Bama’s Starting to Bama on the Recruiting Trail

With the early signing period fast approaching and a week head start on the teams participating in conference championship games last weekend, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide took full advantage and received three commitments from top targets Tuesday night into Wednesday afternoon.

4-star cornerback Nadab Joseph of Miami Norland High School in Miami, FL, 3-star tight end Michael Parker of Westminster Christian Academy in Huntsville, AL and 4-star JUCO corner Saivion Smith of Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. in Perkinston, MS all pledged themselves to the Tide in the last 24 hours.

Joseph, a former LSU verbal, was the first to make his commitment known on Tuesday evening after a successful in-home visit with Saban and the chips fell from there. Parker followed suit on Wednesday morning and Smith Wednesday afternoon.

Joseph and Smith’s commitments in particular are pivotal at a time where Alabama’s secondary will soon be without a returning starter at every position in 2018.

Starting edge corners Levi Wallace and Anthony Averett and nickel corner Tony Brown are all seniors and the presumed starters going into next season, Trevon Diggs, Jared Mayden and Shyheim Carter, have a limited amount of experience to this point in their careers.

Smith, a JUCO transfer, brings in a level of experience and maturity that will almost certainly help a young corps of DBs.

Parker, who is one of two tight ends that the Tide would like to have in its 2018 class, will be joining a position group that is experienced and deep heading into 2018. They’ll return Hale Hentges, Irv Smith, Jr. and Miller Forristall.

Tack on true freshmen Major Tennison and Kedrick James, the 6’6”, 230-pound Parker will be in some serious competition with some major athletes.

This is the kind of problem that Nick Saban enjoys having, though. Especially with his 2017 team suffering as many injuries as it has. Stockpiling as many top-notch athletes is the name of the game and Saban does it as well as anyone.

This Tide class, which started out Wednesday barely in the Top 25 of the 247Sports team recruiting rankings, made its first appearance in the Top 10 by the afternoon. And with two signing days in as many months on horizon, one can assume they’ll be cracking the Top 5 in short order.

Congrats to Joseph, Parker, Smith and each of their families!