Alabama carries on five-star recruit streak with 2021 commitment from DE Dallas Turner

Alabama has had at least two five-star commitments in each recruiting class going back to the 2017 cycle, and that streak will continue in 2021 after defensive end Dallas Turner announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide on Wednesday.

Turner is the No. 13-ranked prospect overall and joins five-star offensive lineman J.C. Latham, who committed to the Crimson Tide on June 12.

Alabama beat out Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Oklahoma to add Turner to this class.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end out of Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said Alabama had more of what he was looking for than the other schools on his list.

"Alabama, the success of the program. I feel comfortable in that program because it's about business and they carry out every plan they put out," Turner said. "The amount of greatness at the school and the amount of people they produce to the NFL and also how Coach [Nick] Saban runs his program, that they have high expectations on and off the field."

The number of players the Crimson Tide have sent to the NFL stood out to Turner, whose goal is to be a professional football player. He plans on majoring in business or finance and wants to go into wealth management if his dream of playing in the NFL doesn't come true.

With the coronavirus pandemic altering the recruiting cycle, creating a quiet period that prevented prospects from taking visits this spring and into the summer, Turner said he got his visits in just in time. He was able to see Georgia and Alabama, two of the main schools he was deciding between, and feels comfortable making his decision without taking other visits.

That doesn't mean it wasn't a tough decision, though, as he did have a difficult time initially narrowing down his choice.

"To be completely honest, my mind changed almost every day," Turner said. "Growing up, you have your dream schools, but when you actually get recruited by different schools, you realize your dream schools aren't your best fits for you. My dream schools were Florida and Michigan, and a little bit LSU when I was a kid."

Alabama is now the dream, and Turner is adding to what has been a slow start for the Crimson Tide.

Before Turner's commitment, the Crimson Tide had the No. 18-ranked class overall. With Turner on board, Alabama has 10 total commitments. It had the No. 2-ranked class with 21 total commitments at this time last year.

Turner and Latham committing in June could be a catalyst to keep momentum going. Although Alabama has only 10 commitments, eight are in the ESPN 300 and six are in the top 150 of the rankings. 

It might be a slower start for Alabama, but the quality is still there in the elite-level recruits currently committed.