On December 20, the first day of the Early Signing Period, the majority of the Crimson Tide’s 20 commits in the No. 4 ranked class will sign their National Letters of Intent and begin their early enrollment at the University of Alabama.
Interior offensive lineman Joseph Ionata (Clearwater, FL) is one of the players in that group who will also be joining the team for bowl practice in a few weeks. The three-star wide receiver told Bama247 that he expected to play center for the Crimson Tide after starting at tackle in high school.
“I’m already extremely comfortable at snapping, but I just want to continue to be automatic at center,” he stated. “I fully comprehend that the two starting tackles at this position are heavier than 6-foot-6.6 and 360 pounds.
That’s really, I believe, the best place for me, especially with my goals of getting into the NFL, which Alabama prepares you for so well.”
Ionata spoke with Bama247 earlier this week about his upcoming plans, his excitement about living on campus, and a host of other topics. Alabama is ranked eighth going into Saturday’s SEC championship game according to the College Football Playoff selection committee’s final weekly rankings.
Since the committee’s first rankings on October 31, the Tide has been ranked No. 8 for five weeks running. Despite a shift in order over the last three weeks, the top eight teams have remained the same over the course of those five weeks.
Alabama is ranked No. 8 by the CFP committee, which is in line with the coaches’ and Associated Press polls that were made public on Sunday. Alabama was ranked eighth in the most recent simulation of the BCS rankings, which are no longer in use and were utilized until 2013. This simulation used six different computer algorithms.
According to ESPN’s metrics earlier on Tuesday, Alabama has a 28% chance of qualifying for the postseason. Alabama’s chances of making the playoffs are 43 or 41 percent, depending on the outcome of the Pac-12 championship game, if the team defeats Georgia but both Florida State and Texas win their respective title games and Michigan wins the Big Ten. ESPN predicts that Texas will have a higher probability than Alabama to secure the final playoff spot in either scenario.
But if Florida State or Texas lose, Alabama’s chances of making the playoffs jump to more than 80% with a victory over Georgia. If Florida State and Texas lose, Alabama’s chances of making the playoffs rise to roughly 95%.
