Jaleel Skinner, four-star tight end from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, announced his commitment on Friday to the University of Alabama. Skinner also included Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Miami and Texas as finalists.
The South Carolina native transferred to IMG Academy for his senior season. He is recruited by Tide assistants Charles Kelly (area recruiter) and Drew Svoboda (tight ends coach).
“Players from South Carolina don’t go to Alabama much so that speaks for itself to have Alabama on your list,” Skinner told Rivals earlier this year.
Skinner is commitment No.16 for Alabama. He is the second tight end commitment in the Tide's class joining Elijah Brown, four-star from Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio. Amari Niblack, four-star from Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, is recruited as an athlete, but can play wide receiver or tight end.
Skinner was asked earlier this year about how Alabama uses its tight ends including Jahleel Billingsley and Cam Latu.
“It shows you can really go out there and play football and they’ll put you out there,” Skinner said. “It doesn’t matter how big or how much you weigh. If you can play football, you can go out there and do it.”
National take
"From a physical perspective, Skinner is the most intriguing tight end in the country. He's tall, he's long, he's lean, he covers ground incredibly well and he's athletic for his size. The upside is massive because he will add weight once he's in a college program and he can be utilized as a tight end who splits out and creates tons of mismatch problems. There have been some questions about his hands in the past where he does drop a few balls but Skinner has improved in that regard over the last year. Some think Skinner is the best tight end in the country because of his size and athletic ability. I'm not there yet but he's definitely in the conversation."- National recruiting analyst Adam Gorney
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