Clemson Tigers

Alabama Football: Early Enrollees Could Help Tide This Season

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:41 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Bobby Martin/FanSided via Bama Hammer

As the Alabama football team begins preparations for the playoffs, a secret weapon isn’t that far away. A whopping 15 of Alabama’s current 2017 recruiting class is set to enroll early.

Why does having early enrollees being able to practice with the team become so important? A look back at last season can help explain.

In leading up to the national championship against Clemson last season, some early enrollee named Jalen Hurts was the talk of Title Town. Hurts, 17 years old at the time, was making plays against the Alabama football first team defense imitating Deshaun Watson. While it may not have helped contain Watson (478 total yards and four touchdowns) it certainly jumpstarted the college career of Jalen Hurts.

While it’s only a handful of practices, the experience gained from helping prepare for a championship is priceless. Early enrollees will give the scout team a boost of talent and this will certainly help the team prepare. With 15 early enrollees slated to be in Tuscaloosa, look for some of them to be names you’ll hear next season on the two deep depth chart.

Here are three key early enrollees for this season who could become impact players in 2017.

Najee Harris

Not only is Harris the number one running back in the country per the 247 Sports Composite rankings, he’s the number one player in the country. Many recruiting analysts have labeled him as the best running back they’ve seen coming out of high school since Adrian Peterson. The perfect blend of size, speed, vision, and maneuverability, look for Harris to earn some carries for Alabama football next season.

Alex Leatherwood

Leatherwood is second ranked offensive lineman prospect and the sixth rated overall player in the country. The athletic specimen has all the physical tools to come in and compete for the left tackle spot after Cam Robinson false starts to the NFL.

Jerry Jeudy

The latest wide receiver to play Alabama football from the south Florida pipeline, Jeudy certainly has the looks of the next great wideout. Ranked as the No. 4 wide receiver and the 25th overall recruit, Jeudy will come into a situation where his skills may be needed from day one.

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There are many more early enrollees that I feel will garner playing time for the Alabama football team next season. If Alabama is fortunate enough to make it to the title game, these early enrollees could help prepare the current team for a championship. The Dynasty isn’t dead, it’s an ongoing process. Roll Tide

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