SMU Mustangs Land Two Recruits in Two Days Netting 4-Star OL Alan Ali
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
An ordinary day on the college football recruiting trail turned into a day of interest on Tuesday when SMU secured a verbal commitment from 4-star offensive lineman Alan Ali. The news for Mustang fans got better on Wednesday with the announcement of another verbal commit, Carroll High School offensive lineman Carson Green.
During the 2016 recruiting campaign, the University of Houston surprised the nation and sent a message to the in-state Power Five Conference teams that they could recruit with the best of them. So far SMU is replicating the process landing two 3-star recruits in wide receivers Trestan Eber and Tyquez Hampton and pulled a coup of sorts with Alan Ali.
Ali, listed at 6’5”, 275 pounds, has pushed his offer total into the double-digits with teams like Arizona State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Tulsa, Nevada, Virginia, and Cal wanting his commitment. Holding offers from both schools, recent visits to Iowa State and Nebraska appeared to put the Big 12 and Big Ten Conference members in the running.
SMU won the day when Ali took to Twitter posting, “Extremely excited and blessed to announce that I have committed to SMU #PonyUpTempo #StangGang17.”
Green is a 6’6”, 250 pounds, lineman who helped Southlake Carroll to a 9-3 record in 2015. SMU jumped on Green early. As of his Wednesday commitment, no other Division-I teams have offers reported for the Dragons rising star.
The early talent SMU has secured for the 2017 class is a trend in the right direction. Per Rivals recruiting rankings, the 2016 class had three 3-star recruits in linebacker/running back Jordan Carmouche, wide receiver Brandon Benson, and defensive end Michael Badejo. The other 22 commits were ranked as 2-star recruits.
SMU Mustangs 2017 Verbal Commitment List
OL Alan Ali, 6-5, 275, Timber Creek HS, Keller, TX
OL Carson Green, 6-5, 250, Southlake Carroll, Southlake, TX
WR Trestan Eber, 5-11, 177, Henderson HS, Henderson, TX
WR Tyquez Hampton, 6-3, 200, El Dorado HS, El Paso, TX
Photo credit: scout.com; No. 76 Alan Ali on the field for Timber Creek High School.