In-state '24 OL commits to Alabama: "It felt right."

Alabama has once again bolstered the interior of their offensive line with yet another key commitment on Friday. William Sanders, a product of Brookwood (Ala.) High School, committed to the Tide over LSU and Mississippi State moments ago. Sanders joins a Bama 2024 class that also includes fellow offensive linemen Casey Poe and Joseph Ionata.

Sanders was offered by Nick Saban himself after camping on June 1. He had previously been on the program’s radar for several months, visiting last fall and this past spring as well. Weighing in at 265 pounds during his junior season, Sanders was tasked with adding more weight. He did just that, and currently checks in at 295 pounds.

For Sanders, Tuscaloosa was simply the right place for him to wind up at.

“It felt right,” Sanders told BamaOnLine. “I’ve said all along it’s the best of the best. Competing against each other every day, I just want to be a part of that. I feel like I have a lot to work on with my game. Looking at the facts and looking at the history, Bama is the best way of getting to the league and to that next step.

“Prove myself both as a man and as a player,” Sanders continued. “I’m sure everyone has doubts or second guesses but, quite frankly, I felt very comfortable. This is a big decision for me.”

Sanders lives in Brookwood, about 30 minutes away from Tuscaloosa. He’s admitted in the past that his father is an Alabama fan. Putting on the Crimson and White ahead of his first game next season will be an unforgettable experience for him.

“It’ll be surreal,” Sanders said. “It’ll be like no other feeling. Going into a new setting and being a new guy on campus again — but being a new guy at Alabama — will be a new obstacle. That’s a new territory I’m ready to explore.”

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The new 2024 On300 tabs Sanders as the No. 111 overall prospect in his class, as well as the fourth-ranked interior offensive lineman. He elaborated on his decision to team up with the Tide, praising offensive line coach Eric Wolford in particular.

“Coach Wolford is an awesome guy,” Sanders said. “We have great texts and awesome calls. Always enjoy talking with him. I can’t wait to finally be coached under him. He’s been on me for a hot little minute. He asked me when I got the offer if I would commit the day of.

“Getting the offer was surreal with me being homegrown,” Sanders continued. “Some might say I committed because I’m a fan or I committed because I’m close; but I committed because I feel like young William would be ecstatic to see him play on that field. I did it because I wanted to do it for me. Not because I’m a fan. Not because I’m 30 minutes down the road. But it’s because I’m pretty sure if I saw eight-year-old me, he’d be jumping out of his boots right now. That’s why I committed.”

William Sanders will embrace the obstacles of his collegiate journey

Of course, today’s commitment to Alabama is not only a thrilling moment for Sanders, but his family as well.

“My mom [Altonette] was super excited because of me being so close,” Sanders said. “I’m the youngest and the baby of the family, so she was super excited I’m not going too far off. She was also happy that I’m going to Alabama, an SEC school. My dad [Willie] is an Alabama fan. He’s always been hard to read, but I’m pretty sure he’s pretty happy about that.”

Sanders believes he will be the first person in his family to attend the University of Alabama. A studious person in the classroom (3.9 GPA), Sanders already knows what he’s going to major in at Bama.

“I want to go to school for kinesiology and eventually be an athletic or personal trainer,” Sanders said. “Being the first person in my family to go to Alabama will be awesome. My sister went to South Alabama, so she went to college before. Her and I doing big things like that is a dream and a blessing every day.

The road to Friday’s commitment to Alabama wasn’t always a smooth one. Sanders’ second SEC offer did not come until January. He flew under the radar in the rankings, and only recently made a big jump with the new 2024 On300 that was unveiled last week.

In the end, however, Sanders wants to embrace all of his obstacles and learn from them moving forward.

“Yeah, I’m going to fail. I will come up short sometimes,” Sanders said. “As I get older, I need to make sure I keep learning that with all those shortcomings and setbacks, I’ll learn from them. Don’t just take them and go; take them and study them and get better.”

Before wrapping up our interview, Sanders had a simple two-word message for Alabama’s fan base.

“Roll Tide,” Sanders said.

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