After 28 early-stage signings, National Signing Day on February 1 is going to be pretty quiet for Alabama Football. The Crimson Tide has signed the best recruiting class in the country for 2023 by a wide margin, and the vast majority of that class is already enrolled and on campus.
There are still several marquee players unsigned in the 2023 cycle, and those decisions could help shape the college football landscape for years to come. Of course, most are heavily involved with SEC schools to some degree.
5-star athlete Nyckoles Harbour, the No. 19th overall player in the nation, is a total freak from Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington DC. A world-class 6ft 5in, 230lb sprinter, Harbor has the versatility to play on both sides of the ball on the gridiron.
He is considered an elite prospect as both a pass catcher and pass rusher. Harbor is expected to choose between South Carolina and Oregon on the day of the signing. Michigan and Maryland were also in the mix during his recruitment, but this is now considered a two-team race.
5-star tight end Duce Robinson is another incredible athlete. The no. 17 player in the country is also Arizona State’s top recruit and top tight end in the 2023 class. While Alabama football was involved in Robinson’s recruiting, the clear frontrunners appear to be Georgia and USC. Texas and Oregon round out his last five.
The question surrounding Duce Robinson is not only where will he sign, but when will he sign. After a recent influx of predictions in favor of Georgia, Robinson’s decision suddenly looks a lot murkier. Recruiting experts are now unsure whether he will even sign a letter of intent on National Signing Day.
4-star quarterback Jaden Rashada, the No. 82 overall and No. 7 quarterback nationally, is back on the market. Rashada requested and received release from his National Letter of Intent after signing with Florida in the early signing stages.
The Rashada drama was the result of a botched NIL deal that originally promised Rashada $13 million. He is by far the highest-ranking quarterback available and is expected to choose between TCU and Arizona State.
4-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant is the 91st player in the country and ranks as the ninth best cornerer of the 2023 cycle. Pleasant is the fourth and final member of the 247Sports Composite Top 100 not currently committed. He is a West Coast product who will choose between USC, UCLA, Oregon, Cal and Boston College.
As the recruitment cycle draws to its official end in 2023, only a handful of schools have the opportunity to improve their position in the class rankings.
Nyckoles Harbor and Duce Robinson carry most of the weight, and both appear to be choosing between an SEC school and a PAC-12 school. While it would come as a surprise, Oregon has an opportunity to make the biggest upswing in the future. The Ducks, who already have a top 10 class, have an outside chance of landing Harbor, Robinson, and Rodrick Pleasant.
Georgia has been a tight-end factory in recent years. The reigning national champions could certainly improve on their second-placed class by adding Duce Robinson, who would be the Bulldogs’ sixth 5-star player in the 2023 class. Still, Georgia would remain a few notches behind the historic class of Alabama football.
Alabama Football: A 5-Star Goal for 2024
One signing for Alabama football fans to keep in mind on Signing Day is that of 2024 cornerback Ellis Robinson IV. While still early in the cycle, this is a classic recruiting battle between Alabama and Georgia for one of the nation’s top juniors.
Robinson IV is currently the 13th best player and top cornerback in his class. At the moment he is expected to sign for Georgia but no one will know for sure until his official announcement.
Regardless of who Robinson IV verbally commits to today, this will be a long recruitment that could stretch into December.