Alabama Football Recruiting: Top Commits, Targets to Watch at The Opening

Because of the Tide's long streak of No. 1 recruiting classes, Alabama targets and The Opening are inseparable.

Alabama currently has five commitments and more than a dozen top recruits heading out to Nike's campus in Beaverton, Oregon, for The Opening camp on July 7-10.

Crimson Tide fans are going to want to follow all the coverage of the annual event in Oregon, as future Alabama stars will be in action against some of the nation's best high school players.

Several 5-star defensive tackle prospects, a pair of highly rated in-state recruits and a few top skill position players who are currently being recruited by head coach Nick Saban and his staff highlight this list of Tide commitments and targets.

Here's a quick look at the five pledges and 10 of the biggest targets on Alabama's board who will be at The Opening.

DT Raekwon Davis

• Meridian, Mississippi (Meridian)
• 6'7", 315 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 366
• DT Ranking: 32
• Alabama's Status: Commitment

Raekwon Davis, who has been committed to Alabama since last August, is one of the fastest-rising defensive line recruits in the entire country. He's closing in on a composite 4-star ranking and picked up offers from Florida in March and Florida State in May.

Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles wrote of Davis' situation in March:

"

It may be premature to say Davis is looking at other schools, but the big lineman is keeping the door of his recruiting process ajar. He was recruited to Alabama by both defensive line coach Bo Davis and running backs coach Burton Burns, but he also is being recruited to Mississippi State by recruiting coordinator/safeties coach Tony Hughes.

"

TE Miller Forristall

• Cartersville, Georgia (Cartersville)
• 6'5", 220 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 407
• TE Ranking: 315
• Alabama's Status: Commitment

Miller Forristall picked up an offer from Alabama on June 2 and committed to the Crimson Tide 11 days later. Thanks to his great size and skill at a position of need, he could see some early playing time when he gets to Alabama.

"They're kind of short on tight ends right now as it is," Shawn Forristall, Miller's father, told Hank South of 247Sports. "Their best tight end, O.J. [Howard], he reminds them of Miller. When he came, he was 6'5", and very similar build. They really feel like Miller is that type of kid for them, an athletic kid that can run around and do a lot of things for them."

RB Najee Harris

• Antioch, California (Antioch)
• 6'1 ½", 210 pounds
• Composite Ranking (2017): 15
• RB Ranking (2017): 1
• Alabama's Status: Commitment

Past this cycle, Alabama is already building another outstanding class for the future, and Najee Harris is the top commitment so far for 2017. The Crimson Tide will go up against some strong competition for Harris all the way until February 2017, as he has picked up offers from Georgia and Notre Dame since committing to Alabama in April.

Harris is already an elite talent at running back, as he rushed for nearly 2,300 yards and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore last year. His work at The Opening regional in Oakland earned him an early invitation to the big event in Oregon, where he will be one of just a few 2017 stars out on the field.

DT Kendell Jones

• Killeen, Texas (Shoemaker)
• 6'4 ½", 361 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 65
• DT Ranking: 10
• Alabama's Status: Commitment

Kendell "The Hulk" Jones committed to Alabama in May over in-state schools Texas and Texas A&M. Other powerhouse schools also wanted this powerhouse of a player, whose strength and size make him a fantastic prospect for the future of Alabama's defensive line.

"Alabama is getting a player who can be an extremely disruptive defender on the line in the SEC," Sayles wrote in May. "He bench presses 420 pounds, squats 600, deadlifts 610 and power cleans 335, and he will use that power to be a solid run-stopper."

ILB Jaquan Yulee

• Chesapeake, Virginia (Indian River)
• 6'0", 252 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 127
• ILB Ranking: 5
• Alabama's Status: Commitment

Jaquan Yulee made his pledge to Alabama in early June over a handful of programs from around the country, including Virginia Tech, Florida State, Michigan State and North Carolina. He visited Tuscaloosa shortly after committing and told South he didn't plan on making any visits to other schools.

The Virginia native has an impressive frame and is continuing to rise in the 247Sports' composite rankings. He could be another top linebacker down the road at Alabama, so Tide fans will want to pay attention to how he performs against some of the nation's best at The Opening.

DT Derrick Brown

• Buford, Georgia (Lanier)
• 6'4", 314 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 7
• DT Ranking: 3
• Alabama's Status: Behind Georgia, along with Auburn and Tennessee

Alabama already has a pair of defensive tackles committed for the class of 2016, but as you'll see in the rest of this list, the Crimson Tide are continuing to recruit elite talent at the position. Derrick Brown told AL.com's Wesley Sinor he doesn't have a favorite at the moment, but Georgia looks like the team to beat for his commitment.

Brown's physical gifts make him a player who could make an immediate impact at whichever school he decides to sign with next February. He unofficially visited Alabama back in April, and you can expect the Tide to continue to push for him in these upcoming months.

OLB Ben Davis

• Gordo, Alabama (Gordo)
• 6'3", 240 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 19
• OLB Ranking: 3
• Alabama's Status: Leader (100 percent of his Crystal Ball predictions)

Ben Davis is one of two 5-star linebackers from the state of Alabama who are widely expected to sign with the Crimson Tide. The connection to the program is especially strong for Davis, whose father Wayne is the all-time leader for career tackles at Alabama.

The Gordo linebacker appears to be keeping his options open at this point and has visited both LSU and Florida State in recent months. But this legacy linebacker signing anywhere but Alabama would be a tremendous upset on the recruiting trail.

ATH Trevon Diggs

• Bethesda, Maryland (The Avalon School)
• 6'0", 183 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 73
• ATH Ranking: 5
• Alabama's Status: Announced leader

Trevon Diggs could be an Alabama pledge by the time he hits Oregon for The Opening. The Maryland native is set to announce his commitment on July 4, and he named Alabama his leader back in April.

However, Diggs also told 247Sports in April he planned on going to the same school as 4-star quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who committed to Maryland in May. But if any team can break up the package deal between Diggs and Haskins for the Terrapins, it's Alabama.

DT Rashan Gary

• Paramus, New Jersey (Paramus Catholic)
• 6'4", 311 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 1
• DT Ranking: 1
• Alabama's Status: Too early to tell

According to 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong, the nation's No. 1 player, Rashan Gary, is expected to narrow his wide-open list of schools after The Opening, and Alabama should make the cut. Alabama currently leads Gary's Crystal Ball predictions with 43 percent of the picks.

While Auburn and Michigan are said to be rising in his recruitment process, Alabama will surely be a major player. Gary visited Alabama during his tour of SEC schools in June, along with several of the nation's top prospects.

DT Antwuan Jackson

• Ellenwood, Georgia (Cedar Grove)
• 6'2 ½", 285 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 47
• DT Ranking: 8
• Alabama's Status: Behind Auburn and South Carolina in his Crystal Ball predictions (9 percent)

Antwuan Jackson tweeted he would release his list of top schools on July 4, and Alabama has a shot at making the cut for yet another top defensive tackle. The Tide are going up against SEC rivals Auburn, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina for his commitment, along with Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC.

With 5-stars Brown, Gary and Rashard Lawrence—more on him later—also on the board for 2016, Jackson isn't the biggest target at the position for Alabama. But he is still one to keep your eye on if the Tide make the cut for his new list of top schools.

CB Nigel Knott

• Madison, Mississippi (Germantown)
• 6'2", 220 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 72
• CB Ranking: 7
• Alabama's Status: Behind Oregon and Florida State (14 percent in his Crystal Ball predictions)

When he's not backflipping off walls to make catches, Nigel Knott is commanding more national attention from several of the top schools in the country. Alabama is in the top 10 for Knott, who also has Crystal Ball leaders Oregon and Florida State on his list.

The lightning-quick cornerback has an incredible highlight tape and would be a perfect fit in Saban and coordinator Kirby Smart's defense. Keep your eyes on Knott at The Opening and during the rest of the recruiting cycle.

DT Rashard Lawrence

• Monroe, Louisiana (Neville)
• 6'3", 305 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 15
• DT Ranking: 6
• Alabama's Status: Behind LSU, which has 100 percent of his Crystal Ball predictions

Alabama has a good track record of pulling some elite players from the state of Louisiana, and Lawrence could be the next one to join that list. The Crimson Tide will have a lot of work to do to snag him from LSU, but Lawrence would be an outstanding signing for the future of Alabama's defensive line.

"When you look at the type of defensive linemen Alabama has this year, Lawrence fits that mold," Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer said. "His size is great. He could play inside, he could play outside. He's athletic enough to do it."

QB Jawon Pass

• Columbus, Georgia (Carver)
• 6'5", 220 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 156
• QB-DT Ranking: 4
• Alabama's Status: Leader (44 percent of his Crystal Ball predictions)

Jawon Pass is from near Auburn country in Columbus, Georgia, but he is expected to commit to Alabama after The Opening. According to 247Sports' Ryan Bartow, Pass is scheduled to visit Tuscaloosa right before announcing his commitment on July 16.

The Georgia native is the ideal dual-threat quarterback for the future. His size, strong arm and athletic ability would work perfectly with what offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin has planned for the Crimson Tide offense.

WR Darnell Salomon

• Hollywood, Florida (Miami Central)
• 6'3", 210 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 50
• WR Ranking: 4
• Alabama's Status: Leader (50 percent of his Crystal Ball predictions)

Darnell Salomon is headed out of the state of Florida for his college football future. And the chances are great that he will join former Tide star Amari Cooper and 2015 signing Calvin Ridley as Miami area receivers to ply their trade in Tuscaloosa.

According to Salomon's 247Sports profile, Alabama is the leader for the nation's No. 4 wide receiver. He's made a big jump in the player rankings so far this year, and the hype will continue to grow with a great performance at The Opening.

OLB Lyndell Wilson

• Montgomery, Alabama (Carver)
• 6'2", 220 pounds
• Composite Ranking: 10
• OLB Ranking: 1
• Alabama's Status: Leader (91 percent of his Crystal Ball predictions)

The nation's No. 1 outside linebacker, Lyndell Wilson, is also an in-state recruit, and Alabama has the inside track for his letter of intent come national signing day. Auburn has reportedly backed off Wilson in recent weeks, so all signs are pointing for his arrival in Tuscaloosa.

"[Alabama's coaches] said I could play any linebacker position," Wilson told South. "They know I can go to any other school, but they've just laid out the position I can fill there with the guys they have in place."

Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.