Joe on the Road: 2024 TE sets Alabama official visit, notes on an SEC commit
BamaInsider’s weeklong Georgia trip began with a stop at Buford High School to start the week. There, we spoke with five-star targets Eddrick Houston and KJ Bolden, along with a couple of top-100 sophomores in possession of Alabama offers.
Cup of Joe: Alabama recruiting intel out of Buford High School
Tuesday brought us to Carrollton High School and Woodward Academy. During those two stops, we got the latest on 2024 flip target Myles Graham, coveted tight end Caleb Odom, rising sophomore quarterback Julian Lewis, and others.
Elite 2024 TE schedules Alabama official visit
Caleb Odom, On3’s No. 3 Class of 2024 tight end, will take his official visit to Alabama next month. Odom will be in Tuscaloosa from June 2-4; he also has official visits scheduled with Penn State (June 9-11) and Miami (June 23-25).
As for why the Tide cracked his top seven last week, Odom referred to Bama as a “great program.” He’s consistently in contact with tight ends coach Joe Cox, who attended Carrollton High’s practice today. Cox and Odom are speaking with each other almost every day, with Cox also keeping in contact with Odom’s mother.
The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Odom also mentioned that it is reassuring to know that Alabama has a five-star quarterback (Julian Sayin) in this class. He hasn’t seen too much of his highlights, but can tell that Sayin “has an arm on him.”
Odom’s top seven features Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Ole Miss, and Penn State. His goal is to make a decision either in late July or early August. Relationships with the coaches and if a school has a family environment are important factors to Odom in this process.
At this time, Ole Miss (76.7 percent) has the best odds at landing Odom, per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.
Notes on an SEC linebacker commit
Myles Graham has kept his recruitment close to the vest since committing to the Florida Gators last August. Graham is not one to conduct many interviews with the media, with most of his content on his Twitter profile being UF-related.
Although he still maintains that he is locked in with Florida, we can report that Alabama is in consideration for an official visit from Graham. In his words, the Crimson Tide and Georgia are “probably” going to receive officials from him. At this juncture, Florida (June 9-11) is the only official visit that Graham has scheduled.
Inside linebackers coach Robert Bala made his way out to Woodward Academy on Tuesday morning for an in-person evaluation of Graham. Bala’s message since arriving has been that there’s no pressure on Graham, but Alabama wants him to be a part of their class.
The strongest relationship at Alabama for Graham is unquestionably Robert Gillespie. Gillespie, who Graham says is like an uncle to him, played at the University of Florida alongside Graham’s father, Earnest. Earnest and Gillespie are like brothers, with Gillespie even attending his wedding. Graham says their connection is bigger than football, and that Gillespie is the coach he talks with the most outside of Florida’s staff.
Detailing his interest in Bama as a program, Graham mentioned their development of “amazing players” and the winning culture in Tuscaloosa.
Graham’s bond with Gillespie certainly helps Alabama, but the top-50 junior says he is “completely locked in” with Florida. The relationships at the school, him being a legacy prospect, and the opportunity to bring UF back to prominence are all keeping Graham solid in his pledge.
Graham won’t be easy to flip, but the next key step for Bama will be securing that official visit date from him.
2026 QB Julian Lewis eyeing summer visit to Tuscaloosa
Of course, there are certainly stark differences between recruiting 2024 prospects like Graham and Odom versus a 2026 recruit like Julian Lewis. As such, Lewis’ focus right now is on building relationships with coaches during his school visits, with his father also assisting in staying in touch with various staff members.
One of the coaches he’ll look to build a relationship with is Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who was also at Carrollton High on Tuesday. The two met during Lewis’ visit to Alabama in late April, though the talented rising sophomore quarterback admitted he doesn’t know much about Rees and his offensive scheme.
Lewis, who has been on Bama’s campus a handful of times, says he loves it at the school. Lewis views Alabama as a “different type of life” because of the football culture they have. The 6-foot, 185-pounder intends on visiting Tuscaloosa again sometime during the summer.
A full update on Lewis will be posted on BamaInsider later this week.
Quick-hitter tidbits on a pair of 2025 Alabama offers
*** Per the 2025 On3 Industry Rankings, Atlanta (Ga.) Woodward Academy’s London Merritt is the No. 60 overall sophomore in the country and the fifth-ranked defensive lineman. Merritt will release his top 10 in either June or July, with him telling us that Alabama will definitely make the cut. Bama’s staff, Nick Saban’s “G.O.A.T.” status, and their player development for the NFL have caught Merritt’s attention. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder also noted that the Tide are recruiting him at the Jack position.
Merritt, who has “very high” interest in Alabama, plans on returning to T-Town in the summer. He previously attended their annual A-Day Game last month.
** Four-star 2025 wide receiver Josiah Abdullah has been trying to set up a return trip to Bama since visiting on Jan. 28. That hasn’t transpired, but the plan is to visit either in June or July. There’s a possibility that he will work out in front of the coaches in a camp setting next month.
* Our Georgia stop will actually bring us to Alabama briefly on Wednesday. BamaInsider will be stopping by Phenix City (Ala.) Central High School to check in on five-star wideout Cam Coleman and defensive lineman Isaia Faga. We will also be at Langston Hughes High School to watch 2025 Alabama offensive lineman commitment Dontrell Glover in action at a practice.
Alabama fans, also be sure to join the discussion about the Tide’s recruiting efforts on the Talk of Champions message board. There’s always a lot of great team, recruiting, and off-topic conversations going on. So, we look forward to talking with you all there!
The post Joe on the Road: 2024 TE sets Alabama official visit, notes on an SEC commit appeared first on On3.
