Predicting how Alabama Football's 2025 recruiting class will shape out on both sides of the ball (2024)

Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News

• Keelon Russell – Duncanville, TX / Duncanville HS / 6’3″, 175 lbs.

Alabama seems to have a bright future at the quarterback position. The Crimson Tide have four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. Two of which are underclassmen. Alabama is not in dire need of adding a five-star talent at the position.

Alabama is, however, firmly in the mix to land four-star dual-threat quarterback Keelon Russell. Russell is a part of a Duncanville High School team that is well-known for producing SEC-caliber talent year-in and year-out. Russell recently received an offer from Alabama and seems like the guy to commit to the Crimson Tide sooner rather than later.

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• Anthony “Turbo” Rogers – Montgomery, AL / Carver HS / 5’8″, 185 lbs.
• Jordon Davison – Santa Ana, CA / Mater Dei HS / 5’11”, 203 lbs.

Running back is one position that Alabama does not lack depth at. Heading into the 2024-2025 season, Alabama has five running backs. The Crimson Tide would still like to sign two running backs in the ’25 recruiting cycle.

One of those will be Anthony “Turbo” Rogers. Rogers has been committed to Alabama since June of 2023. The Alabama native was at IMG Academy for his junior season but will be spending his senior season at Carver High School in Montgomery, Alabama. Davison is down to four schools — Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State, and Michigan. All schools seem to think that they have a chance. In the end, I think Davison’s relationship with Alabama running back coach Robert Gillespie is what earns the Crimson Tide his commitment.

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• Lotzeir Brooks – Millville, NJ / Millville HS / 5’9″, 170 lbs.
• Quanell X Farrakhan Jr. – The Woodlands, TX / North Shore HS / 6’0″, 170 lbs.
• Derick Smith – Selma, AL / Southside-Selma HS / 6’1″, 185 lbs.
• Marcus Harris – Santa Ana, CA / Mater Dei HS / 5’11.5″, 180 lbs.

One position that Alabama will have plenty of success recruiting over the years is the wide receiver position. Wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard produced three draft picks a season ago during his time at Washington. That will certainly help him and the rest of the Alabama coaching staff recruit the wide receiver position.

Brooks and Smith are both committed to the Crimson Tide. The two that I anticipate joining them are Quanell X Farrakhan Jr. and Marcus Harris. Both are regarded as four-star prospects. Harris will begin his official visits in Tuscaloosa during the last week of May. Alabama will have to beat out the likes of Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas. In the end, I expect Harris to commit to the Crimson Tide. Farrakhan Jr. received an offer from Alabama in January and has remained in contact with the coaching staff. He took an unofficial visit to Alabama in March and will likely take an official visit to Tuscaloosa as well. Ultimately, he will be the last wide receiver to round out the ’25 recruiting haul at the wide receiver position.

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• Nicholas Townsend – Houston, TX / Dekaney HS / 6’3″, 220 lbs.

In the ’24 recruiting cycle, Alabama signed one tight end — three-star Jay Lindsey. Now, it appears that the Crimson Tide will sign just one tight end in the ’25 recruiting cycle.

The lone tight end that I project to commit to the Crimson Tide is four-star Nicholas Townsend. The Texas native has not released an official date for when he will take an official visit to Alabama. However, it seems very likely that he will do so. Alabama tight ends coach Bryan Ellis as well as the rest of the Alabama coaching staff are in hot pursuit of Townsend. It makes sense, because he will be the only tight end to sign with Alabama in the ’25 recruiting class.

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• Micah DeBose – Mobile, AL / Vigor HS / 6’5″, 315 lbs.
• Jackson Lloyd – Carmel, CA / Carmel HS / 6’7″, 290 lbs.
• Michael Carroll – Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East HS / 6’5″, 290 lbs.
• Andrew Babalola – Overland Park, KS / Blue Valley Northwest HS / 6’6″, 280 lbs.

As things stand, Alabama does not have a commitment along the offensive line. The Crimson Tide signed three offensive linemen in the ’24 recruting cycle. I expect Alabama to sign at least four offensive linemen in the ’25 recruiting cycle.

DeBose has flirted with Alabama for quite a while. He was formerly committed to Georgia. Now, it seems like the Crimson Tide are firmly in the mix to land his commitment. Lloyd has been trending to Alabama for quite a while. He was recruited by Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer during his tenure in Washington. Lloyd will take official visits to Alabama and USC. However, it seems like he is going to commit to Alabama prior to making any visits. Carroll made a trip to Tuscaloosa for A-Day and will return for an official visit on June 7. The Pennsylvania native seems to be trending to Alabama at this point in time. Babalola took an unofficial visit to Tuscaloosa just over a month ago. He has been a priority target for the Crimson Tide and I expect him to ultimately end up in the class.

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• Antonio Coleman – Saraland, AL / Saraland HS / 6’2″, 285 lbs.
• Josiah Sharma – Folsom, CA / Folsom HS / 6’5″, 295 lbs.
• Floyd Boucard – Miami, FL / Miami Central HS / 6’3″, 315 lbs.

Alabama seems to always have depth along the defensive line. It has been an area that has plenty of talent. Defensive line coach Freddie Roach has done a tremendous job on the recruiting trail over the years. He will continue to this year.

Coleman is committed to Alabama. After committing to the Crimson Tide during his junior season, Coleman flipped his commitment to Auburn. Now, the Alabama native has recommitted to the Crimson Tide and seems to be locked in this time around. Sharma is a West coast prospect that seems to be really high on the Alabama coaching staff as well as the program itself. Since decommitting from Washington, Sharma has made three trips to Tuscaloosa. It is also worth noting that he is scheduled to take an official visit to Alabama on June 21. I could be going out on a limb by projecting Boucard to wind up in Alabama’s 2025 recruiting class. Boucard is a Canada native that spent several years of his high school career at Mobile Christian School. Alabama recently offered Boucard. If he makes it to campus for a visit, I really like Alabama’s chances of landing his commitment.

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• Luke Metz – Hoschton, GA / Mill Creek HS / 6’3″, 220 lbs.
• Darrell Johnson – Eastman, GA / Dodge Co. HS / 6’1″, 200 lbs.
• Jaedon Harmon – Rome, GA / Rome HS / 6’1″, 215 lbs.
• Abduall Sanders Jr. – Santa Ana, CA / Mater Dei HS / 6’2″, 210 lbs.
• Myles Johnson – Brewton, AL / T.R. Miller HS / 6’1″, 220 lbs.
• Dawson Merritt – Stillwell, KS / Blue Valley HS / 6’3″, 215 lbs.

Alabama has commitments from five linebacker prospects already. Luke Metz, Darrell Johnson, Jaedon Harmon, Abduall Sanders Jr., and Myles Johnson are each committed to the Crimson Tide. All seem to be locked in at this point in time. Sanders Jr. will be taking an official visit to Tennessee during the summer. An official visit to USC could take place as well. For now, we will project Sanders Jr. to sign with Alabama.

As for the remaining linebackers that have sparked the Crimson Tide’s interest, Merritt seems like the most likely candidate to commit. Merritt has been one of the staff’s priority targets. The Kansas native made a trip to Tuscaloosa in March. According to On3’s RPM, Merritt is trending to commit to Alabama at 92.9%. Six linebackers is likely the number that the coaching staff will look to sign.

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• Dijon Lee – Mission Viejo, CA / Mission Viejo HS / 6’4″, 190 lbs.
• Graceson Littleton – Zephyrhills, FL / Wiregrass Ranch HS / 6’0″, 180 lbs.

One thing about Alabama’s secondary is that it is very thin in terms of depth. However, the Crimson Tide have plenty of young talent to make up for it. Alabama signed five defensive backs in the 2024 recruiting cycle. That is a lot and should be taken into account when projecting which defensive backs end up in the 2025 recruiting class.

With that said, I have Alabama landing Lee and Littleton. Lee is viewed by the coaching staff as one of the top cornerbacks in the ’25 recruiting class. He is a priority target and could commit to Alabama in the near future. As for Littleton, he is not ranked as highly. The Alabama coaching staff seems to like Littleton and Littleton seems to like the Alabama coaching staff. Both Lee and Littleton could be enough to make the coaching staff happy in this class. This is a position that we will continue to closely monitor.

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• Zymear Smith – Ridgely, MD / North Caroline HS / 6’0″, 170 lbs.
• Timothy Merritt – Birmingham, AL / A.H. Parker HS / 6’2″, 180 lbs.

Alabama will likely lose both of its starting safeties to the NFL following the conclusion of the 2024-2025 season. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to bring in two safeties that can potentially replace them. One is already committed in Zymear Smith. Smith is listed as an athlete but is being recruited by the coaching staff to play defensive back. With his speed and versatility, Smith could thrive at the safety position on Alabama’s defense.

Merritt is an interesting prospect as well. He has the size and versatility to play any position in the secondary. Some recruiting sites list him as a cornerback while others have him listed as a safety. Merritt’s recruitment has been relatively quiet since he released his top-12. However, if I had to make a prediction right now, I would predict Merritt to commit to the Crimson Tide.