Meet the Alabama Signees: Offense
The Alabama Crimson Tide and college football programs across the country have finally reached the most important day of the high school recruiting calendar: The first day of the Early Signing Period.
The Early Signing Period begins on Wednesday, and will last until Friday. Although there is still the traditional National Signing Day on Feb. 7, most blue-chip prospects will sign their National Letter of Intent during the ESP.
Alabama’s offensive class heading into the Early Signing Period is one to be excited about.
Bama holds commitments from three players who are No. 1 at their respective positions: Quarterback Julian Sayin, tight end Caleb Odom, and interior offensive lineman Casey Poe. That interior offensive line class is intriguing as Bama also landed commitments from On300 recruits Joseph Ionata and William Sanders.
The Tide have a trio of wide receiver commitments who will be summer enrollees in Amari Jefferson, Rico Scott, and Ryan Williams. Williams, who recently reclassified up to the Class of 2024, plans to sign on Feb. 9, his birthday.
Down below, BamaOnLine will have live running updates of all Alabama offensive commitments when they officially send in their National Letters of Intent to play for Bama. The summations below will include time signed, their respective commitment dates, and other pertinent details about the future Crimson Tide players.
All times listed below are Central Standard Time.
Signed: RB Kevin Riley (2:27 P.M.)
Commitment Date: Dec. 20, 2023
Enrollment Status: Currently unknown
On3 Industry Rankings: No. 73/No. 3 running back/No. 7 in Alabama
What you need to know: Kevin Riley announced his commitment to Miami back in June of this year. The Crimson Tide continued their pursuit, and hosted him for three game day visits during the fall. He had shut down his recruitment earlier this month, but took a last-minute official visit to Alabama this past weekend. That multi-day experience on campus put Bama over the top for Riley.
With Riley now in the fold, Nick Saban‘s staff has landed commitments from five of the top 10 players in the state of Alabama. The others are Jaylen Mbakwe, Jeremiah Beaman, Ryan Williams, and Sterling Dixon.
Why Riley chose Bama – HERE
On3 Analysis of Kevin Riley – HERE
Signed: ATH Aeryn Hampton (2:07 P.M.)
Commitment Date: Dec. 20, 2023
Enrollment Status: Currently unknown
On3 Industry Rankings: No. 232 national/No. 9 athlete/No. 41 in Texas
What you need to know: Alabama missed out on Aeryn Hampton back in the summer. On July 7, Hampton recommitted to the Texas Longhorns over Bama, which was in his final two. Nick Saban and Company never gave up, however, as they got Hampton on campus in October. Saban also made a stop by his school earlier this month.
Hampton is listed as an athlete on his On3 profile. He’s being recruited by the Tide as such as he projects on either side of the ball. He has spoken highly of Bama’s production at wide receiver in previous interviews with BamaOnLine.
Signed: WR Amari Jefferson (11:41 A.M.)
Commitment Date: Aug. 5, 2023
Enrollment Status: Arriving in Summer 2024
On3 Industry Rankings: No. 121 overall/No. 23 WR/No. 3 in Tennessee
On300 Rankings: No. 92 overall/No. 17 WR/No. 1 in Tennessee
What you need to know: Amari Jefferson had been committed to Tennessee’s baseball program for over two years. After gaining heavy interest from football staffs, however, Jefferson kept his options open. He eventually narrowed his list down to a top three of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee, with the Crimson Tide landing his commitment following a late July unofficial visit.
As a senior, the 5-foot-11.5, 200-pounder hauled in 74 receptions for 1,401 yards (18.9 yards per catch) and 20 touchdowns while leading his team to an appearance in the state title game. That all culminated in Jefferson winning the 2023 D2-AAA Mr. Football award. Jefferson also intends on playing baseball at Bama.
Why Jefferson chose Bama – HERE
On3 Analysis of Amari Jefferson – HERE
Signed: IOL William Sanders (10:13 A.M.)
Commitment Date: July 21, 2023
Enrollment Status: Participating in bowl practice
On300 Rankings: No. 107 overall/No. 4 interior offensive lineman/No. 10 in Alabama
What you need to know: William Sanders, who plays for Brookwood High School in Alabama, had long been on Bama’s radar before receiving an offer on June 1. Sanders ended up landing an offer the first day of summer camp season. A few weeks later, Sanders joined the Tide’s 2024 class over a final group of LSU and Mississippi State.
Sanders was another in-state prospect who saw his stock rise considerably over the past few months. He went from a three-star recruit to a borderline top-100 overall player on On3. He participated in the Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Game last week, and officially arrived at Bama for bowl prep on Sunday.
Why Sanders chose Bama — HERE
On3 Analysis of William Sanders — HERE
Signed: IOL Joseph Ionata (9:24 A.M.)
Commitment Date: June 3, 2023
Enrollment Status: Participating in bowl practice
On300 Rankings: No. 264 overall/No. 15 interior offensive lineman/No. 34 in Florida
What you need to know: The recruiting process for Joseph Ionata shut down when he received an offer from Alabama on June 1. Ionata immediately told inquiring schools that he was locked in with Bama, and announced his commitment two days later. Ionata visited Tuscaloosa a few times over his six-month-long commitment, including an official visit from Dec. 8-10.
Ionata officially arrived at Bama on Dec. 15 for bowl prep. He passed on a potential opportunity to play in an all-star game next month in order to be completely focused on bowl practices. Ionata’s father, Joey Ionata, was an offensive lineman for Florida State in the 1980s, but the Seminoles never extended an offer to the four-star recruit.
Why Ionata chose Bama — HERE
On3 Analysis of Joseph Ionata — HERE
Signed: WR Rico Scott (8:55 A.M.)
Commitment Date: April 16, 2023
Enrollment Status: Summer enrollee
On3 Industry Rankings: No. 311 overall/No. 51 wide receiver/No. 5 in Pennsylvania
What you need to know: Rico Scott committed to Alabama over a top schools list of Colorado, Georgia, Penn State, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. His commitment came the morning after he concluded a visit to Tuscaloosa in mid-April. The Tide offered the 6-foot-and-a-half, 185-pounder in June 2022 following an impressive camp performance (4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash).
Scott was highly productive for the Bishop McDevitt Crusaders. He recorded 86 receptions for 1,353 yards and 23 touchdowns this past season. That comes a season after he hauled in 66 catches for 1,184 yards and 18 touchdowns en route to winning a state title.
Why Scott chose Bama — HERE
On3 Analysis of Rico Scott — HERE
Signed: IOL Casey Poe (8:50 A.M.)
Commitment Date: July 12, 2023
Enrollment Status: Participating in bowl practice
On3 Industry Rankings: No. 79 overall/No. 1 interior offensive lineman/No. 16 in Texas
On300 Rankings: No. 48 overall/No. 1 interior offensive lineman/No. 11 in Texas
What you need to know: Casey Poe, a product of Lindale High School in Texas, grew up an Alabama fan. He made his way out to Tuscaloosa several times throughout his recruitment, including six trips in 2023 alone. Along with being a Bama fan growing up, Poe’s relationship with future position coach Eric Wolford helped seal the deal for the Tide.
Poe chose Alabama over a final group of Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech back in July. No other program hosted him for a visit after his commitment, and he arrived in Tuscaloosa for bowl prep on Dec. 15.
Why Poe chose Bama — HERE
On3 Analysis of Casey Poe — HERE
Signed: TE Caleb Odom (7:58 A.M.)
Commitment Date: July 15, 2023
Enrollment Status: Participating in bowl practice
On3 Industry Rankings: No. 47 overall/No. 2 TE/No. 8 in Georgia
On300 Rankings: No. 28 overall/No. 1 TE/No. 3 in Georgia
What you need to know: Caleb Odom transferred to Carrollton High School in Georgia for his junior and senior seasons. He did not disappoint as the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder recorded 110 catches for 1,869 yards (17 yards per reception) and 25 touchdowns with the Trojans. Odom caught passes from Alabama Class of 2026 quarterback target Julian Lewis (USC commitment) at Carrollton.
Odom committed to Alabama in mid-July over a final group that featured Florida, Miami, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M. The Rebels continued their pursuit, hosting Odom for visits on back-to-back weekends during the fall. On Dec. 5, however, Odom informed On3 that he had shut down his recruitment and was no longer considering Ole Miss.
Currently in bowl practice, Odom will participate in the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando on Jan. 3.
Why Odom chose Alabama – HERE
On3 Analysis of Caleb Odom – HERE
Signed: QB Julian Sayin (7:57 A.M.)
Commitment Date: Nov. 2, 2022
Enrollment Status: Participating in bowl practice
On3 Industry Rankings: No. 5 overall/No. 1 QB/No. 1 in California
What you need to know: Julian Sayin committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide over a final group that included fellow SEC programs LSU and Georgia. Even though other schools continued pursuing him, Sayin never took an unofficial visit elsewhere during the tenure of his commitment with the Tide.
Sayin had a highly productive career at Carlsbad High School. During his high school career, he completed 70.6 percent of his passes, threw for 7,970 yards and had 86 touchdown passes to just 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 605 yards and nine touchdowns.
With Sayin officially in the fold, Alabama has now signed either the No. 1 or No. 2 quarterback in three of the previous five recruiting classes. The other two are Bryce Young (2020) and Ty Simpson (2022).
Currently in bowl practice, Sayin will participate in the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando on Jan. 3.
Why Sayin chose Alabama – HERE
On3 Analysis of Julian Sayin – HERE
Signed: TE Jay Lindsey (7:34 A.M.)
Commitment Date: Aug. 29, 2023
Enrollment Status: Summer enrollee
On3 Rankings: No. 24 tight end/No. 24 in Alabama
What you need to know: Jay Lindsey committed to Mississippi State in April 2023, but collected an offer from Alabama a couple of months later. Blocking well and running good routes, Lindsey earned an offer from Nick Saban himself on June 15. He took a couple of months to sit on that offer before committing to the Crimson Tide in late August.
Lindsey is a coach’s son as his father, Jonathan Lindsey, coached him at Patrician Academy in Butler (Ala.). The three-star tight end credited the pursuit from tight ends coach Joe Cox and Freddie Roach as key factors in his commitment to the Tide.
Why Lindsey chose Bama — HERE
On3 Analysis of Jay Lindsey — HERE
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