Several members from Alabama's 2023 class to join team this week

DEC. 21 UPDATE: The word “signed” will be put next to each prospect who has officially sent in their Letter of Intent to Alabama on the first day of Early Signing Period.

A half-dozen prospects in the Crimson Tide’s 2023 class are set to get an early start to their athletic careers at Alabama.

BamaInsider can report that Bray Hubbard (signed), Eli Holstein, Hunter Osborne (signed), Miles McVay (signed), Ryqueze McElderry (signed), and Wilkin Formby (signed) have all graduated from high school. The future Crimson Tide freshmen are now set to report today and will also begin practice with the football team on Friday.

An important distinction is that this group is not a list of early enrollees. The majority of those players will enroll at Alabama on Jan. 8.

Also, the six players mentioned above are not allowed to dress out for the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve. They will, however, be allowed to practice and also travel with the team to New Orleans for their game against Kansas State.

With all that being said, get to know a little bit more about each of these incoming freshmen down below!

Profiles for true freshmen joining Alabama this week

Eli Holstein Profile

Position: Quarterback

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3.5, 230 pounds

Hometown: Zachary (La.)

On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 69 overall/No. 8 QB/No. 5 in Louisiana

Holstein quote on Alabama (from May 1): “I feel really comfortable with them. I have a really good relationship with Coach [Bill] O’Brien and Coach [Pete] Golding. Coach Golding and my head coach also have a good relationship. They go back all the way to when Coach Pete was at Southern Miss. So, they’ve known each other for a really long time.”

Click HERE to watch Holstein’s 2021 season highlights!

Bray Hubbard Profile

Position: Safety

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 195 pounds

Hometown: Ocean Springs (Miss.)

On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 367 overall/No. 33 Safety/No. 6 in Mississippi

Quote from Hubbard’s father on Alabama (from Oct. 6): “You know, he is going to be taken care of at Alabama, but he also has to do his part. It doesn’t get any better to be coached by the best, play with the best and compete against the best. This is an opportunity. You got offered by the greatest coach of all time. He watched you work-out and believes in you.”

Click HERE to watch Hubbard’s senior season highlights!

Hunter Osborne Profile

Position: Defensive Lineman

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3.5, 250 pounds

Hometown: Trussville (Al.)

On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 139 overall/No. 14 DL/No. 14 in Alabama

Osborne quote on why he chose Alabama (from Aug. 1): “How the players carry, how the coaches carry themselves… you have no choice but to believe that you’re around the best of the best and true champions. Everyone in the program is locked in and focused. I wanted to be around that because I want to be around guys that want to be great.” 

Click HERE to watch Osborne’s 2021 season highlights!

Miles McVay Profile

Position: Offensive Lineman

Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 373 pounds

Hometown: East St. Louis (IL.)

On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 188 overall/No. 12 Interior OL/No. 2 in Illinois

McVay quote on why he chose Alabama (from Aug. 11): “I have visited Alabama five or six times. It is different over there,” McVay told On3. “I have watched two or three practices, so I have seen the players and the coaches at work and I could see why they win. It is very intense. Players practicing hard, coaches coaching hard, and Nick Saban is also very involved. Everyone at Alabama grinds to win it all, get to the NFL, and that is what I want to be a part of.” 

Click HERE to watch McVay’s senior postseason highlights!

Ryqueze McElderry Profile

Position: Offensive Lineman

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2.5, 345 pounds

Hometown: Anniston (Al.)

On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 422 overall/No. 32 Interior OL/No. 21 in Alabama

McElderry (former Georgia commit) quote on why he chose Alabama (from July 4): “I knew 100% after taking some official visits. Being at Alabama so many times, knowing what it is like there, and having a chance to play for coach Wolford at my dream school, this has been on my mind for a while. Alabama is the best move for me and that has been on my mind for a while. Georgia is a great school, and I love the coaches there too, but I know I need to be at Alabama.”

Wilkin Formby Profile

Position: Offensive Lineman

Height/Weight: 6-foot-8, 300 pounds

Hometown: Tuscaloosa (Al.)

On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 87 overall/No. 8 OT/No. 11 in Alabama

Formby quote on Alabama (from Sept. 2): “They’re proven to develop so well. It’s like they’ve got it all figured out now. They just really develop players the way they need to do. They do the same process with every player. Having a proven head coach really helps the possibility of me having the same position coach. If you have a proven head coach, he’s most likely not leaving. Therefore, that doesn’t give the o-line coach many reasons to leave, unless he wants to take another job. But I can’t imagine him going anywhere besides Alabama.”

Click HERE to watch Formby’s 2021 season highlights!

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