Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 16 days

We are now just 16 days away from the start of Alabama’s 2023 football season!

The Alabama Crimson Tide will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 16 days, as Middle Tennessee State visits Bryant Denny Stadium on Sept. 2.

Here at Roll Tide Wire, we will be counting down the days until Nick Saban and his team take the field.

With 16 days remaining, we will take a look at Alabama’s current placekicker, [autotag]Will Reichard[/autotag].

Reichard has been one of coach Saban’s most consistent kickers during his time in Tuscaloosa and will likely be one of the top kickers in all of college football this season.

During his Alabama career, Reichard has connected on 240 of his 242 extra-point attempts while also hitting 62 of his 75 field goal attempts.

Freshman wide receiver Jaren Hamilton also wears No. 16 for the Crimson Tide!

Will Reichard’s Photo Gallery

Post-spring depth chart projections for Alabama’s wide receivers

Projecting Alabama’s wide receiver depth chart post-spring!

Now that spring football has officially wrapped up and the 2023 NFL draft is complete, it is time to shift our focus to the offseason.

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have a ton of questions marks exiting spring and fans are chomping at the bit for answers.

So as we dive into the dog days of summer, I thought we could take a look, position by position, and project the possible depth chart for the 2023 Alabama football team post-spring.

Together we have already taken a look at the quarterbacks and running backs and today we will continue our dive into the offensive skill positions and glance at the wide receivers.

Let’s roll!

2023 4-star WR Jaren Hamilton officially signs with Alabama

2023 four-star wide receiver Jaren Hamilton made things official as he signed his National Letter of Intent to Alabama on Wednesday morning.

Four-star wide receiver Jaren Hamilton of the 2023 class signed his National Letter of Intent to Alabama on Wednesday morning. He had been committed since November.

Hamilton is ranked as the No. 285 overall recruit in the country, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. He is listed as 6-foot-1, 188 pounds. This is one of the more intriguing signees for the Tide considering Hamilton received his offer during a summer camp.

He joins a loaded wide receiver class that also consists of four-star recruits Malik Benson, Cole Adams, and Jalen Hale. Hamilton is also one of the fastest wide receivers in the country, so he could see immediate playing time in Tuscaloosa.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover Alabama football and the early signing period as more commits sign their national letters of intent.

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Friday Night Notes: Alabama adds 2 more blue chips, Georgia flips a 4-star WR and more

The latest football recruiting news from around the country.

USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.

The rich tend to get richer. That’s the case in the broader economy and in the world of recruiting, where Alabama is crushing the competition. Already leading this year’s recruiting race, this week they added two more four-star prospects, one from this cycle and one for the next.

On Thursday, MCHS (Ala.) four-star Edge Sterling Dixon (class of 2024) announced his commitment to Alabama in a creative way. He shared a video on Twitter recreating an iconic scene from Friday with his friends.

Dixon (6-foot-3, 211 pounds) was an extremely popular recruit, earning offers from 30 different schools, including several SEC rivals. He’s ranked No. 16 at his position and No. 13 in the state.

Earlier this week, Nick Saban and company also got the commitment of four-star wide receiver Jaren Hamilton. Ranked No. 31 at his position and No. 50 overall in the state of Florida, Hamilton (6-foot-1, 188 pounds) adds another potential pro receiver to what has become an NFL factory in recent years.

Alabama still ranks first in the 2023 race, and thanks to Dixon, they’re No. 4 in the 2024 recruiting cycle, trailing only LSU, Notre Dame and Georgia.

Alabama gets commitment from 4-star WR Jaren Hamilton

Jaren Hamilton, four-star WR from Florida commits to Alabama.

Alabama has become a factory for high-end NFL wide receivers in recent years, including Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Jerry Jeudy, Amari Cooper and Jameson Williams.

The Crimson Tide just picked up a commitment from another rising star at this spot: F.W. Bucholz (Fla.) wide receiver Jaren Hamilton. He announced his decision on social media on Monday evening.

Hamilton (6-foot-1, 188 pounds) is ranked No. 31 among 2023 wide receivers and No. 50 overall in Florida.

Asked about his decision, Hamilton told Bama Insider that Alabama feels like home.

“Really, just my relationship that I built with the coaches… Just talking with them, it all feels like family. It all feels like home there. It’s like a real family vibe out there. When I was there, you could see with the recruits that everybody knew each other. Everybody dapped each other up. It’s a real good feel out there.”

Hamilton had offers from 17 other schools, including Michigan, Ole Miss, Tennessee and USC.

That makes 24 commits total for Alabama, still at No. 1 in the 2023 recruiting cycle rankings. They are now 18 points ahead of second-ranked Georgia.

More recruiting stories

Michigan and Utah pick up four-star OTs

Where each five-star recruit in 2023 signed

Alabama lands talented, 4-star WR Jaren Hamilton

Alabama had been the favorite to land 2023 wide receiver Jaren Hamilton for quite a while. He announced his commitment to the Tide on Monday evening.

2023 wide receiver Jaren Hamilton announced his commitment to Alabama on Monday. He is the fourth wide receiver to commit to the Tide as a part of the 2023 recruiting class.

Hamilton had been high on Alabama ever since receiving an offer from the coaching staff in September. He ultimately chose the Tide over other programs like Michigan and Tennessee.

The product of Gainesville, Florida has top-end speed as he ran a 10.91 in the 100-meters. He is known for his speed and athleticism. As a junior, Hamilton thrived on the field. He hauled in 30 receptions for 671 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

This is a huge commitment for the Tide’s recruiting class. He may not be the last wide receiver to join the class as wide receiver Karmello English recently listed Alabama as one of his top schools.

Roll Tide Wire breaks down Jaren Hamilton’s recruiting profile.

2023 WR Jaren Hamilton releases top schools, Alabama in the mix

Alabama listed as one of the top schools for 2023 wide receiver Jaren Hamilton. He received an offer from the Tide after a good camp performance in June.

Jaren Hamilton, a three-star wide receiver from the 2023 class, recently released his top-seven schools and Alabama made the cut. Surprisingly, Hamilton, a native of Gainesville, did not include Florida.

Hamilton played last season at P.K. Yonge High School, but he recently decided to transfer to Bucholz High School for his senior year. Last year, he hauled in 30 receptions for 671 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Alabama began showing interest after Hamilton attended a camp in mid-June. Since then, wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins has been after the Florida prospect.

Ideally, Alabama would want to sign three or four wide receivers in the class and has already received commitments from Cole Adams and Malik Benson at the position. When speaking with Gainesville Sun high school reporter Ainslee Lee about his recruitment, here is what Hamilton had to say:

“It’s really going to boil down to how comfortable I am with whatever school it is,” Hamilton said. “It’s just a feeling I get.”

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Clemson piques interest of speedy Sunshine State WR

Jaren Hamilton has seen his recruitment take off this year, and his recruiting stock continued to rise last month when Alabama and Southern Cal joined his list of close to 20 total offers. The recruiting process is going swell for the speedy, …

Jaren Hamilton has seen his recruitment take off this year, and his recruiting stock continued to rise last month when Alabama and Southern Cal joined his list of close to 20 total offers.

The recruiting process is going swell for the speedy, fast-rising wide receiver prospect from Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Fla., who has also picked up offers from schools such as Michigan, Michigan State, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi State and West Virginia since the calendar turned to 2022.

“It’s been real good,” said Hamilton, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound rising senior in the 2023 class, of the recruiting process. “I’ve been getting a lot of recognition from top schools around the country, like Alabama, Florida, USC and other schools, just to name a few. But it’s been real good, though. I’ve just been taking it all in and enjoying the whole process.”

Although Hamilton hasn’t been in contact with Clemson to this point, he is on the Tigers’ radar and they’re keeping tabs on him.

Clemson could potentially be a suitor for Hamilton later in the process, and Dabo Swinney’s program certainly piques his interest.

“Oh yeah, definitely,” he said. “Clemson’s a good school. Just seeing their program under Coach Dabo Swinney is real good. I’d love to see what they’re all about, though.”

Added Hamilton of what particularly appeals to him about the Tigers: “Just watching them, ever since when they had their little championship run, they just look like an explosive, fun team. And I know that with teams, they try to recreate or bring back in that same type of energy. I know that if I was to be a part of that, it would be something special.”

Should Clemson show interest in Hamilton going forward, he said it’s “definitely” a school he would make it out to visit. So far this summer, he’s only made a couple of unofficial visits to Alabama and Florida but has already set visits to Bama and Tennessee for the upcoming season.

Hamilton named Michigan, Michigan State, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi State and Southern Cal as schools standing out to him right now among those on his current offer list. He’s looking to start narrowing things down a little bit toward the end of this month.

“I’m going to say late July, I’m going to start to narrow things down as in like a top 10 or top seven or something like that,” he said.

As a junior last season, Hamilton hauled in 30 receptions for 671 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 games.

“I’m a real speedy receiver,” he said, describing his game. “I go get the balls that people don’t want to get – like the deep throws, the ones that you’ve got to jump up, highpoint. I do all that stuff, dive and catch it. I’m just a real gritty receiver. If the ball’s in my area, you’ve got to go get it. And my speed, you don’t come by that often. Just how I run and how I’m able to stay balanced while running that fast, stuff like that, I know coaches really like. And I’m a real hard worker, too. If there’s something I know I’ve got to get done, then I’m going to do everything in my power to get it done.”

–Photo courtesy of Jaren Hamilton on Twitter (@laturboo2)

Dear Old Clemson’s first event is July 24.  Now there is a new way to support Clemson student athletes.  Come out and meet the freshmen football players at this meet and greet autograph session.  If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events.  Purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

Florida football staff hits the road to evaluate recruiting targets

UF’s coaching staff is back on the road evaluating prospects as spring football kicks off in Florida.

Spring football has begun in the state of Florida and that means various Gators coaches are back on the road to see some of the top recruits on UF’s board in action.

[autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has done well to get several of the state’s top prospects on campus over the spring, and now he gets another chance to have his people evaluate those players. Napier has stressed the importance of his evaluation process from day one as the Gators’ head coach. Diagnosing the problem and finding the right tools to fix it is what he does best and it’s through a meticulous process.

Spring practices gave Napier and Co. a chance to see exactly what they had to work with, and it’s no secret that Florida lacks depth in various spots on the depth chart. Some of that will be addressed in the transfer portal but the long-term issues will need strong and focused recruiting to repair.

Here’s where some of the Florida football coaches are this Monday, according to 247Sports.