Four-star offensive tackle Olaus Alinen will be making his college choice on Friday, and his commitment will be streamed live on CBS Sports HQ at 9 am ET. You can watch the announcement live in the video at the top of the page (or at this link here)on the CBS Sports App or via your connected device (Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV).
Alinen will be choosing between Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Oregon, and Ohio State. He took official visits to all five schools in June, and the 247Sports Crystal Ball currently has coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide as leaders in the recruitment. The 6-6, 315-pound senior from Loomis Chaffee School is the No. 118 overall prospect in the 2023 class and No. 17 Offensive tackle in the Top247 rankings, in addition to being the No. 1 recruit from the state of Connecticut.
Alinen’s father, Klaus Alinen, also has football experience, attending multiple NFL camps and playing in NFL Europe. Alinen moved to the United State from Finland for his junior season.
According to 247Sports national recruiting analyst Brian Dohn, Alinen is “forceful with initial punch and is physical” and plays aggressively while staying engaged on blocks. For now, Alinen has mid-round NFL draft potential but could improve his stock through his college career.
Tough for defenders to disengage. Sinks hips and uncoils well when engaging defender. Is consistent with hand placement and is quick to place inside on defenders. Shows foot speed and is technically sound with steps when pulling. Has body control to block at second level in space. Is quick to scrape and get to linebackers. Solid in pass pro because of his length and ability to move laterally but has to work on kick step. Is able to mirror but sometimes reaches rather than staying patient in base. Has to make sure he keeps size in check. Multi-year starter at high-level college program.
Should Alinen prove the Crystal Ball predictions correct and choose Alabama as his destination, his commitment would vault the Crimson Tide into the top 10 of the 2023 team rankings.