It came down to the wire, but Alabama won over five-star defensive tackle James Smith. The native of Montgomery, Alabama, chose the Tide over other programs such as Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Ohio State and Alabama State. Smith will team with high school teammate Qua Russaw in Tuscaloosa.
Smith is the No. 18 recruit in the country on the 247Sports’ composite. He is listed as 6 feet, 3 inches and 310 pounds. There is a strong chance Smith sees early playing time with interior defensive linemen Byron Young and DJ Dale both entering the NFL draft. It would be interesting to see him play alongside nose tackle Jaheim Oatis.
The Tide are signing three other defensive linemen in this class: Jordan Renaud, Edric Hill and Hunter Osborne. Alabama defensive line coach Freddie Roach may have missed on fellow in-state recruits Peter Woods and Kelby Collins. However, he may have gotten the one that almost every team in America wanted: James Smith.
BREAKING: Five-Star Teammates Qua Russaw and James Smith have Committed to Alabama!
Smith is ranked as the No. 8 player (No. 1 DL) and Russaw is ranked as the No. 25 (No. 1 LB) in the ‘23 Class
Alabama now has 6 Five-Stars in their ‘23 Class https://t.co/T0WCt7JoiA pic.twitter.com/9BSF0eqRNt
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 21, 2022
Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover the early signing period and which prospects will be joining the Crimson Tide.