Alabama Football Recruiting 2021: Top Commitments Landed, Recruit Predictions

Alabama has been dominant on the recruiting trail during the Nick Saban era, and the 2022 cycle has been no different. The Crimson Tide are again in position to end up with the No. 1 class in the country, depending on how many more commitments they can land.

The early signing period begins Wednesday, and Alabama currently has the No. 2 2022 class in the country, per the 247Sports composite team rankings, behind only SEC rival Georgia. The Tide are going to be looking to pass the Bulldogs while also holding off Texas A&M, which is at No. 3.

A lot of recruits will be sending in their national letters of intent over the next three days during the early signing window. Some of them will be Alabama commits who have never wavered, but there could be uncommitted recruits who sign with the Crimson Tide all at once.

Here's a look at the top 2022 recruits Alabama has landed so far, followed by some predictions heading into the early signing period.

5-star DE Jeremiah Alexander (Thompson High School, Alabaster, Ala.)

5-star QB Ty Simpson (Westview High School, Martin, Tenn.)

5-star RB Emmanuel Henderson (Geneva County High School, Hartford, Ala.)

4-star OT Tyler Booker (IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.)

4-star OT Elijah Pritchett (Carver High School, Columbus, Ga.)

4-star LB Shawn Murphy (Unity Reed High School, Manassas, Va.)

4-star DL Jaheim Oatis (Columbia High School, Columbus, Miss.)

4-star ATH Isaiah Bond (Buford High School, Buford, Ga.)

4-star WR Aaron Anderson (Edna Karr High School, New Orleans, La.)

4-star RB Jamarion Miller (Tyler Legacy High School, Tyler, Texas)

4-star TE Jaleel Skinner (IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.)

A complete list of Alabama's 2022 class can be found at 247Sports.

Domani Jackson, a 5-star cornerback out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., is considering only two schools heading into his signing ceremony on Friday: USC and Alabama. But he has a bit more history with the Trojans during his recruitment process.

On Jan. 23, Jackson committed to USC when Clay Helton was still the head coach. After Helton got fired during a tough 2021 season for the Trojans, Jackson decommitted on Nov. 14. And that gave Alabama an opportunity to reenter the picture and try to sway him.

USC has since hired Lincoln Riley as its head coach, though, which has given it a boost on the recruiting trail. Now, the 247Sports Crystal Ball has the Trojans as the heavy favorite to land Jackson, meaning he may end up staying in Southern California after all.

While Alabama likely made a strong push, it won't be enough to convince Jackson, the No. 7 overall recruit in the 2022 class (per the 247Sports composite rankings) to commit. Instead, he'll stay close to home and play for Riley at USC.

Alabama won't come out of the early signing period with at least one new 5-star commit. The most likely top recruit who could choose the Crimson Tide this week is Marvin Jones Jr., a defensive end out of American Heritage School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The 247Sports Crystal Ball gives the edge to Georgia to land Jones, but Alabama remains in the running. And it's a possibility that the Tide could surge ahead and land a commitment from him during his signing ceremony on Wednesday. Florida State is among the other schools also still in the mix.

Alabama already has one 5-star edge-rusher in its 2022 class, as Jeremiah Alexander has been committed to the Tide since July 8. He's likely to honor that commitment by signing with the program on Wednesday.

Then, if Alabama can land Jones as well, its pass rush could have two dominant players joining the fold in the near future. The prediction here is that will happen, as the Crimson Tide will have made a late push to land him.

While Alabama may not bring in a large number of 5-star recruits who aren't already committed, it should bolster its class with some talented 4-star players. And there are quite a few who have yet to pick a school who could be joining the Crimson Tide during the early signing period.

The 247Sports Crystal Ball has Alabama as the favorite to land Louisiana wide receiver Shazz Preston, Alabama defensive lineman Khurtiss Perry and Florida edge-rusher Jihaad Campbell, each of whom ranks among the top 100 recruits in the class, per the 247Sports composite rankings.

It's possible these players could still choose other schools, but it seems they're all leaning heavily toward joining the Crimson Tide. Each of them is scheduled to sign during the early period, too, so we'll know their decisions soon enough.

Most (if not all) should pick Alabama, and some other 4-star recruits could do the same. So the Crimson Tide should land enough commits to remain in at least the top three of the class rankings by the time the 2022 cycle is over.