Alabama football enrolled a good portion of its 2023 recruiting class in January.
Each of the Crimson Tide’s early enrollees will participate in the Crimson Tide’s full off-season program. Touchdown Alabama will highlight each of Alabama’s newest additions over the next few weeks in an article series.
We continue our series with Carver-Montgomery’s five-star defensive lineman, James Smith.
James Smith
-Classification: Freshman
–Position: Defensive Lineman
-Hometown: Montgomery, Alabama
-Height: 6-3
-Weight: 310 pounds
–Summary: Alabama football has had its fair share of dominant interior defensive linemen during the Nick Saban era.
One could find them making big plays on Sundays in the NFL for the New York Jets and Washington Commanders. The last Alabama defensive tackle to go in the first round was Quinnen Williams, who went No. 3 overall to the Jets in the 2019 NFL Draft, following behind Daron Payne, who went No. 14 a year earlier to the Commanders.
Smith has the potential to follow in the footsteps of both of those Alabama natives. The Montgomery product is an explosive defensive lineman with an impressive get-off. He also plays the game with a chip on his shoulder as he enjoys making plays in the trenches.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder does have some rush moves in his bag as he has shown an ability to use his hands to evade offensive linemen. He also has great backside pursuit and shines when he is allowed to work up the field.
Nick Saban admitted the Crimson Tide wanted to add depth to its defensive line during the 2023 recruiting cycle, and it looks to have done so in a big way. Smith will have an opportunity to play early in Tuscaloosa.
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