He’s been recruited since he was in eighth grade, and now, he has everyone’s attention.
Alabama freshman Dylan Moses is already turning heads now that he’s in a Crimson Tide uniform. After all, it’s hard to miss a 6-foot-3-inch tall 237 pound 18 year old.
“First impression is he is an athletic guy,” said senior linebacker Rashaan Evans. “That is obvious. All it’s really going to take is him improving as a player, and once he does that, the sky’s the limit.”
Moses ranked as the No. 13 player in this 2017 class. Alabama was on him even when he was in middle school. The Crimson Tide wanted to grab him, and after de-committing from LSU last fall, Alabama quickly snatched him up.
Moses has been mostly playing inside linebacker throughout the spring season, but he has been seen getting reps.
“I think he’s going to be a really good player,” said tight end Miller Forristall. “He works hard and he’s a really smart kid. I like him a lot. In the fourth quarter program he worked really hard and he pushes you. I like him a lot.”
Moses is one of multiple early enrollees that are already grabbing the attention of their veteran teammates. Jerry Juedy, a five-star wide receiver, is already seeing himself put into the lineup. Juedy stands at 6-foot-1 inch, 184 pounds. His frame reminds everyone of another Alabama player: Calvin Ridley.
Ridley and Juedy have similar frames and skill sets. Their teammates say there’s little separating the two players.
“Only thing different is probably Jerry Jeudy is a little bit taller than Calvin (Ridley),” said wide receiver Cam Sims. “That’s it. They both nightmares for a DB.”
Juedy already showed his teammates that he possesses the same shifty route-running ability as Ridley. In practice, Juedy works behind Ridley and fellow receiver Robert Foster.
“It’s like two clones,” said cornerback Anthony Averett. “Having both of them on both sides is definitely going to be a problem for any defense.”
Outside of Juedy, Alabama brought in multiple offensive weapons in this year’s signing class. Five-star running back Najee Harris and four-star running back Brian Robinson both joined Alabama’s already loaded backfield.
Both Harris and Robinson are bruising backs known for their size. The two players also possess a great deal of speed to go along with their power. Both are looking to try and break through to get into the lineup.
“Big backs that know how to run, that know how to move,” Sims said. “It’s something I’ve never seen before. It’s like Derrick Henry.”
In Alabama’s first scrimmage, Harris produced a couple of jaw-dropping plays. Harris hurdled three separate defenders in three different plays. The freshman has a lot of hype surrounding him. He ranked as the No. 3 player in the 2018 class.
Sims said he was blown away by Harris’ athleticism in Alabama’s first scrimmage.
“That was my first time seeing something like that in real life,” Sims said.
Freshmen aren’t the only newcomers making noise during Alabama’s spring season. Isaiah Buggs, the No. 1 Junior College player form this year, is working his way into Alabama’s defensive line rotation.
With a need on the defensive line, Buggs may fill an important role. The Crimson Tide lost many of their contributors on the defensive line, including Dalvin Tomlinson and Jonathan Allen.
“I think he’s gotten better every practice,” Buggs said, “I think discipline to play this kind of defense where everybody has a job to do and it’s important for you to do your job and stay in your gap and play your gap; I think some of that stuff is a little new to him. But I think his effort has gotten better and better, he’s getting in better condition and I think he’s played better each day.”
All five players will look to make an instant impact as Alabama prepares for A-Day on April 22. The spring game will certainly give fans and coaches an opportunity to see some of Alabama’s new players and how they stack up with the rest of the roster.
