Elite OL Target Olaus Alinen Enjoys Third Visit to Alabama

The Finland native met with Nick Saban and Eric Wolford during his time in Tuscaloosa this weekend.

Tony Tsoukalas | Mar 27, 2022

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama is roughly 5,000 miles away from Olaus Alinen’s original hometown of Pori, Finland, and there’s quite a cultural difference between Northern Europe and the Deep South. However, the class of 2023 offensive lineman is beginning to feel familiar with the Crimson Tide’s campus.

Alinen visited Alabama for the third time this weekend, meeting with Nick Saban, Eric Wolford and Crimson Tide players while also taking in a practice on Friday and Saturday.

“I’m starting to recognize places there, and going around places feels easier,” Alinen told BamaCentral. “The football building feels familiar now. It’s a very different feeling to visit someplace for the first time than it is a third time for sure. It was a great trip.”

Alinen’s latest trip to Tuscaloosa marked his first time meeting Wolford face-to-face as the first-year assistant took over as Alabama’s offensive line coach last month. Wolford is currently serving as Alinen’s primary recruiter and has built a nice relationship with the four-star prospect.

“We get along well,” Alinen said. “He’s a coach who really enjoys coaching, I will say. He has goals in coaching and takes a lot of pride in developing his guys. I’m obviously looking into getting developed, so that was good.”

Alinen is rated as the No. 127 overall player and No. 14 offensive tackle in the 2023 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. The Finnish product is currently playing at The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn.

Over the weekend, Wolford spoke with Alinen about how he would fit into his unit at Alabama, praising the 6-foot-6, 315-pound lineman for the blend of size and athleticism he brings to the tackle position.

“He thinks I’ve got a good package of tools,” Alinen said. “Obviously, there’s still a lot of things to work on, but he thinks because of my background in boarding school and coming here without my parents and taking that responsibility that the transition for me to college is going to be a bit lighter than it is for some other players. He thinks that I could be ready to play pretty quickly.”

Alinen also met with Saban for the third time as the head coach reiterated that he is one of Alabama’s top targets in the current cycle.

“He clearly emphasized that there is a need at O-line and that I could help a lot,” Alinen said. “He said I would fit the program with the character that I have.”

Along with speaking to coaches, Alinen was also able to bond with Seth McLaughlin as well as James and Tommy Brockermeyer. The current Alabama offensive linemen took him out for pizza on The Strip while providing an insight on what life is like as a member of the Crimson Tide.

“We were able to break it down really well,” Alinen said. “Obviously, football is a priority at Alabama, but they made it clear that playing football there is great and you’re going to be developed and you're going to be with the best and you’re going to be with like-minded people. It was really good to talk with them about how life is there, what their recruiting process was like and what were the deciding factors for them to come to Alabama.”

Alinen has offers from 45 schools including nearly every top program in the nation. He lists Alabama as one of his leaders along with Georgia, Miami and Ohio State.

“They have a standard for success, and they obviously want to hold on to that standard,” Alinen said of the Crimson Tide. “They are really proven. They’ve got the most success over the past years in college football in winning games and putting guys in the league. They also have really good academic success and culture in that way as well. I think the way that they do things, it’s proven that it works.”

Alinen plans to return to Tuscaloosa on June 10 for an official visit. He’ll make the trip along with his family, who will fly in from Finland for a tour of schools across the month of June.

Alinen and his parents have official visits planned for Miami on the first weekend in June, as well as Georgia on the third weekend of the month and Ohio State on the final weekend of the month.

Gallery: Olaus Alinen

Olaus Alinen and Nick Saban — Olaus Alinen's Twitter account, @alinen_olaus

Published Mar 27, 2022

TONY TSOUKALAS

Tony Tsoukalas has been covering Alabama since 2016, working for the Anniston Star and Rivals before joining BamaCentral. A native of The Woodlands, Texas, Tsoukalas attended the University of Alabama from 2008-12. He served as the sports editor of the student paper, The Crimson White, during his senior year. Before covering Alabama, Tsoukalas covered high school sports at The Meridian (Miss.) Star and the Victoria (Texas) Advocate. He also served as a copy editor for The Tuscaloosa News.