Top Oklahoma Football Recruit Drew Sanders Switches To Alabama

Alabama head coach Nick Saban has made a name for himself as one of the greatest college coaches of all time and what really built his legacy was not X’s and O’s but recruiting. And yet again, Saban has shown why he’s tied with Bear Bryant for most national championships in the modern era.

Drew Sanders Joins Crimson Tide

Top recruit Drew Sanders flipped from Oklahoma over to the Crimson Tide this week. Though the No. 37 overall recruit in the class of 2020 had been committed to the Sooners since 2017, he felt that the switch was needed.

Sanders, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound recruit, is the No. 4-ranked athlete in his class. He currently attends Billy Ryan High School in Denton, Texas. ESPN reports that Alabama recruited Sanders as a linebacker at the jack position.

“The main reason for me committing to Oklahoma in the first place, I was in the beginning of going into high school, and I had only played offense,” Sanders said. “I was going to play tight end, and I thought Oklahoma was one of the best places for that. As I played defense more and more, I thought the SEC is kind of built on defense, and Alabama was a good fit for me.”

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Even when he was committed to Oklahoma, Sanders visited several other programs. Texas A&M, LSU and of course Alabama were among them.

Sanders also discussed what made him feel that Alabama was the school for him despite his prior commitments and possible worries.

“I spent the past weekend with Coach Saban and all the other coaches,” Sanders said. “They really enjoyed me and my family, and we enjoyed them. We felt that comfortable feeling with them that you’re looking for.”

He added that he felt “comfortable” at the school and that he felt genuinely wanted. Sanders added: “When we first sat down, we didn’t know how much interest he really had in me. He told us he was interested and talked about how he thinks I would be able to get some playing time early on. It was all up to me and how I use my time wisely. We felt like that was the best fit and the best place for me.”

Sanders is the second commitment to the Tide in the Top 50. He joins No. 5-ranked defensive end Chris Bramwell on the team.