COLUMBUS, Ohio – Cincinnati La Salle cornerback Devonta Smith, who withdrew his verbal commitment to the state of Ohio last week, did as expected Monday and verbally promised Alabama.
Smith is rated the 400th player and the 30th cornerback in the class.
It is only the seventh time in the modern era of recruitment that Alabama has been engaged to Ohio. That includes 2020 tight end Caden Clark, who was the first to bring his talents to Tuscaloosa since wide receiver Derek Kief, who also attended La Salle, did so in 2014.
Ohio recruits to commit to Alabama
| Player position | School | Range (position) | Classification | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trey DePriest, Linebacker | Springfield HS | 30 (3) | 0.9846 | 2011 |
| Nautyn McKay-Loescher, defensive end | Toronto HS | 120 (7) | 0.9347 | 2000 |
| Derek Kief, wide receiver | La Salle HS | 216 (33) | 0.9149 | 2014 |
| Ryan Kelly, Center | Lakota West HS | 236 (3) | 0.9010 | 2011 |
| Devonta Smith, Cornerback | La Salle HS | 400 (30) | 0.8843 | 2021 |
| Caden Clark, tight end | Archbishop Hoban HS | 492 (20) | 0.8784 | 2020 |
| Mike Marrow, full back | Central Catholic HS | 725 (9) | 0.8604 | 2009 |
Smith’s timeline shares some similarities with five-star offensive lineman JC Latham in terms of how they ended when Alabama pledges. While Latham never committed to the Buckeyes, he spent much of his crystal ball recruitment to Columbus before things suddenly turned in favor of the Crimson Tide. In less than a week, Latham went from a possible Buckeyes block to a unanimous prediction for Alabama. In Smith’s case, he had passed a possible lock, had vowed to pass the Crimson Tide.
Alabama’s recruiting class of 2021 has nine engagements including the No. 25 class in the country and the No. 7 in the SEC.
Here’s a look at Ohio’s 2021 recruiting class as it is:
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