When Jerry Jeudy was a sophomore and Alabama freshman All-American Calvin Ridley was a senior, they were teammates at Monarch High. Next year, they will be teammates once again.
Jeudy, the nation's No. 26-ranked prospect in the ESPN 300 for 2017, committed to Alabama over Miami, Florida, Florida State and Tennessee on Thursday night, continuing the recent trend of highly ranked receivers from South Florida heading to Tuscaloosa.
"It's the best fit for me. I felt like Alabama was home for me, and they have had good receivers from South Florida go there," Jeudy said.
The No. 4-ranked receiver in the country, Jeudy began his recruitment with Alabama as the top choice and finished the same. He follows in the footsteps of Ridley and former All-American Amari Cooper by picking the Crimson Tide.
The state of Florida continues to be fruitful for Alabama's 2017 class. Jeudy, an Under Armour All-American, joins five-star offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood, ESPN 300 linebacker Vandarius Cowan, four-star quarterback Mac Jones, long snapper Thomas Fletcher and junior college cornerback Jhavonte Dean.
In the Nick Saban era, five Alabama players have been recruited out of Florida and gone on to the NFL: Amari Cooper, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Derrick Henry, Trent Richardson and Ed Stinson.
Alabama boasted the No. 4-ranked class in the country before Jeudy verbally committed. The Crimson Tide are in search of a 10th straight top-three class, and Jeudy's commitment helps keep that in play. He joins five-star recruits Leatherwood and Najee Harris, along with eight other ESPN 300 prospects.
The Crimson Tide remain in contention for several more ESPN 300 prospects, including five-star recruits Isaiah Wilson and Dylan Moses, along with offensive guard Jedrick Wills, receiver Devonta Smith and defensive end LaBryan Ray.
