THIS WEEKEND IN UAB ATHLETICS
The women’s basketball team (10-6, 1-3) takes on Florida Atlantic (9-7, 1-2) in Boca Raton on Saturday.
The track team hosts the Blazer Invitational at the Birmingham CrossPlex on Saturday.
The rifle team comes back from the break at Wofford on Saturday.
The men’s basketball team (9-7, 2-1) takes on Florida Atlantic (9-7, 2-1) in Boca Raton on Sunday.
FOOTBALL
The Blazers picked up five commitments yesterday: Southern (FCS) DT Jelani Davis, Alabama State (FCS) DB Dasheen Jackson, Rhode Island (FCS) LB Devin Hightower, East Tennessee State (FCS) WR AJ Johnson, and Pittsburgh CB Tamarion Crumpley.
Jelani Davis — DT, Southern
6’1”, 295 lbs — one year of eligibility remaining
Davis, who took an official visit to Birmingham from Tuesday-Wednesday, announced his commitment in a Twitter post.
In 2021, the St. Louis native began his career at Dodge City CC, the same school that produced recent UAB OL commit Deivi Martinez. Davis subsequently transferred to Deion Sanders’ Jackson State, where he failed to record any statistics. He spent the 2024 season at Southern. Davis accumulated 24 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks over 10 games.
A recent article in Baton Rouge’s The Advocate described Davis as a “pass-rush specialist,” an assertion backed up by his high sack total from the defensive tackle position.
“My season has been solid. I’ve had some ups and downs,” Davis said before a November game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. “I’m a pass rusher. My job is to get there. We have packages where I get in for certain things.”
Dasheen Jackson — DB, Alabama State
6’2”, 210 lbs — one year of eligibility remaining
Jackson, who took an official visit to Birmingham last Sunday, announced his commitment in a Twitter post.
The Columbus, Georgia native began his career at Hutchinson Community College, where he accumulated 74 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3 pass break ups, 2 forced fumbles and 1 interception over 21 career games. Considered one of the nation’s top JUCO safeties in 2022, Jackson signed with Troy, spurning offers from Appalachian State, East Carolina, FIU, Middle Tennessee State, and others. He only saw the field once for the Trojans and transferred to Alabama State before the 2024 season.
Under ASU defensive coordinator Ryan Lewis, now a UAB assistant, Jackson posted 29 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 1 INT, and 1 PBU during his sole season in Montgomery.
Lewis alluded to Jackson’s commitment on Tuesday night, tweeting: “🐝 🆗 🆒 🐉.”
Devin Hightower — LB, Rhode Island
6’1”, 230 lbs — one year of eligibility remaining
Hightower, who took an official visit to Birmingham on Tuesday, announced his commitment in a social media post.
The Twinsburg, Ohio native graduated from high school as a high three-star prospect in 2020. He began his career at Michigan State, where he only played special teams. Hightower transferred to Cincinnati in 2021, recording 5 tackles during his first year with the Bearcats. He went on to suffer a preseason injury that kept him on the sidelines for the entirety of the 2022 season.
Hightower dropped down to the FCS level in 2023. He contributed for URI during his redshirt sophomore season, putting up 8 tackles and a PBU over 10 games, but he absolutely broke out in 2024. Hightower racked up 92 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 INT, 4 PBUs, and 1 fumble recovery last fall, earning him an All-CAA honorable mention.
AJ Johnson — WR, East Tennessee State
6'3”, 195 lbs — two years of eligibility remaining
Johnson announced his commitment in a social media post.
Johnson began his high school career as Arch Manning’s top target at New Orleans’ Isidore Newman, excelling to the point where he was named a four-star recruit by Rivals. He racked up a long list of offers that included several SEC and ACC teams and eventually committed to LSU. He later decommitted from LSU, moved to Florida, and ended up at FCS Gardner-Webb in 2022.
Johnson redshirted in 2022 and was not overwhelmingly productive in 2023, but he dominated last season after transferring to ETSU. In the words of 247, who named Johnson one of the top FCS players of 2024:
After spending the last two seasons at Gardner-Webb, AJ Johnson got off to a bit of a slow start in his first season at East Tennessee State with just nine catches for 107 yards and one touchdown over his first five games. But he has hit his stride over the back half of the schedule, catching 31 passes for 555 yards and five touchdowns over his last six outings, including three 100-yard performances. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder has hauled in 40 of 44 catchable targets, and he is averaging 3.04 yards per route run, which ranks sixth among FCS underclassmen with at least 100 targets. He also does not have a single dropped pass.
Tamarion Crumpley — CB, Pittsburgh
6'1”, 195 lbs — one year of eligibility remaining
Crumpley announced his commitment in a social media post.
The Cincinnati, Ohio native was rated one of the state’s top cornerback prospects when he graduated high school in 2021. He signed with Pitt after graduation, spurning offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, Wake Forest, Washington State, West Virginia, and others.
Crumpley failed to find the field during his first two years with the Panthers but slotted into a niche as a special teams gunner and backup cornerback in 2023. In 2024, Crumpley impressed in summer practices and placed himself “firmly in the mix for the starting cornerback rotation;” however, he ultimately wasn’t able to increase his playing time, finishing the year with 6 tackles and a pick-six that marked the highlight of his Pitt career.
Davis, Jackson, Hightower, Johnson, and Crumpley become the newest members of a UAB transfer class that includes WR Kaleb Brown, WR Evan McCray, TE Antonio Ferguson, DE Jamichael Rogers, QB Peyton Floyd, S Josh Baka, OL Deivi Martinez, RB Jevon Jackson, DB Jaylen Cheek, LB Calvin Pitcher, DB Pierre Royster, and (unofficially) DB Perry Fisher.
More commitments are expected to be announced in the coming days. Confirmed visitors who are yet uncommitted include:
Stony Brook wide receiver Jayce Freeman and Old Dominion edge rusher Amorie Morrison, both of whom took official visits over the weekend.
Western Kentucky linebacker Kylan Guidry, Washington State safety Jackson Lataimua, Copiah-Lincoln (JUCO) TE Elijah Lagg, and Iowa Western (JUCO) OL Omarion Davis, all of whom took official visits earlier this week.
Syracuse DL Michael Nwokocha and Nicholls State (FCS) linebacker Eli Ennis, neither of whom have announced the dates of their visits.
In other UAB football news:
Steve Irvine interviewed new UAB commit Calvin Pitcher for the Banner.
Former UAB cornerback Mac McWilliams, who spent the 2024 season at UCF, will play in the Senior Bowl on Saturday, February 1st.
247 predicts former UAB tight end Jack Nickel will end up at Miami (FL), where his younger brother Luke is signed.