Jeremiah Smith’s claim that Alabama did not recruit him drew a direct rebuttal from analyst Dan Dakich, who argued the Tide clearly pursued the 2024 class’s No. 1 player.
A February 2022 Alabama offer — less than a month after Smith’s unofficial visit — is the central evidence Dakich cites against Smith’s account.
Dakich argues the real issue was intensity, not absence: Alabama likely recruited Smith, but not as aggressively as Ohio State and other finalists.
Alabama’s 2024 class finished No. 2 nationally and included Florida prospects, which Dakich says undercuts theories that Nick Saban had checked out of recruiting.
He suggests Smith either overstated the slight or viewed limited pursuit as no pursuit at all, reflecting how elite recruiting battles often turn on perception.