Alabama Recruiting: Nick Saban Misses Out as No. 1 Prospect Picks LSU

There was, not long ago, a high-profile quarterback by the name of Bryce who was an Alabama recruiting prize for Nick Saban. That was Bryce Young, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. Now the big Alabama recruiting prize is the No. 1 recruit in the nation for the Class of 2025, Bryce Underwood. After a whirlwind courtship and weeks since he was offered to play for the Crimson Tide, Underwood finally made his decision: It’s LSU.

Brian Kelly had made a strong push for Underwood throughout the recruiting process. Underwood made several visits to Baton Rouge, and had told 24/7 Sports that, “It’s a lot of real people out there. A lot of people from Michigan. A lot of things we can relate to.”

Underwood came into Saturday with a list of potential schools that included, according to 24/7 Sports, Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Colorado, Florida State and Oregon. LSU had been widely considered the favorite for his services.  He had not visited Nick Saban and Alabama until December, relatively late in the process.

Give Underwood credit for his flair for the dramatic. It was just after noon Eastern Time when he sent out a post on his “Bryce Underwood 16” Twitter/X account, saying, “Today …. is the day.” Within by the time he announced, the post had nearly 600,000 views.

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Bryce Underwood Is 2025’s No. 1

There’s good reason for the drama, of course. When it comes to recruiting hauls, Bryce Underwood is almost a one-man band.  At 24/7, Underwood has been the No. 1 prospect in the nation for quite some time. ESPN has him No. 1 as well, and On3.com also has him atop their board. Rivals.com has Underwood ranked second in the class of 2025.

Last season at Belleville High in Michigan, Underwood completed 66.7% of his pass attempts for 3,165 yards with 40 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He logged a quarterback rating of 146.0. He was part of Belleville’s two state championships as a freshman and sophomore and led the team toa  13-0 mark before losing in the state championship game this year.

Underwood said he was impressed with Nick Saban’s track record of producing NFL quarterbacks. But he will try his luck elsewhere.

Here’s the scouting report on Underwood from Mike Farrell Sports:

“Underwood is no doubt a top QB in his class. His true dual-threat ability makes him deadly in both aspects of the game. Standing at 6-4 205 pounds, he displays an elite build for the position. He can read a defense exceptionally well and shows off his understanding of the game on the field. Underwood displays a strong arm and can make throws to any part of the field. He throws a solid deep ball and can use touch to put his receivers in positions to make catches. He understands pocket presence and uses his legs and great speed when needed. Underwood will start in college and likely hear his name called on Thursday night in April.”

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Alabama Recruiting: Nick Saban Still Fine at QB

Of course, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide won’t have to worry too long about the sting of losing out on Bryce Underwood. That is because they’ve got Julian Sayin, the top quarterback in the class of 2024, already in the pipeline behind this year’s starter, Jalen Milroe, who has announced he will be returning for his senior season rather than testing the NFL.

Milroe scuffled through a slow start early in the 2023 season, and was sent to the bench for a game. But once he reclaimed the starting job, his combination of passing prowess and running power elevated him to the top tier of collegiate quarterbacks.

Saban had high praise for Sayin last month.

“Julian is an outstanding player,” he said, per SI.com. “The ball comes out of his hand really nice, he’s accurate, he’s smart. He’s had a great high school career and been one of the best and most productive players in the country on a very consistent basis and we like him a lot.”

But it will be valuable for Sayin to be able to develop behind Milroe. “I think as all players, I tell all players you really got to focus on your development. That’s the most important thing: What are you going to become? And I think he’s got the right mindset to do that,” Saban said.

 

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