Alabama’s top-ranked 2016 recruiting class just took a big hit.
According to an official statement released by the school, coach Nick Saban has announced the dismissal of 4-star offensive tackle Charles Baldwin — the No. 2 overall JUCO prospect in his class — for a “violation of unspecified team rules.”
Baldwin (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) enrolled at the university in January and participated in the team’s spring practice session, and though the expectation was for him to step in and vie for the starting right tackle position left by Dominick Jackson, reports indicate that he had somewhat disappointed and entered the meat of the offseason as a reserve.
Meanwhile, Saban and company are high on true freshman Jonah Williams, a 5-star prospect that received the bulk of first-team reps during spring practice and even received the nod for the starting right tackle spot in the team’s A-Day spring game.
Committing to Alabama last June, Baldwin picked the Crimson Tide over Georgia, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Ole Miss, and a handful of others. He was recruited by offensive line coach Mario Cristobal.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
