Alabama the Latest Team to Offer Evander Holyfield's 4-Star Son Elijah

Auburn is thought to be the leader in the recruiting process for Atlanta 4-star running back Elijah Holyfield.

But that doesn't mean Auburn's bitter rival won't go down without a fight. After all, the son of the former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world is a top-10 running back nationally in the 2016 class, and winning recruiting battles is always sweeter against your rival.

Alabama became Holyfield's 32nd reported offer, per 247Sports, on Thursday. And while some may think the Crimson Tide are a little late to the party, the fact remains that they are a team to consider, particularly coming off another stellar year where they made the semifinals of the inaugural College Football Playoff tournament.

"

Alabama just offered!!! #RollTide

— Elijah Holyfield (@EH_taught_me) April 30, 2015"

Per 247Sports, Alabama running backs coach Burton Burns and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin have been handling recruiting duties in the quest to land the Woodward Academy standout. Holyfield is a 5'11", 205-pound back who runs with power and has good speed, field vision and agility. He's been offered by multiple Power Five schools.

Does Alabama have a legit chance of landing him? It depends on who you're asking. Tide fans point to the argument that head coach Nick Saban doesn't have a running back committed as of yet, and a dynamic player of Holyfield's stature and character definitely would boost the team's 2016 class.

On the other side of the coin, Alabama being the 32nd school to offer and not the first, second, fifth or even 20th could mean Holyfield's already comfortable with the relationships he's built with other schools. Earlier this year, Holyfield said he had four schools high on his list—Tennessee, Florida, Auburn and Michigan.

All four are still considered candidates, and now, USC and Oregon have also entered the race. USC is a legitimate school to keep an eye on. The Trojans offered Holyfield in February, and he's been able to establish a solid relationship with both running backs coach Johnny Nansen and head coach Steve Sarkisian.

"I'm definitely looking at [USC]," Holyfield told Chris Swanson of Rivals.com in an article published April 23. "They're coming to visit me in about two weeks I think."

When Holyfield ultimately makes his decision, many feel the race will include Auburn at the very end. He knows the coaching staff well, including head coach Gus Malzahn, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and running backs coach Tim Horton. He's also quite familiar with the campus, as his older brother, Evander Holyfield Jr., ran track and was a walk-on football player at Auburn a few years back.

Holyfield is the kind of back who has shown both durability and versatility at the position. He rushed for 1,735 yards and 25 touchdowns as a junior at Woodward, but he also toted the football 264 times (an average of 6.6 yards per carry). Additionally, he caught 27 passes for 289 yards and three scores.

Whichever school lands him will get a patient playmaker, someone who can be a game-changer in the backfield. And while Holyfield may be Auburn's to lose, you can bet that Alabama will put its cards on the table to earn his verbal commitment.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles