Alabama Crimson Tide make final list for elite defensive recruit but must overcome more desperate Big Ten rivals to land commitment
The Alabama Crimson Tide received good news on Tuesday as one of their premier recruiting targets unveiled his final list of three contenders to land him. Gigantic 6-foot-4 safety Jett Washington would be a nice crowned jewel as a five-star addition for Alabama's offseason work, but their task will be difficult. Washington narrowed his list […]
The Alabama Crimson Tide received good news on Tuesday as one of their premier recruiting targets unveiled his final list of three contenders to land him. Gigantic 6-foot-4 safety Jett Washington would be a nice crowned jewel as a five-star addition for Alabama's offseason work, but their task will be difficult.
Washington narrowed his list from four to three, and Alabama will be up against two Big Ten teams flush with cash and desperation. That's a tough battle for Alabama to win when it's a kid from Las Vegas at the wheel.
USC has been aggressively looking to improve a roster that has to take a big leap in talent for head coach Lincoln Riley to stick around in future years. While Washington wouldn't play until 2026, Riley knows his recruiting pipeline hasn't been strong enough.
Oregon has also been facing some tough times when sealing the deal. Dan Lanning has watched his program lose out at the finish line a few times, and he has unique challenges being in Euguene versus Los Angeles. However, the Ducks are on the brink of raising their profile, and Washington would be a tremendous fit in their safety-driven defense.
The Las Vegas, Nevada, five-star playmaker is truly considered a toss-up entering this summer season. On3's recruiting prediction machine had him almost evenly split between Oregon, Alabama, and Ohio State before this announcement.
Now, he's largely considered to be all but an Oregon lock. Oregon and USC have been especially desperate lately after losing some big names to decommitments.
The money is flowing, and USC seems especially willing to face a lawsuit if they continue using NIL collectives to offer players after revenue sharing guidelines outrule the loophole this summer.
Assistant coach Colin Hitschler and safeties coach Jason Jones are the top recruiters for Alabama in this race.
“One of the biggest highlights was getting to go in-depth with the coaches about where they see me in the defense. I spent time with coach Mo, coach Jones, coach Wommack and coach DeBoer.
“Getting around the players more was great too. I got to hang out with Zabien Brown and Dijon Lee. They said they love it and feel like it’s a great place to develop.”
The massive 6-foot-4, 200-pound versatile defender is certainly one of the most unique prospects on the market. But can they land Washington?
Obviously, the Tide did well on his last visit. Ohio State was cut from his final four list after making trips there, to Alabama, USC, and Oregon. Taking the next step and winning this battle seems like an uphill one.
“It really just came down to the relationships I have with the coaches and the opportunities I have at each school,” Washington told On3. “All three schools have a lot to offer and coaches I would love to play for. I had great visits to each school too.”
Steve Wiltfong of On3 previously reported this before Washington's visit to Alabama:
Five-star safety Jett Washington is the top-ranked prospect on campus this weekend. It will be his third visit. It’s always good vibes when the Washington camp is around Alabama. They’ll aim to keep it rolling this weekend. Oregon is definitely one of the other front-runners for Washington. Alabama is swinging for the fences here.
