Recruiting Corner: Multiple 2022 Linebackers Still in Play for Alabama

A look at key linebacker targets of the Crimson Tide for the 2022 class, including both uncommitted prospects and 'flip' candidates

Alabama football put the finishing touches on an impressive month of July in recruiting when the Crimson Tide hosted many top prospects for its Champions Cookout last weekend, an invite-only event that allows more in-person interaction than most instances of the recruiting process.

Most of the visitors last weekend are current pledges of Alabama's 2022 class, but others in attendance are top targets the Crimson Tide is still pursuing heavily. 

Some of the top prospects at linebacker that are still in play for coach Nick Saban and Alabama weren't in Tuscaloosa last weekend, but there's plenty of reasons to believe they, too, could be in for tough decisions come time to pick a destination.

Here's a look at three linebackers for which the Crimson Tide is still a contender:

Enai White

"White put together such impressive sophomore film, we couldn’t leave him out of this list. He is one of the most sought after edge defenders in this class for a reason despite being raw. He’s high on virtually everybody’s board as a fast twitch sack machine. White is lanky but doesn’t play like it at all. He glides across the turf. Little junior film to evaluate, but we are confident in what we saw to confirm he is still presently one of the best edge defenders in the class of 2022. Extremely talented young athlete who may still be too low on the list." - SI All-American

White, ranked No. 18 on SIAA's list of edge rushers, recently listed Alabama as a finalist along with Georgia, Ohio State, and Texas A&M. The Philadelphia native hasn't announced a decision date.

Marvin Jones Jr.

Jones is another top target Crimson Tide fans should keep an eye on. He's of American Heritage in Plantation, Florida, the same high school that produced former Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain Jr. 

Jones is a teammate of Earl Little, another top Alabama target and cornerback prospect at American Heritage who was in town last weekend.

SIAA lists Jones as its 8th overall prospect in its SI99, a comprehensive ranking of the top 99 high school prospects of the 2022 class. The 6-foot-5, 245 pound linebacker is expected to visit Alabama this November, but beyond that, his recruitment has been relatively quiet.

Like many other top prospects, Jones was officially offered a scholarship to Alabama on August 1, the first day colleges can do so.

Blessings! pic.twitter.com/wYxTKRxwJi

— Marvin Jones Jr. (@marvinjonesjrr) August 1, 2021

Kenyatta Jackson

Jackson is a 6-foot-5, 230 pound prospect out of Hollywood, Florida and Chaminade-Madonna High. Ranked 83rd on the SI99, Jackson visited Alabama in early June and, judging from his Twitter account, left Tuscaloosa impressed with what he'd seen of the Crimson Tide program.

He has yet to release a list of finalists, though Florida State, Oklahoma, Miami, Ohio State, and Clemson are among other programs involved in his recruitment.

Shemar James

A Florida commit and the second-ranked linebacker of SIAA, James is still on the radar of Alabama. The Navarre, Florida native is listed at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, and coaches of the Crimson Tide have kept in contact with the Gators pledge.

The Crimson Tide was thought to be the other finalist when James committed to Florida in the summer. Here's what SIAA had to say about the linebacker:

"James is one of the best football players in the country. That’s not meant to be generally or in regards to his national ranking. What it means is that James is an elite football player, the kind of rare athlete that could thrive on both sides of the ball and at multiple positions. Where his upside is highest is at linebacker, where he has the tools to be an elite defender at the next level. James is an explosive athlete that can drive downhill just as well as he can open up and run sideline-to-sideline. James shows the box power to dominate the run, the speed to attack the perimeter run and outside screen game and his man coverage skills look more like a safety than a linebacker." - SIAA