Alabama football recruiting thoughts: Will Nick Saban close another No. 1 class?

Monday was a prime example of just how hectic roster management can be this time of year. Hundreds of players have gone into the NCAA transfer portal. Counting the two players who went in during the season, Alabama currently has 12 players in the portal. There are surely more to come, so buckle up.

That’s why this month is so important for Nick Saban and his program as he puts a bow on a 2023 recruiting class ranked No. 1 in the 247Sports Composite with two weeks left until the early signing period. That includes not only raking in more talent, but also locking down verbal commitments and steering them into becoming signees

• There have been lots of rumors about the status of current verbal commitments Caleb Downs (safety), Justice Haynes (running back) and Tony Mitchell (safety). As of this moment, all three remain in the fold.

Mitchell’s Thompson High School team just won its fourth consecutive Alabama state championship. He’s been committed since June, but he’s scheduled to take an official visit to Texas A&M on Dec. 16 just a few days before the early signing period opens. That has Alabama fans on edge a little bit.

Downs is the No. 6 player in the country, the No. 1 safety and No. 1 player in the state of Georgia. I’ve been told that he’s the top player on Alabama’s board in terms of overall talent.

His visits to Athens, Ga., and to Columbus, Ohio, stirred some rumors that he was about to flip, especially when he unofficially visited Georgia in November. He remains a top flip target for both schools, but as of now that talk has quieted.

Haynes, a Georgia legacy, was rumored to be taking an Ohio State visit when Downs went up in November, but instead he went to Alabama. The pair are close and Haynes went to Downs’ semifinal playoff game.

How’s this for a head to head recruiting battle?

2023’s No. 1 running back and Alabama commit Justice Haynes (right) with Georgia RB coach Dell McGee (left) and Alabama RB coach Robert Gillespie (middle). pic.twitter.com/mufyBrJXMu

— Jed May (@JedMay_) December 3, 2022

That’s him standing next to Alabama running backs coach Robert Gillespie and Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee.

Losing any of the three would be a gut punch, but when you recruit at this level, there’s bound to be some drama the closer signing day gets. Keeping two of the three would be a win, but the goal is to keep all three.

• Another big target considering Alabama and Ohio State is edge defender Keon Keeley from Tampa, Fla. He’s the No. 10 overall prospect and the No. 1 player at his position. He’s long been coveted by Alabama, even when he was committed to Notre Dame.

When he decommitted from the Irish in August, it was assumed it was only a matter of time before he announced for the Crimson Tide. But that hasn’t happened yet, and the longer it goes on, the more questions that creep in.

It can’t hurt Alabama’s case that it’s produced the most dominant edge rusher in the country the past two years with Will Anderson Jr. going back to back in taking home the Nagurski Trophy. With Anderson most likely off to the NFL, Alabama can sell Keeley on coming in and doing the same thing.

He officially visited Ohio State in September and took an unofficial visit there three weeks later. He took his official visit to Tuscaloosa in October and was back for an unofficial for the Iron Bowl.

• Adding some depth to the defensive line is a key area to close out the class. A few names Alabama is targeting include Reuben Bain, Jordan Hall and James Smith. If you had to pick one it would be Smith, the five-star prospect from Montgomery who’s taking the process down to the wire.

The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder has long been thought to be a package with edge defender Qua Russaw, his fellow five-star teammate at Carver High School. Both are expected to take an official visit to Alabama this weekend.

But Auburn is one to watch here. The pair has been on Auburn’s campus a lot in the past year, and now with some energy around new coach Hugh Freeze, the Tigers have better than a fighting chance — much more than they did when Bryan Harsin was the coach. Alabama has been recruiting these guys a long time, so it will be a test of how good the relationship is.

Bain, a four-star prospect from Miami, took his official to Alabama back in the summer, but he was on campus for the Iron Bowl. He might be a tough pull from the Hurricanes.

Hall, a four-star prospect from Jacksonville, is scheduled to take an official to Georgia this weekend fresh off a visit to Florida. He officially visited Alabama in October.

Alabama has commitments from four-star defensive linemen Jordan Renaud, Hunter Osborne, Edric Hill and Yhonzae Pierre (edge).

• You can’t talk about recruiting without mentioning the quarterbacks, and Alabama has a pair committed for this class. Eli Holstein is ranked No. 71 (No. 8 QB) in the 247Sports Composite and Dylan Lonergan is No. 113 (No. 10 QB)

Bryce Young is almost assuredly going to the NFL, leaving Alabama with two scholarship quarterbacks in Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s possible that the coaching staff will keep an eye on the transfer portal too. If that happens, it’s worth considering what will happen to the quarterback room.

You can look around the country and see just how transient the position is. Heck, JT Daniels is looking for yet another program. He’s already been at USC, Georgia and West Virginia and he’s looking for another team. If a transfer quarterback were to become available and Alabama were to get involved in that pursuit, what would that do to the status of Milroe and Simpson? That’s why it’s important to attempt to keep both Holstein and Lonergan committed and signed. It’s become more difficult than ever to keep a quality depth chart at quarterback.

• It’s remarkable that Saban, at age 71, is just a couple of weeks away from possibly signing another No. 1 recruiting class. As we’ve seen this week, though, getting a signature is just the first part of a player’s recruiting process now. It’s essentially a recruiting job year by year now with a player having the ability to transfer at any time. But Saban is still connecting to recruits and can sell an outstanding history of development that leads to the professional ranks.

Kirby Smart and Georgia are right on Alabama’s heels with the No. 2 class. Smart is an excellent recruiter, and he also has the No. 1 team in the country going for a second consecutive national championship. There’s been some talk that Georgia has surpassed Alabama as the top program in the country. It’s hard to argue right now with the success the Bulldogs have had in the past two seasons, which included two unbeaten regular seasons, a conference title and a national title. But Alabama has longevity on Georgia, and as Saban is proving yet again on the recruiting trail, he’s not ready to give up the mantle just yet.

(Photo of Nick Saban: Marvin Gentry / USA Today)