In the spring of 2022, Mike Bramblett sat William Sanders down and asked him what his goals were.

Sanders answered his head coach at Tuscaloosa County’s Brookwood High clearly: he wanted to be an SEC football player. Well, Bramblett responded, the 230-pound sophomore would need to make some changes.

Sanders, now a 290-pound rising senior, reaped the benefit of that conversation on Friday when he committed to Nick Saban and Alabama football. The four-star offensive lineman, according to 247Sports Composite, announced his decision on Instagram Live from Brookwood’s gym. His other finalists were LSU and Mississippi State.

Sanders is ranked as the No. 24 interior offensive lineman in his class and the 21st-rated prospect in the state. Yet, it’s possible Sanders will continue to rise up prospect boards after garnering heavy interest after a strong set of camp performances.

Bramblett told AL.com that Sanders is the highest-rated recruit in nearly 80 years of Panthers football. Sanders is also the Tide’s first commitment from Brookwood since 1958.

“Strong academically, terrific athletically, very, very strong faith background. Great leadership. Great teammate. Everything you want in a young man that plays high school football,” Bramblett said.

Sanders’ father, Sebo Sanders, is the deputy chief of police in Tuscaloosa, according to his LinkedIn. He instilled a strong work ethic in his son, who started adding weight with a regimented diet and strength program to add nearly 45 pounds between his spring basketball season and his junior year of football.

Brookwood’s offense is predominantly run-first, Bramblett said. So when evaluators and SEC coaches told Sanders he’d need to improve as a pass blocker, he and Bramblett cleared time to work on kick-outs. He found a personal trainer to work with in the offseason. And in June, he picked up one of his 22 offers from the Crimson Tide.

“He embraced it. He attacked it,” Bramblett added. ” … He did everything that we asked and more to help put him in the position that he’s in now.”

Alabama now has three offensive linemen in the class of 2024 and six in-state prospects overall. Sanders joins Texas four-star Casey Poe and Florida three-star Joseph Iionata as the second group of trench players coach Eric Wolford has secured.

Last year, Wolford made a strong debut on staff with five commitments, including a flip of the nation’s best tackle Kadyn Proctor.

With Sanders’ verbal pledge, Alabama jumped Michigan in the 247Spors team list. The Tide now sit behind Florida, Ohio State and No. 1 Georgia.

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Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected]