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Three-Point Stance: Alabama, East Coast QBs, North Carolina OL recruiting

Air Noland
Air Noland (Rivals.com)

Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman has thoughts on the state of Alabama’s 2024 recruiting class, two East Coast quarterbacks and North Carolina’s offensive line recruiting.

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1. It's just a matter of time with Alabama.

Nick Saban
Nick Saban (© Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports)

Let’s be real here. Alabama has had a top-five recruiting class every year since 2018 when the Crimson Tide finished No. 7 in the team rankings. So it’s not really if but when will Alabama, currently No. 13, surge up the rankings into the top five. Every year recruits flock to Tuscaloosa during the spring and summer to get a better look at the campus, meet the coaches and participate in camps. This is when the Crimson Tide really make their move with top prospects.

The coaches will head out on the road when the evaluation period starts on April 15 and then host a series of summer camps in June. They’ll also begin hosting official visitors in June. Five of the prospects that eventually signed with Alabama last year committed in late June and a total of 17 future signees committed between the beginning of June and the end of August. Look for a similar trend this year as the Alabama coaches continue to evaluate prospects and prioritize their targets.

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2. Two East Coast QBs nearing a decision.

Up first is Air Noland, who is scheduled to announce his commitment this weekend. Ohio State is the favorite but Miami and Texas A&M are pushing for him. Oregon, Alabama, Arkansas and Clemson are also in the picture but this appears to be trending toward the Buckeyes.

A recent visit to Columbus and the subsequent scholarship offer proved to be a huge boost to Ohio State's momentum in Noland's recruitment. The time he spent with the coaching staff and other recruits made the possibility of a commitment much more real. Last minute movement on the NIL front could shake things up but for now it looks like Ohio State could be the team to beat.

Michael van Buren doesn't have a commitment date set just yet but his recruitment is coming into focus. The Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy signal caller was back at Penn State on Thursday and the Nittany Lions have significant momentum with him. They're battling Oregon, Maryland and Oklahoma but it seems like James Franklin's squad is the clear leader at this point.

Van Buren has been thinking about committing in July and wants to take official visits before committing so it would be a little surprising if he pulled the trigger in the very near future. That being said, Penn State is the favorite and I've put in my FutureCast prediction.

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3. Tar Heels not waiting around for offensive linemen.

Aidan Banfield
Aidan Banfield (Rivals.com)

There isn't a program in the nation that has more offensive line commitments than North Carolina. With five commitments on the offensive front in the fold, it’s clear what the top priority for the Tar Heels is in this recruiting class.

Jani Norwood, Aidan Banfield and Luke Masterson have all committed to North Carolina in the last week while Andrew Rosinski and Desmond Jackson have been part of this recruiting class since January. All five of those recruits are rated as three-star prospects.

With in-state offensive linemen such as four-stars Ethan Calloway and Kai Greer in addition to the heavily recruited Eagan Boyer still uncommitted, it's very interesting to see North Carolina filling up with mostly out-of-state three-star offensive linemen this year. It's unlikely the Tar Heels would turn down a commitment from any of those three but for Mack Brown and his staff to jump at these other recruits so quickly says something about how they view the recruitments of Calloway, Greer and Boyer.

Is North Carolina fine with the top three in-state offensive linemen going elsewhere? Of course not but the odds are somewhat stacked against the Tar Heels. Calloway was on campus very recently and Greer and Boyer have extensive ties to the program but North Carolina needing to "pick its spots" with in-state offensive line recruiting isn't a good sign.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH UNC FANS AT TARHEELILLUSTRATED.COM

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