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5-Star CB Patrick Surtain Jr. Commits to Alabama over Miami, LSU
February 7, 2018
Highly touted cornerback recruit Patrick Surtain Jr. has chosen to play college football at Alabama.
According to Charlie Potter of 247Sports, Surtain announced his decision Wednesday on ESPNU.
Surtain is one of the top recruits in the 2018 class. He's rated as a 5-star prospect, the top-ranked cornerback in the nation and No. 6 overall player regardless of position, per 247Sports.
One reason Surtain comes with such high regard is he was born into a football family. His father is Patrick Surtain, who played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs from 1998-2008.
According to 247Sports, LSU, Miami, Clemson, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma are among the high-profile schools Alabama outflanked to land Surtain.
The last year has done wonders for Surtain's upside coming into college, as his Scout.com scouting report highlights:
Surtain has grown a couple of inches and is really coming into his own physically, and is technically sound with the ability to burst out of his breaks to make a play on the football in a hurry. Surtain is a fleet-footed cornerback that does a good job of sinking his hips and playing with suddenness, but when you add his prototypical size and length for a young defender, you have the makings of a potential five-star recruit.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban continues to put the rest of the country to shame in recruiting. The Crimson Tide are the defending national champions and have won five of the past nine titles because of their ability to replenish the talent pool.
They lost five underclassmen from last season. The secondary was hit particularly hard after safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ronnie Harrison declared for the 2018 NFL draft.
Surtain is the latest high-profile cornerback who will keep Alabama's defense among the nation's best. It won't be hard for him to find success given his size at 6'2" and natural athleticism. He's able to cover a lot of ground thanks to his length and can match receivers stride for stride.