TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama had one of the best recruiting months in the country in June with nine commitments. Two days into July, it added another top offensive prospect.
Four-star tight end Kaleb Edwards, the No. 8 tight end nationally and No. 159 player overall, according to the 247Sports Composite, announced his commitment to Alabama on Tuesday. The El Dorado Hills, Calif., product becomes just the third tight end ranked inside the top 10 to commit to Alabama since 2015, joining Amari Niblack (2022 class) and Hale Hentges (2015 class).
Who is Edwards?
The 6-foot-6, 240-pound prospect saw his recruitment boom in early 2024 after a standout junior season of 44 receptions for 828 yards (18.8 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns, earning offers from schools such as Alabama, Auburn, UCLA and Texas.
Edwards completed six official visits this summer: Alabama, Auburn, Oregon, Texas, UCLA and Washington with the Tide ultimately landing his services to start filling out the skill player portion of their 2025 class. Alabama is up to 21 total commits and is still ranked No. 2 overall nationally in the 247Sports team rankings.
What does Edwards add to Tide?
Alabama’s getting the prototypical modern tight end: a legitimate receiving threat who lines up at H-back, inline tight end and outside receiver in high school, combined with the physicality necessary to be a strong blocker at the next level. Edwards also started on defense for his Oak Ridge High School team, totaling 49 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks as a defensive lineman last season.
His dominance against offensive linemen projects well for him to be an every-down tight end for Alabama. It’s also worth noting that he’s a multi-sport athlete; he led his varsity basketball team in both points (13.0) and rebounds (9.2) this past season.
What does this mean for Tide’s class?
Edwards’ commitment could signify a shift in Alabama tight end recruiting with the Tide in play for elite prospects more often. It shouldn’t be lost that current offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan was the tight ends coach at Washington previously, and current tight ends coach Bryan Ellis was the offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern before joining Alabama.
Alabama utilized multiple tight ends more than ever in 2023, deploying two-tight-end formations on 38.5 percent of its plays. That’s a trend that should continue this season as Alabama has several playable options at tight end, led by seniors CJ Dippre and Robbie Ouzts and junior Josh Cuevas. Highlighting that position and spreading out playing time creates a pathway for elite high school prospects to see the field early and develop into strong contributors through the program.
Edwards is just the third skill player to commit to Alabama in the 2025 cycle, joining four-star prospects Anthony Rogers (RB) and Lotzeir Brooks (WR). Alabama is heavily in play for several other highly touted skill players, including running back Akylin Dear and wide receivers Caleb Cunningham, Derek Meadows and Kaliq Lockett.
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(Photo: Matthew Emmons / USA Today)
Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5612118/2024/07/02/kaleb-edwards-alabama-football-recruiting/
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Publish date : 2024-07-02 18:36:06
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