted by ESPN.
Sayin completed 70 percent of his passes last week, and you can watch his highlights HERE!
Must Read: Five-Star Plus+ QB Julian Sayin talks state of Alabama’s class, upcoming season
Five-Star ATH Jaylen Mbakwe, Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville High School: Clay-Chalkville opens up their 2023 season on the road at Briarwood Christian School. Due to extreme heat, that game has been pushed back to 7:30 p.m. Central on Friday. All eyes will be on Mbakwe as he will be playing quarterback for his team this year.
TE Caleb Odom and OL Zykie Helton (2026), Carrollton (Ga.) High School: The Trojans (0-1) will look to bounce back from last week’s 39-34 loss to Langston Hughes. This week, they will take on South Paulding at home, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. Central.
In last week’s season opener, Odom recorded seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.
DB Zabien Brown, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei: The Monarchs (1-0) will head to Utah to take on Bingham High School on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. Central.
OL Casey Poe, Lindale (Tx.) High School: Lindale starts off their season with a home matchup versus Kaufman High School. Interestingly enough, this will also be senior night for the Eagles.
DL Jeremiah Beaman, Birmingham (Ala.) Parker High School: Parker High School opens up the season with a home matchup versus Fairfield High School. This game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. Central.
DB Peyton Woodyard, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco: St. John Bosco (1-0) will make the cross-country trip to South Florida this week. On Saturday, the Braves will take on St. Thomas Aquinas in the Broward County High School National Football Showcase. This game will be broadcasted on ESPN, and will kick off at 3:00 p.m. Central.
BamaOnLine’s Joseph Hastings will be in attendance for this game and is going to provide live updates on the BOL Round Table.
Last week, Woodyard recorded 7 total tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 fumble recovery (on an extra point).
LB Sterling Dixon, Spanish Fort (Ala.) High School: Spanish Fort kicks off their 2023 campaign with a home game versus Fairhope at 7:00 p.m. Central on Thursday. This will be Dixon’s first official game with the Toros after transferring from Mobile Christian School a few weeks ago.
LB Cayden Jones, Arden (N.C.) Christ School: Christ School (0-1) will look to bounce back from last week’s loss to Lowndes when they host St. Joseph Regional this week. That game has a kickoff time of 6:00 p.m. Central.
WR Amari Jefferson, Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School: Baylor School (0-1) is in Dublin, Ireland, this week as a part of the Global Ireland Football Tournament. There, they will play against New Jersey’s Seton Hall Prep. The two teams will play on Friday at 9:30 a.m. Central.
WR Rico Scott, Harrisburg (Penn.) Bishop McDevitt: Bishop McDevitt’s season opener will be against Mount St. Joseph at 6:00 p.m. Central. Scott is looking to build upon a junior season in which he recorded 66 catches for 1,184 yards and 18 touchdowns.
ICYMI: 2024 WR commit is “100 percent” locked in with Alabama
DL Isaia Faga and DB Red Morgan, Phenix City (Ala.) Central High School: The Red Devils open up their season at Hewitt-Trussville (7:00 p.m. Central). It will be Faga’s and Morgan’s first high school games since flipping to Alabama in the summer.
OL Williams Sanders, Brookwood (Ala.) High School: Brookwood’s first game of the season will be a home game versus Holt High School. Kickoff for that matchup is set for 7:00 p.m. Central.
DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Gadsden City (Ala.) High School: Alabama legacy Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. will start his senior season with a road game at Carver High School. This game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. Central.
2025 Alabama commitments
Five-Star Plus+ WR Ryan Williams, Saraland (Ala.) High School: It will be must-see television on Friday. Saraland High School, led by Alabama wide receiver commit Ryan Williams and Texas quarterback pledge K.J. Lacey, will face off against Lipscomb Academy on ESPN. Kickoff in Saraland is set for 7:00 p.m. Central.
Last season, Williams collected a few personal accolades — to say the least — including Mr. Football for the state of Alabama and Gatorade’s Player of the Year in the state. He caught 87 passes for 1,641 yards and 24 touchdowns, had 709 rushing yards and 15 scores on the ground, and two punts returned for touchdowns in Saraland’s state title season.
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WR Jaime Ffrench, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin High School: Jaime Ffrench (No. 11 overall; No. 3 WR) will also begin his season this week. Mandarin will host Fletcher High School at 5:30 p.m. Central Time.
BamaOnLine’s Joseph Hastings will be in attendance for this game and is going to provide live updates on the BOL Round Table.
RB Anthony Rogers, IMG Academy in Bradenton (Fla.): Another Alabama commit playing on ESPN this week is Anthony Rogers. The No. 5 running back in his class is in New Jersey for IMG Academy’s (1-0) road matchup with St. Joseph Prep. 6:00 p.m. Central is kickoff time.
OL Dontrell Glover, Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes: After an emotional 39-34 victory over Carrollton last week, Glover and Langston Hughes (1-0) will host McEachern this week. That game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Central.
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