Highly touted Brockermeyer twins pick Alabama

Alabama added two top-100 commitments to its 2021 class Friday when five-star offensive tackle Tommy Brockermeyer and twin brother, James, announced their commitment to the Crimson Tide.

Tommy is the No. 2-ranked prospect overall, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound tackle who chose Alabama over Texas, Clemson, LSU and Auburn.

“Alabama is just a program that I felt I couldn’t ignore,” Tommy said. “Their history and tradition of developing NFL tackles and winning tradition is unlike any other school. I also wanted to challenge myself to play against the best competition in college football.”

James, the No. 99-ranked prospect overall, is a 6-foot-3, 255-pound center who chose Alabama over Auburn, Texas and LSU.

“The winning tradition there is second-to-none along with an unreal strength and conditioning program,” James said. “Everything Coach [Nick] Saban has done there is second-to-none, and they are an offensive line factory.”

The brothers are both from All Saints’ Episcopal School in Fort Worth, Texas, and have heavy ties to the University of Texas football program. Their older brother, Luke, currently plays for Texas; their father, Blake, was an All-American for the Longhorns in the 1990s; and their grandfather, Kay, also played at Texas.

Early on it seemed as though the Longhorns were the team to beat, but as their recruiting process went on, Alabama steadily gained momentum.

As twins, they both said it was very likely they would end up at the same school even though they were going through the recruiting process as two different prospects. That added a layer to their recruitment, as they had to try to find the right place for two people instead of just one.

“It’s probably harder, because it’s two different people looking at the same stuff,” James said. “So two people appealing to the same thing is obviously harder than getting one person.”

Alabama was able to convince both brothers that Tuscaloosa was the place to be, and now the two ESPN 300 offensive linemen are adding to an already successful few months on the recruiting trail for Saban and his staff.

The Crimson Tide have now landed 10 ESPN 300 commitments since May, including three five-star prospects with Tommy Brockermeyer; fellow tackle J.C. Latham, the No. 9 ranked prospect in the class; and defensive end Dallas Turner, the No. 13 overall recruit.

Alabama was ranked outside the top 25 in the class rankings at the start of May but has since steadily climbed as the coaches have added talent to the class. Before these two commitments, Alabama was sitting at No. 13 overall. It will likely move up now with the Brockermeyers on board.

The coaches now have 12 ESPN 300 commitments in the class, which is tied with LSU and North Carolina and behind only Ohio State, with 15.