Jerry Jeudy, a four-star wide receiver from Pompano Beach, FL, committed to Alabama on Thursday. Jeudy is the Crimson Tide’s 18th recruit and Nick Saban’s 14th blue-chip prospect for the class of 2017.
4-star WR Jerry Jeudy is the latest elite skill player to commit to Alabama
Jeudy is the fifth blue-chip skill player to commit to the Crimson Tide for 2017.
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The 6’1, 177-pound wideout chose Saban’s squad over scholarship offers from nearly every major football program across the southeast. Teams like Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ohio State and USC pitched to him, but his decision came down to Alabama and Florida. In the end, the lure of SEC Championship Games and prestige of 16 national titles outweighed the benefits of playing in Gainesville, where he starred at a summer camp earlier in July.
The strange nature of Jeudy’s commitment is likely to go down in recruiting lore. While he was widely expected to commit to Alabama in an event beginning at 8:30 p.m. at a South Florida restaurant, Jeudy had not even taken the stage when recruiting website MaxPreps fired off what appeared to be a scheduled tweet announcing his commitment at 8:45 p.m., and he had to dispel rumors of his commitment from the event to announce it.
I didn't commit nowhere yet
— JJ⁴ (@jerryjeudy) July 29, 2016
While Jeudy would eventually commit to the Crimson Tide as expected shortly after 9 p.m., the headline of the night might actually be the premature reporting of his commitment, not its ramifications.
And that’s a shame: Jeudy has been making headlines as an elite recruit throughout 2016. SB Nation recruiting director Bud Elliott had the opportunity to watch the young wideout ply his trade at The Opening earlier this month and came away impressed.
People ask what Jeudy does best, and the answer is that he has no weaknesses. His size is good at a legit 6’1, routes are strong, feel for the game and hands are plus, speed and quickness are also strengths. He’s not the best at any one thing but not having any weaknesses is a tremendous trait.
He’ll join an incoming class that features the nation’s top running back (and top overall recruit), Najee Harris, two four-star passers (Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones) and another four-star wideout (Tyrell Shavers). In all, Jeudy is the sixth blue-chip receiver to commit to Alabama since 2014.
