Four-Star OL Wilkin Formby on Alabama: 'I Would Totally Fit in There'

The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native got a closer look at the Crimson Tide during his official visit over the weekend.

Tony Tsoukalas | Jun 14, 2022

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Wilkin Formby is no stranger to Alabama’s campus. The four-star offensive tackle is a Tuscaloosa native and has already familiarized himself with the Capstone on several occasions. Although that didn’t stop him from using one of his five official visits in order to get a closer look at the Crimson Tide over the weekend.

“I got to see a more in-depth version of Alabama,” Formby said. “It was longer, a couple of days in a row, so I enjoyed that part of it.”

Formby is rated as the No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 83 overall player in the 2023 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. The 6-foot-7, 295-pound lineman is one of Alabama’s biggest targets in the trenches as Crimson Tide coaches covet his massive frame as well as his quickness and athleticism off the line of scrimmage.

“They say they want tackles,” Formby said. “As most people know, the tackle position is very slim there. They want length, but they want guys who are athletic and physical and are very serious about the game. I would totally fit in there for sure.”

Formby said his biggest draw to Alabama is its ability to develop offensive linemen. The Crimson Tide has produced nine first-round picks on the offensive line during the Nick Saban era, including one in each of the past four years.

Another factor working in Alabama’s favor is Formby’s relationship with first-year offensive line coach Eric Wolford, who began recruiting him at Kentucky before joining the Crimson Tide’s staff in January.

“I’ve known Coach Wolf for longer than a year now, and I have a really good relationship with him," Formby said. "He’s a really cool coach. He’s a great coach, very intense which is what you want. He has a great personality on and off the field.”

While Formby grew up rooting for the Crimson Tide, he’s shelved his fandom since schools began recruiting him over the past few years. Alabama was the lineman’s third official visit following stops at Ole Miss and Oklahoma. He’ll travel down to LSU next weekend before rounding things out with a trip to Tennessee in a couple of weeks.

Formby has been labeled by some as an Ole Miss lean. While he admits he has a good relationship with the Rebels’ staff, the lineman refutes those claims, stating that the teams in his top five are all even at the moment.

“I would definitely not say that anyone is leading the race right now,” Formby said. “I just want to take my visits and pay attention strongly to every visit and take note to what I like and what I didn’t like.”

After wrapping up his official visits at the end of the month, Formby is looking to sit down and evaluate his options before making his college decision sometime in the middle of July.

“For me, my biggest dream is to play in the NFL,” Formby said. “I want to go to a place where I can develop the best and is big on development. Something that is really important is being comfortable somewhere because that’s how you develop the best. I want to go somewhere where I feel the most comfortable and where I have great relationships.”

Gallery: Wilkin Formby

Published Jun 14, 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.