Alabama had only three engagements in the 2021 class through April. However, that changed in May, and Crimson Tide has hit the summer.
Alabama coaches have added eight ESPN 300 recruits in the past three months, and the last ESPN 300 linebacker Kendrick Blackshire on Tuesday.
Blackshire, No. 4 in the ESPN positional ranking in 2021 as inside linebacker, gives the staff 10 total ESPN 300 commitments and is part of a major push by Tide staff to move up the class ranking.
Like Prospect No. 178 overall, Blackshire is a 6-foot-1, 250-pound linebacker from Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas. He chose the Crimson Tide over Baylor, Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.
Before Blackshire’s engagement, Alabama had a No. 13 overall rating. The program has been constantly going up with every commitment. In the initial classification of the class in May, the team ranked outside the top 25, and did not move to the top 25 until May 22, as the No. 23 class overall.
Since May 22, Crimson Tide has moved from 23 to 18 to 13, with the potential to continue increasing.
A big part of his promotion was the landing of five-star offensive tackle JC Latham, a 6-foot, 6-pound, 310-pound lineman from the IMG Academy, on June 12, and five-star defensive end Dallas Turner of St Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on July 1.
With Blackshire, Alabama has three ESPN 300 linebackers engaged, with Deontae Lawson and Ian Jackson, Turner on the defensive end and two ESPN 300 safeguards at Kaine Williams and Kadarius Calloway, while the defense is reloading.
Staff have also addressed a wide receiver need, landing ESPN 300 receivers Jacorey Brooks, Agiye Hall and Christian Leary, all ranked in the top 75 of ESPN 300.
With just 12 commitments in the class, Alabama has plenty of room to continue adding top-tier prospects and moving up the ranking.
.
