Alabama football lands elite 2024 California high school cornerback

Mater Dei's Zabien Brown chose Crimson Tide over USC, Ohio State; stars in one of nation's top high school secondaries

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports | Jul 9, 2023

Nick Saban and staff have plucked another blue chip out of southern California.

Mater Dei (California) four-star cornerback Zabien Brown committed to Alabama over USC and Ohio State. Brown chose Alabama on a Rivals live stream on Sunday surrounded by family.

The No. 4 prospect in California, nation's No. 5 ranked corner and 45th overall recruit according to 247 Sports took official visits in June to USC, Ohio State and Alabama before making his commitment.

As a junior, the 6-foot-, 180-pound corner was a part of one of the nation's top high school secondaries as Mater Dei went 12-1, won the Trinity League and finished No. 2 in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national football rankings at season's end.

Brown was credited with 32 tackles, five pass break-ups, three picks, one fumble recovery and a forced fumble on the season.

Brown joined German three-star linebacker Justin Okoronkwo, who also committed to Alabama in the class of 2024 on Sunday.

Published Jul 9, 2023

ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.