Alabama on Wednesday got a commitment from ESPN 300 offensive lineman Jaheim Oatis, a prospect the coaching staff has recruited for nearly four years despite the fact that he’s only a junior in high school.
Oatis first received an offer from the Crimson Tide coaches as an eighth grader after attending a summer camp on campus. He was 6-foot-4, 286 pounds, and had posted video of himself running a self-reported 4.7 40-yard dash at an Ole Miss camp as a 14-year-old.
My 40 at Mississippi state… 💪💪💪 pic.twitter.com/il4TZxelqj
— Jaheim Oatis (@JaheimOatis) July 24, 2017
Ole Miss and Mississippi State offered Oatis the same summer, and he’s now ESPN’s No. 215-ranked prospect overall in the 2022 class.
Oatis is 6-foot-4, 350 pounds and attends Columbia High School in Columbia, Mississippi. He is not the first prospect to receive an offer as an eighth grader, but it is rare to see a recruitment come full circle with a prospect still having a committable offer at this point in the process.
Alabama has had success in the past with recruits who were offered as eighth graders, as linebacker Dylan Moses also gained national attention, getting an offer from LSU and committing to the Tigers as an eighth grader, before eventually flipping to Alabama.
Moses, of course, went on to start for Alabama and is now hoping to make an NFL team.
Oatis is the sixth total commitment for the Crimson Tide’s 2022 class and the fifth ranked as an ESPN 300 recruit. The class is led by Emmanuel Henderson, the No. 1-ranked running back in the country, and quarterback Ty Simpson, the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback.