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Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff Writer
Nick Saban and Alabama added to their 2025 recruiting class Friday by picking up a commitment from running back Anthony Rogers.
Rogers (No. 39 in the 2025 ESPN 300) is the Crimson Tide’s second-highest recruit in the cycle and the fourth ESPN 300 member of the class — joining wide receiver Ryan Williams (No. 3 overall), offensive tackle Mason Short (No. 70 overall) and guard Dontrell Glover (No. 159 overall).
“They’re real straightforward,” Rogers told ESPN. “They all about their business. They’re going to tell you what it is. You got to work to get to your spot and there’s going to be no handouts. I just like how everybody got that grind mentality at Bama.”
Rogers also considered Georgia, Florida, Auburn and Oregon.
The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Rogers, who spent the first two years at Pike Road High School (Alabama) before transferring to IMG Academy, ran for 1,626 yards and 22 touchdowns as a sophomore.
“I’d say I’m an all-purpose back because I like to receive the ball, too,” he said. “I’m elusive. I got good vision. I’m good [with] top-end speed. I’m electric. Electric on the field.”
He would be the seventh ESPN 300 running back to sign with the program since 2020. Its top-ranked class from 2023 featured the top two running backs in that class (Richard Young and Justice Haynes).
Its 2024 class is currently ranked 12th and has six ESPN 300 commits — cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe (No. 2 overall), quarterback Julian Sayin (No. 8 overall), wide receiver Perry Thompson (No. 40 overall), linebacker Cayden Jones (No. 70 overall), defensive tackle Jeremiah Beaman (No. 117 overall) and defensive end Sterling Dixon (No. 229 overall).
Alabama ran for 195.5 yards a game — seventh in the SEC — in 2022 as part of an offensive attack that averaged 477.1 total yards a game, finishing fourth in the SEC.
Jahmyr Gibbs, whom the Detroit Lions took 12th overall in the 2023 NFL draft in April, was the catalyst (1,370 total yards and 10 touchdowns) for a running game that improved on its 150 yards per game average from 2021 — which sat 10th in the conference.
“I feel like I’d be an amazing fit at Bama with my skill set because they use their running backs to catch the ball out of the backfield a lot,” Rogers said. “I like how they used Gibbs this year and I also like the run game.”
Running backs Mark Ingram II (2011), Trent Richardson (2012), Josh Jacobs (2019), Najee Harris (2021) and Gibbs (2023) have all been selected in the first round during the Saban era at Alabama.
Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015) were the program’s first two Heisman Trophy winners.