Olaus Alinen checked into the Under Armour Future 50 event with a commitment decision time frame in mind.
Alinen is originally from Finland, but he moved to the United States before his junior season to attend the Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut and play football. He has worked to become one of the nation’s top offensive lineman prospects, and Alabama football has prioritized the gifted prospect. The four-star prospect told Touchdown Alabama Friday he is closing in on a decision pretty soon.
“I feel pretty strong about it,” said Alinen. “I am nearing a decision pretty soon, probably during this month.”
Alabama, Miami, Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State are the teams in the running to land Alinen at the moment. The Finland native sees his recruitment as a tight race, but a few teams are starting to separate themselves.
“I would say it’s fairly close right now,” Alinen said. “I think I am kind of getting a sense of which programs it is going to be in the end right now, but my decision is going to be based on relationships, development, comparability with the place and the coaches and then like the overall experience of being a student there.”
The Crimson Tide offered Alinen in November, and the Tide have hosted him on campus multiple times since then, including in June for an official visit. Alinen said he feels his relationship with Alabama’s offensive line coach Eric Wolford and Nick Saban is really solid.
“I have been getting recruited by them for a long time,” said Alinen. “Me and coach Wolford are pretty close. We talk every week. We just talk about ball and a lot of other stuff. Me and coach Saban have a pretty solid relationship right now. There is a good level of trust between us. I know they are going to take care of me if that is where I end up.”
The Finland native currently stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs 300 pounds. He is projected to be an offensive tackle at the next level, and he possesses all the tools needed to be one of the best at the position in the 2023 recruiting class. He carries his weight extremely well and moves really good. He has some nastiness to his game and is always looking for an opportunity to get a pancake block as he blocks throughout the play.
Watch Olaus Alinen Junior Highlights Below:
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Justin Smith is a Scouting/Recruiting analyst for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
