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Predicting the Commitments: Top-four available 2023 Alabama recruits

Carver High School 2023 DT James Smith
Carver High School 2023 DT James Smith (Rivals.com)

College football games are won on the backs of the talent accumulated along the recruiting trail. As much fun as it is to find out where a top prospect is committing, sometimes it is just as fun trying to predict the decision. National recruiting analysts Ryan Wright and Sean Williams predict where the top-four uncommitted state of Alabama 2023 prospects may play their college ball.

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THE PREDICTIONS

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Wright’s take: Breaking it down to the play on the field snap after snap, James Smith is a force of nature. The defensive tackle out of Carver High School is one of the most highly sought-after prospects in the 2023 class listing six favorites. Of his top schools, official visits have been taken to Georgia and Auburn with Florida hosting him on Oct. 14. Multiple unofficial visits have been made to Auburn giving the Tigers a bump in the prediction.

For months Georgia has felt good about their standing with Smith, but the weekend visit to Florida can change everything. The chatter is Smith is an Alabama lean. Smith’s final decision still seems uncertain, but the pick is the Crimson Tide.

Prediction: Alabama

Williams’s take: The No. 54 prospect in the 2023 class currently has a top-six that includes Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Ohio State, and Alabama State. Auburn, Alabama, and Alabama State have received recent visits this fall and an official visit to Florida is on deck this weekend. This seems like it's trending towards your classic Georgia-Alabama battle for Smith and in the end, I think he'll stay in-state.

Prediction: Alabama

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Wright’s take: The packaged deal of Carver teammates Jaquavious Russaw and James Carter continues. Adding to the take on Smith, the odd part of the recruiting process for both, the duo has yet to take an official to Tuscaloosa. Word is one is ready to commit waiting on the other to come around.

Prediction: Alabama

Williams’s take: The No. 64 player in the class makes up the other half of Carver's dynamic defensive line duo along with Smith. The same top schools and same visits apply to Russaw as they do to Smith, as both are seen as a legit package deal. The Florida Gators will get a chance to host both again this weekend for officials, but in the end where you pick one to go, you must pick the other.

Prediction: Alabama

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Wright’s take: Karmello English broke the two-month connection with Auburn on Sept. 14, three days before the Tigers took the field against Penn State. At the time, the wins and losses were not a factor for English but perhaps the uncertainty of Auburn’s coaching staff in the future was a heavy influencer. Michigan, Penn State, and Kentucky are going after English with the Wolverines reportedly making a very strong push.

English took official visits to Michigan and Kentucky in June helping the cause for either program to land him. Both Michigan and Kentucky have stability at the top with winning programs that are willing to throw the ball. This one is a tough call…

Prediction: Michigan

Williams’s take: After a two-month pledge to Auburn, the talented four-star put himself back on the open market on Sept. 14. Along with Auburn, the four-star also took summer officials to Kentucky and Michigan. Things have remained relatively quiet since his decommitment from the Tigers, so I'll go out on a limb and say the SEC wins out.

Prediction: Kentucky

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Wright’s take: Another pairing of teammates on the board, except Karmello English and Tomarrion Parker are not on a path to be a packaged deal like Smith and Russaw. Parker had a big junior campaign tallying 75 tackles with 23 tackles for a loss. Parker is having another standout season against 7A offenses controlling the line with 38 stops and 11.5 tackles for a loss in six games.

His break with Penn State in August has Clemson, Florida, and Tennessee pushing hard for his commitment. Florida makes their official pitch on Oct. 14, Clemson gets him on campus for an official on Oct. 21 with Tennessee getting their shot on Dec. 2. Parker has openly stated he loves Clemson, and his dad is a big Tigers’ fan.

Prediction: Clemson

Williams’s take: Since decommitting from Penn State back on Aug. 9, the No. 178 player in the 2023 class is a hot commodity on the recruiting market. Parker visited Clemson for a game earlier this season and admitted the Tigers were his "frontrunner" and he's got an official scheduled with the Tigers in a couple of weeks when they host Syracuse.

Tennessee is another program making a strong push as Parker has an official pegged with the Vols in December. However, I don't think Parker leaves Death Valley without committing to Dabo Swinney and the Tigers.

Prediction: Clemson

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