The Tide’s 2020 defensive class is staking its claim as one of the top groups in the nation with its latest commitment coming from 4-Star defensive end, William Anderson.
Anderson’s commitment gives the Tide’s a total of four defensive lineman commits. This group consists of Chris Braswell, Jayson Elijah Jones, Jah-Marien Latham and Anderson. The defensive line was a staple in Alabama’s 2019 recruiting haul as they landed seven guys up front and is slated to be a huge part of their 2020 class as well.
RELATED: BREAKING: William Anderson commits to Alabama
Braswell and Anderson give the Tide their two defensive end commits. Braswell is a product of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, and is a 5-Star recruit. Alabama will most likely line Braswell up at outside linebacker in their defense. Anderson has a quick first step off the snap and brings his arms when he makes tackles.
Latham and Jones make up the Tide’s inside duo. Jones is a 335-pound tackle, who can plug up holes and move well for a guy his size. Latham can play inside and outside on the defensive line and is familiar with playing both sides of the ball, which means he is working on building his stamina.
Demouy Kennedy, Quandarrius Robinson and Jackson Bratton gives Alabama an interesting trio of linebackers. Kennedy brings the speed he has developed by running the 400-meter race in track to the gridiron with his explosive jump off the line. Robinson, who plays sideline to sideline for Jackson Olin High School, can rush from the edge and shows patience in his pursuit of the ball carrier. Bratton is Alabama’s only true inside linebacker commit. The Muscle Shoals product is comfortable in pass coverage and is quick to the ball.
Alabama’s lone athlete commit, Drew Sanders, will most likely play linebacker for Alabama. Sanders is willing to play anywhere to get his team a win. He has good hip movement in coverage and has good speed.
Malachi Moore leads Alabama’s defensive back group with his aggressive mindset. Moore loves roughing up wideouts, which he should be able to do with greater efficiency this season with his new found strength. Brian Branch brings a familiar skillset to this class as he draws comparisons to former Alabama safety, Eddie Jackson. Branch can be a weapon in the return game and knows how to turn interceptions into pick sixes.
4-Star defensive backs, Jahquez Robinson and Javier Morton, round out Alabama’s 2020 defensive class. Robinson can compete against any wide receiver and come out on top with his ability to be a scrappy defender when the ball is in the air and go stride to stride with speedy wideouts. Morton is most comfortable at safety as he is able to bully smaller wide receivers when the ball is in the air with his wide frame.’
The Tide is far from done with defensive players in their 2020 recruiting class with several targets still on the board.
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Justin Smith is a Scouting/Recruiting analyst for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
