Alabama Goes All Other Worldly In Recruiting, Gains Commitment From Finland Offensive Tackle

Spanning the globe to bring home the constant variety of commitments.

Alabama football coach Nick Saban's reach has extended 4,800 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to Pori, Finland, a seaside town on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia.

Olaus Alinen, a 6-foot-7, 310-pound native of Pori, committed to Alabama Friday live on CBS Sports' streaming HQ channel. He is the No. 12-ranked offensive tackle in this country by Rivals.com and the No. 1 prospect in Connecticut, where Alinen moved a year ago to play football at Loomis Chafee High in Windsor. He is the No. 134 overall prospect in the country.

Alinen's father, Klaus Alinen, is from Pori, Finland, and is an NFL Europe veteran and also did time in some NFL camps. His son chose Alabama, where he visited in early June, over Georgia and Clemson after visiting both in March. He also visited Ohio State in March and June and considered Miami and Oregon.

ALABAMA WINS SEC MEDIA DAYS VOTE IN A LANDSLIDE

His pledge gives Alabama 14 commitments for its 2023 class. The Tide is ranked No. 13 by Rivals.com and fifth in the SEC behind No. 6 Tennessee, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 8 Georgia and No. 10 LSU.

Alinen is Alabama's third offensive line commitment and third four-star prospect of that trio. The other two are from much closer to home - No. 6 tackle Wilkin Formby (6-8, 306) of Tuscaloosa's Northridge High, which is five miles from Saban's office, and No. 11 guard Ryqueze McElderrry (6-4, 325) of Anniston High in Anniston, which is 117 miles from the Alabama campus.

Nine of Alabama's 14 commitments are from out of state with two from Mississippi and Georgia and one each from Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois and Connecticut via Finland.