Alabama Football: Breaking down Tide’s class after 5-star pledge

Alabama football landed its second five-star recruit of the 2023 class and we take a look at what the Crimson Tide have done so far this cycle. 

Don’t look now, but Alabama football is about to start building its typical recruiting class. The Crimson Tide is currently ranked 20th overall according to the 247 team rankings for the 2023 class but Alabama won’t stay there for long.

One reason Alabama football is a little bit lower than usual is that the Crimson Tide has just seven commitments right now, which isn’t unusual for this time of year.

Alabama’s class looks as elite as it usually does

Alabama recruits the best of the best and those players typically take longer to decide. Yet, Bama was able to land its second five-star commitment on Sunday, as five-star cornerback Tony Mitchell pledged to the Tide.

It was the second five-star DB to commit to Alabama football this cycle and with Saban’s history of first-round picks there, and everywhere else, it’s not surprising.

Mitchell is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, and out of Alabaster, Alabama. He’s ranked as the second-best cornerback according to the 247 sports composite rankings in 2023 and the 15th-best player overall.

Florida and LSU were heavily in the mix but Alabama was able to seal the deal on his official visit over the weekend and while it was just the seventh commitment for Nick Saban’s team, four of those are ranked in the top 100 and one of those is former Texas A&M commit Eli Holstein.

Alabama missed on Arch Manning but landing a top-10 QB as an alternative is better than most programs could hope for and the Tide is a player in numerous five-star recruits on both sides of the ball, as well as a bunch of other blue-chip prospects (4-stars or better).

Saban and Alabama football aren’t going to win all of those recruitments, but my guess is that it will win enough to put together another top-5 recruiting class when 2023 is all said and done.