University Alabama at Birmingham picked up an all-important commit on the defensive line this Sunday from Michael Fairbanks out McEachern high school. The 6’3″ 260-pound hog molly expanded on his decision in a note that he posted on Twitter.
The recruiting process started well before the evaluation period for Fairbanks, and he saw his first offers come at the very beginning of the year where Central Michigan became his first FBS offer. They did not stop either, and the big man from Cobb County ended up with over 15 at the time of his commitment.
UAB jumped in early, offering the talented young lineman on February 21st. Fairbanks, took a visit at the beginning of his spring break back in March, where he really began to bond with the coaching staff. That visit really seemed to carry over, and even though Fairbanks continued to receive offers, the Blazers remained on his mind, and ultimately earned his commitment.
This is a big pickup for UAB, who is trying revitalize their program after an unfortunate series events forced them to close down their team for a few years. Fairbanks had several Power 5 programs that were showing interest, but was ready to make a decision, and just like he mentioned in the note above, he is a strong believer in UAB’s resurgence.
The McEachern defender has a massive frame that he has continued to build up over the last year, and has packed on 15-20 pounds of muscle. He plays with a lot of hustle and good fundamentals that he uses to control the line of scrimmage. He demonstrates good leg drive too, and once he gets leverage on his opponent it is game over. Fairbanks is a sound tackler, and his versatility to play across the line of scrimmage will be extremely helpful for a team in dire need of depth.
Fairbanks also sports an impressive 4.09 GPA and he also scored 24 on the ACT. With his commitment UAB now has eleven commits for the class of 2018, but just one player from the state of Georgia. We expect that number to balloon this fall as UAB has many offers out in the Peach State, but regardless, today the Blazers picked up a real steal in Michael Fairbanks.
