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USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Top 10 all-time highest-rated recruits in Alabama football history
Top 10 all-time highest-rated recruits in Alabama football history When taking a look back at the last two decades in particular, a big reason why the Alabama Crimson Tide have had success on the football field is due to their results on the recruiting trail. Under former head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide brought in numerous top-ranked recruiting classes, a trend that seems to be continuing with Kalen DeBoer now in charge at Alabama. When taking a deeper look at some of those classes as well, many of the same groups were headlined by a player-or-two who was among the nation's best in that cycle. Some of those same names also went on to live up to the hype they garnered as high school recruits as well once in Tuscaloosa, going on to shine for the Crimson Tide. Taking an overall look at the program's storied history as well, who are some of the top high school prospects that the Crimson Tide have ever landed, and what did they then go on to do once at Alabama? With every name mentioned rated as a five-star prospect when they came to Tuscaloosa, here are the 10 highest-rated recruits in Alabama football history, according to the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings. 10. Najee Harris, Running Back Alabama's 2017 recruiting class was the nation's best that cycle, boasting a total of six five-star prospects that were headlined by the nation's No. 2 overall player in running back Najee Harris out of Antioch High School in California. A class that also included the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Jerry Jeudy, and DeVonta Smith, among others, Harris ended his Alabama career with a combined 3,843 rushing yards and 57 total touchdowns from 2017-20, and won two national championships with the Crimson Tide in 2017 and 2020. 9. Brodie Croyle, Quarterback A member of Alabama's 2001 recruiting class, quarterback Brodie Croyle is one of the top in-state recruits to end up playing in Tuscaloosa ever, joining the Crimson Tide as the nation's No. 2 overall player that cycle out of Westbrook Christian School. Croyle went on to become a multi-year starter in Tuscaloosa from 2002-05 where he held a career 56.2 CMP% with 6,382 passing yards and a 41:22 TD:INT ratio. 8. Keon Keeley, Edge Rusher A current member of Alabama's football roster entering the 2025 season, edge rusher Keon Keeley was the highest-rated of four five-star prospects in the Crimson Tide's 2023 class alongside the likes of Kadyn Proctor and Caleb Downs, rated as the nation's No. 2 overall player out of Berkeley Prep School in Florida. So far across two seasons with the Crimson Tide, Keeley has a combined three tackles. 7. Eyabi Okie-Anoma, Edge Rusher Alabama's 2018 recruiting class had a pair of five-star prospects who ranked within the Top 10 players nationally, the highest-rated of which was edge rusher Eyabi Okie-Anoma, over cornerback Patrick Surtain II, at No. 4 in the nation out of St. Frances Academy in Maryland. A player who concluded his collegiate career elsewhere, Okie-Anoma amassed a combined nine tackles and two TFL while at Alabama. 6. JC Latham, Offensive Tackle The Crimson Tide's 2021 recruiting class was certainly a memorable one boasting seven five-star prospects, with the highest-rated being offensive tackle JC Latham, the nation's No. 3 overall player out of IMG Academy in Florida. Latham went on to become a multi-year starter along Alabama's offensive line while in Tuscaloosa. 5. Julio Jones, Wide Receiver Julio Jones was the top name in Alabama's 2008 recruiting class, joining the Crimson Tide as the nation's No. 3 overall player out of in-state Foley High School, and also provided one of the most memorable recruiting moments in the program's history. A one-time national champion in 2009, the wide receiver ended his Alabama career from 2008-10 with 2,653 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns. 4. Cyrus Kouandijo, Offensive Tackle Alabama's 2011 recruiting class was the nation's best that cycle, with the headline name of that group being Cyrus Kouandijo, an offensive tackle who ranked as the No. 2 overall player nationally out of DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland. A two-time national champion in 2011 and 2012, Kouandijo was a multi-year starter along Alabama's offensive line. 3. Andre Smith, Offensive Tackle Offensive tackle Andre Smith is the highest-rated in-state prospect to ever commit to Alabama, joining the Crimson Tide as the headline name in the program's 2006 recruiting class out of Huffman High School where he was rated the nation's No. 1 overall player. An instant starter in Tuscaloosa, Smith was an impactful member of the offensive line for Alabama from 2006-08. 2. Bryce Young, Quarterback The two highest-rated recruits in Alabama football history are both quarterbacks, the first of which is Bryce Young, who, as a member of the Crimson Tide's 2020 recruiting class, was the nation's No. 2 overall prospect out of Mater Dei High School in California. A one-time national champion in 2020, Young ended his three-year Alabama career with a 65.8 CMP%, 8,356 passing yards, and an 80:12 TD:INT ratio, and is the lone Crimson Tide quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, doing so in 2021. 1. Keelon Russell, Quarterback A current member of Alabama's 2025 roster, quarterback Keelon Russell is the highest-rated recruit in Crimson Tide program history, coming to Tuscaloosa as the headline name in the 2025 recruiting class, rated as the No. 2 overall player nationally out of Duncanville High School in Texas. Russell is the lone member of this group yet to appear in a collegiate game, as the quarterback is currently entering his true freshman season at Alabama in 2025. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
USA Today
24-05-2025
- USA Today
Neo-Nazi leader accused of inspiring school shooting, plotting NYC attack extradited to US
Neo-Nazi leader accused of inspiring school shooting, plotting NYC attack extradited to US Show Caption Hide Caption Antioch High School student-led rally to honor Josselin Corea Escalante Students and local politicians attend a student-led rally to honor Josselin Corea Escalante at Antioch High School in Antioch, Tenn., Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. The 17-year-old Tennessee school shooter said before the attack he was acting on behalf of the group MKY. The leader of MKY, a Georgian national, was extradited to the U.S. and arraigned in New York on May 23. The charges relate to Michail Chkhikvishvili's alleged training of an undercover agent on how to carry out a mass poisoning. Federal officials extradited an international neo-Nazi group leader they say inspired a teen to commit a school shooting in Tennessee earlier this year and plotted to commit a mass casualty attack in New York City targeting Jewish people. The terrorist group's leader, 21-year-old Michail Chkhikvishvili, orchestrated deadly attacks around the globe, prosecutors said. The citizen of the nation of Georgia was extradited from Moldova on May 22 after he was arrested in July. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Brooklyn on May 23, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ said the man, who went by the name "Commander Butcher," was the leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, which goes by several other names including MKY. Chkhikvishvili has distributed a writing called the "Hater's Handbook," encouraging people to commit acts of mass violence and "ethnic cleansing," according to court filings. His "solicitations of violence" led to international attacks, including a 2024 stabbing outside a mosque in Turkey, prosecutors said. Chkhikvishvili targeted the U.S. as a site for more attacks because of the ease of accessing firearms, prosecutors said in court records. He told an undercover law enforcement employee, 'I see USA as big potential because accessibility to firearms and other resources,' in an electronic message sent Sept. 8, 2023, court filings show. It was not clear if Chkhikvishvili had an attorney who could speak on his behalf 'Murder cult' leader plotted to poison Jewish kids in NYC, feds say Chkhikvishvili has been indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on four counts including solicitation of violent felonies. The charges stemmed from Chkhikvishvili's communications with an undercover FBI employee in which he trained and encouraged the undercover agent to carry out a mass attack against Jewish people and minorities. Chkhikvishvili corresponded with the undercover agent between September 2023 and at least March 2024. The plot included having an individual wearing a Santa Claus costume hand out poisoned candies to Jewish kids in New York City on New Year's Eve. It later evolved into targeting Jewish people on a larger scale. Chkhikvishvili said he wanted the attack to be a "bigger action than Breivik," prosecutors said. Breivik refers to Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a massacre in Norway in 2011 that targeted mostly teenagers at a camp. "His goal was to spread hatred, fear, and destruction by encouraging bombings, arson, and even poisoning children," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said last year. The MKY group is based in Russia and Ukraine but has members around the world, including the U.S., according to a federal complaint. Members adhere to neo-Nazi ideology promoting violence against racial minorities. Chkhikvishvili allegedly inspired Tennessee school shooting The man's arrest came before the deadly attack at Antioch High School on Jan. 22, 2025. However, prosecutors in the New York federal court linked the Antioch shooting to Chkhikvishvili's solicitations of violence in a court filing on May 23, the Nashville Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York wrote to the judge requesting the man be incarcerated before trial. They pointed to several ways his actions have 'directly resulted in real violence,' including the shooting at Antioch High School. According to the prosecutors, the 17-year-old attacker claimed he was taking action on behalf of MKY and at least one other group in an audio recording posted online before the shooting. It is not clear if the shooter was a member of MKY or had contact with Chkhikvishvili or other members of the terrorist organization. Chkhikvishvili said the group asks for video of brutal beatings, arson, explosions or murders to join the group, adding that the victims should be 'low race targets.' Chkhikvishvili's name also appeared in the document the DOJ said was written by the Antioch shooter – a 300-page writing in which the shooter espoused misanthropic White supremacist and Nazi ideologies. The shooter also referred to the founder of MKY and said he would write the founder's name on his gun, according to prosecutors. Josselin Corea Escalante, 16, died after the 17-year-old shot her with a pistol in the cafeteria of Antioch High School. Another student was injured during the attack. The shooter, 17-year-old student Solomon Henderson, then shot and killed himself. Contributing: Michael Loria, USA TODAY
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Head of international neo-Nazi group that inspired Antioch school shooter extradited to US
The teen who fatally shot a fellow student and himself at Antioch High School this year was inspired by an international neo-Nazi group whose leader orchestrated deadly attacks around the globe, according to federal prosecutors. The terrorist group's leader, 21-year-old Michail Chkhikvishvili, of the nation of Georgia, was extradited from Moldova on May 22 after he was arrested in July. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Brooklyn on May 23, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ says the man was the leader of a group called MKY. Chkhikvishvili targeted the U.S. as a site for more attacks because of the ease of accessing firearms. He told an undercover law enforcement employee, 'I see USA as big potential because accessibility to firearms and other resources,' in an electronic message sent Sept. 8, 2023, court filings show. Chkhikvishvili has been indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on four counts including solicitation of violent felonies. The charges stemmed from Chkhikvishvili's communications with an undercover law enforcement employee in which he trained and encouraged the undercover agent to carry out a mass attack against Jewish people and minorities. The man's arrest came before the deadly attack at Antioch High School on Jan. 22, 2025. However, prosecutors in the New York federal court linked the Antioch shooting to Chkhikvishvili's solicitations of violence in a court filing on May 23. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York wrote to the judge requesting the man be incarcerated before trial. They pointed to several ways his actions have 'directly resulted in real violence,' including the shooting at Antioch High School. According to the prosecutors, the 17-year-old attacker claimed he was taking action on behalf of MKY and at least one other group in an audio recording posted online before the shooting. It is not clear if the shooter was a member of MKY or had contact with Chkhikvishvili or other members of the terrorist organization. Chkhikvishvili said the group asks for video of brutal beatings, arson, explosions or murders to join the group, adding that the victims should be 'low race targets.' Chkhikvishvili's name also appeared in the document the DOJ characterizes as the Antioch shooter's manifesto — a 300-page document in which the shooter espoused misanthropic White supremacist and Nazi ideologies. The shooter also referred to the founder of MKY and said he would write the founder's name on his gun, according to prosecutors. Josselin Corea Escalante, 16, died after the 17-year-old shot her with a pistol in the cafeteria of Antioch High School. Another student was injured during the attack. The shooter then shot and killed himself. Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Neo Nazis inspired Antioch shooter. Now US has extradited their leader
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Head of international neo-Nazi group that inspired Antioch school shooter extradited to US
The teen who fatally shot a fellow student and himself at Antioch High School this year was inspired by an international neo-Nazi group whose leader orchestrated deadly attacks around the globe, according to federal prosecutors. The terrorist group's leader, 21-year-old Michail Chkhikvishvili, of the nation of Georgia, was extradited from Moldova on May 22 after he was arrested in July. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Brooklyn on May 23, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ says the man was the leader of a group called MKY. Chkhikvishvili targeted the U.S. as a site for more attacks because of the ease of accessing firearms. He told an undercover law enforcement employee, 'I see USA as big potential because accessibility to firearms and other resources,' in an electronic message sent Sept. 8, 2023, court filings show. Chkhikvishvili has been indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on four counts including solicitation of violent felonies. The charges stemmed from Chkhikvishvili's communications with an undercover law enforcement employee in which he trained and encouraged the undercover agent to carry out a mass attack against Jewish people and minorities. The man's arrest came before the deadly attack at Antioch High School on Jan. 22, 2025. However, prosecutors in the New York federal court linked the Antioch shooting to Chkhikvishvili's solicitations of violence in a court filing on May 23. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York wrote to the judge requesting the man be incarcerated before trial. They pointed to several ways his actions have 'directly resulted in real violence,' including the shooting at Antioch High School. According to the prosecutors, the 17-year-old attacker claimed he was taking action on behalf of MKY and at least one other group in an audio recording posted online before the shooting. It is not clear if the shooter was a member of MKY or had contact with Chkhikvishvili or other members of the terrorist organization. Chkhikvishvili said the group asks for video of brutal beatings, arson, explosions or murders to join the group, adding that the victims should be 'low race targets.' Chkhikvishvili's name also appeared in the document the DOJ characterizes as the Antioch shooter's manifesto — a 300-page document in which the shooter espoused misanthropic White supremacist and Nazi ideologies. The shooter also referred to the founder of MKY and said he would write the founder's name on his gun, according to prosecutors. Josselin Corea Escalante, 16, died after the 17-year-old shot her with a pistol in the cafeteria of Antioch High School. Another student was injured during the attack. The shooter then shot and killed himself. Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Neo Nazis inspired Antioch shooter. Now US has extradited their leader
New York Post
23-05-2025
- New York Post
Neo-Nazi cult leader who plotted NYC attack on minorities using Santa costume hauled to US for trial
The leader of the neo-Nazi 'Maniac Murder Cult,' who plotted to attack New York City on New Year's Eve using a goon dressed as Santa Claus, was hauled to the US to face charges — as the feds said his hateful screeds succeeded in radicalizing Americans into committing violence. Georgian national Michail 'Commander Butcher' Chkhikvishvili, 21, inspired 'multiple senseless killings' around the world, including the deadly Antioch High School shooting in January — where a radicalized ROTC cadet gunned down a 16-year-old teen girl in Nashville, according to a letter from the Justice Department Friday. 4 Georgian national Michail 'Commander Butcher' Chkhikvishvili, 21, inspired 'multiple senseless killings' around the world, including the deadly Antioch High School shooting in January, according to the feds. U.S. Department of Justice Advertisement Prosecutors said that the Nashville shooter, 17-year-old Solomon Henderson, had proclaimed in audio recordings before the attack that he was 'taking action on behalf of MKY' and had explicitly mentioned Chkhikvishvili by name. The feds also said that Chkhikvishvili was connected to a Turkey knife attack where a crazed Turkish teen wearing Nazi paraphernalia livestreamed himself stabbing five outside a mosque in August 2024. 4 A teen girl was a victim of the shooting at Antioch High School on January 23, 2025. AP Advertisement Chkhikvishvili, who was arrested last year in Moldova, was extradited to the US on Thursday — and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Friday in Brooklyn Federal court on multiple felony counts, including solicitation of hate crime. In a 22-page criminal complaint, prosecutors detailed Chkhikvishvili's role as a leader and recruiter within the 'Maniac Murder Cult,' a Russia and Ukraine-based neo-Nazi group that promotes violence against racial minorities, Jewish people and other so-called 'undesirables.' Chkhikvishvili, who lived with his grandmother in Brooklyn in 2022, published multiple editions of a manifesto called the 'Hater's Handbook,' in which he encouraged others to commit school shootings and other mass terror attacks, while offering how-tos in order to pull off attacks, according to the indictment. His manifesto shared by the alleged stabbed in Turkey, according to the filing — which also pegs Chkhikvishvili to another livestream murder in Romania in April 2022. Advertisement Chkhikvishvili, who was arrested in Moldova last year, allegedly tried to plan a hate attack with one of his pal's donning a Santa Clause costume who would hand out poison-laced candy to minorities across New York City. 4 Chkhikvishvili, under the name 'Commander Butcher,' worked as a leader and recruiter for the Maniac Murder Cult, authorities said. USAO EDNY The plot was foiled when the person he solicited for the attack was actually an undercover FBI agent. He also planned a similar position candy stunt targeting Jewish school children in Brooklyn — and sent information on how to make bombs and ricin-based poison using castor beans, according to court documents. Advertisement 'The defendant has consistently demonstrated that he is capable of orchestrating deadly attacks from behind a computer screen at home,' the feds said in the filing. 'Moreover, the defendant has repeatedly stated that he has committed acts of violence and that he intends to commit more. The Court should take the defendant at his word and detain him in the interest of public safety.' 4 Chkhikvishvili pleaded not guilty to the charges and was ordered detained by a judge following his arraignment Friday. U.S. Department of Justice Brooklyn Federal Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo ordered Chkhikvishvili on the prosecution's request finding that the mad man poses a danger to society and is considered a flight risk. Chkhikvishvili's attorney, Sam Gregory, and asked the judge for a psychological evaluation and to put the alleged neo-Nazi under suicide watch at the Metropolitan Detention Center. The judge ordered Chkhikvishvili back to court for a status conference on June 11.
