Ohio State has had a stranglehold on the No. 1 recruiting class for 2021 for quite some time. Alabama is officially making its presence felt though.
For a while, the Crimson Tide were uncharacteristically quiet on the recruiting trail. As of two months ago, they were 47th in the national team composite rankings, an unheard of standing for a program that has dominated recruiting under Nick Saban.
Alabama has made up ground quickly, however. The Tide entered today with the No. 6 2021 recruiting class in the country.
Following the commitment of Fort Valley (Ga.) Peach County four-star offensive lineman Terrence Ferguson this afternoon, they are now up to No. 2 in the rankings, trailing only the Buckeyes. Ohio State has 305.37 total points, compared to the Tide’s 269.24.
1000% COMMITTED!!❤️ pic.twitter.com/vxGQHpKM5s
— 6️⃣9️⃣™️ (@TjFerguson69) July 19, 2020
Currently, Ohio State has 19 total commitments, including 12 four-stars and four five-stars. Alabama, meanwhile, has 15 pledges, counting nine four-stars and three five-stars among them.
The Buckeyes are not going to relinquish their No. 1 spot easily. In fact, just this afternoon, they landed their own major commitment in the form of four-star cornerback Jordan Hancock, who flipped from Clemson.
However, Alabama is reportedly set to land five-star defensive tackle Damon Payne out of Michigan next weekend. That would put them on equal footing with OSU when it comes to five-star prospects, and 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong has a detailed breakdown on what the Crimson Tide must do to catch and overtake the Buckeyes.
It will be a fun next few months on the recruiting trail for both illustrious programs.