On a day where Alabama secured a commitment from one of its top prospects in 5-star linebacker Markail Benton, it also ended up landing the nation’s top kicker just hours later, Brandon Ruiz out of Gilbert, AZ. Ruiz announced his commitment on his Twitter account.
I Am Proud To Announce That I Am Committed To The University of Alabama🐘🐘🐘#Rolltide #RTR pic.twitter.com/Oczrs886hZ
— Brandon Ruiz (@BrandonRRuiz) June 10, 2016
Ruiz is rated as the top kicker by Chris Sailer Kicking, which is the elite kicking camp service in the nation. The Crimson Tide at one point last year had Sailer Kicking’s top JUCO kicker, Eddy Pinero out of Miami, FL. Pinero would end up decommitting on JUCO National Signing Day and signing with the Florida Gators.
Alabama fans have seen the struggles at the kicker position over the last few years wit Kade Foster and Adam Griffith and have longed for consistency at the position. Consistency is what Ruiz is all about and not to mention he has more than enough power in that leg of his, nailing a 76-yard field goal off of the ground in practice. He posted the video to his Twitter account back in April.
Broke my record again today with a 76-Yard Field Goal off the Ground🔥👀🌟🏈 #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/lss1B634tQ
— Brandon Ruiz (@BrandonRRuiz) April 25, 2016
The 5-foot-10, 165-pounde kicker was primarily recruited by Bobby Williams, holding offers from multiple Ivy League schools and Arizona and Arizona State as well as one other SEC offer from Tennessee.
With Adam Griffith moving on at the end of this season going into his fifth year, the timing works out well for Ruiz and Alabama fans, getting a fresh start at the kicker spot.
Justin Wagner is the Lead Recruiting Analyst for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @jwag718.
