After a rocking start, the Alabama Crimson Tide is steadily climbing up the recruiting rankings for the 2021 class. As things stand, that class is 25th (No. 7 in the SEC) according to 247Sports and 29th (No. 8) according to Rivals.com.
With eight commitments, Roll Tide Wire decided to break those pledges down player-by-player for you. Next up on the list is defensive tackle Anquin Barnes out of Montgomery, Alabama.
Anquin Barnes, Defensive Tackle
Height: 6-5 / Weight: 299
High School: Robert E. Lee High School, Montgomery, Alabama
Ranking (247Sports com): 3-star / No. 487 overall / No. 32 DT / No. 17 AL
Ranking (247Sports): 3-star / N/A overall / No. 25 DT / No. 13 AL
Ranking (Rivals): 3-star / N/A overall / No. 33 DT / No. 23 AL
Ranking (ESPN): 4-star / N/A overall / No. 24 DT / No. 13 AL
Analysis: Anquin Barnes is only rated as a three-star prospect according to all the major recruiting services other than ESPN, who has him as a four-star but rated outside the ESPN top 300.
Still, the 6-foot-5, 299-pound defensive tackle out of Montgomery was a target that the Crimson Tide wanted to get, and it’s easy to see why. He’s got the size and length needed to play in multiple spots along Alabama’s 3-4 base defense, but he’s also a good mover that can work his way up and down the line of scrimmage.
With all the success that Nick Saban and company has had bringing in three-star prospects and developing them into top NFL talent (Josh Jacobs, Marcel Dareus and Terrance Cody, for example), don’t be surprised if Barnes is able to work his way into a role at some point down the line — even if it’s not necessarily early in his career.
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