It may be National Signing Day next Wednesday, but Alabama will host its first Junior Day of 2020 on Saturday, and the list is over two dozen and counting of big underclassmen names. You can find the entire list of confirmed visitors here.

Below, BamaOnLine takes at five big storylines entering the weekend. For this, we keep the focus on members of the 2021 class expected.

Early top/high choice targets in attendance

While the Early Signing Period for the 2021 class is seemingly an eternity away, there are already some big names that have emerged on UA’s target list. Most of the visitors on Saturday are of high interest/top priority considering the nature of the event. Notable targets include: five-star cornerback Ga’Quincy McKinstry, five-star offensive tackle Tommy Brockermeyer, four-star defensive back Terrion Arnold, four-star offensive tackle Terrence Ferguson, four-star tight end Hudson Wolfe, four cornerback Jordan Hancock, four-star athlete Xavian Sorey, and others.

In-state talent

2021 is another strong year within the state of Alabama, and that will be on display Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Several big or emerging names are expected to spend the day at the Capstone. A few of note include Alabama linebacker commit Deontae Lawson, five-star cornerback Ga’Quincy McKinstry, four-star defensive tackle Tim Keenan, four-star outside linebacker Ian Jackson, three-star athlete Kamari Lassiter, three-star receiver Christian Lewis, three-star safety Cam Jeffery, and others, most of which already hold offers to their name. It’s the first weekend in 2020 we’ve seen a significant amount of underclassmen visit campus, and Alabama certainly has a home-state group to boast.

Offer watch

Many of the prospects attending Junior Day already hold offers to their names. Three recruitments worth following closely this weekend, however, are four-star center James Brockermeyer, three-star wide receiver Christian Lewis, and four-star outside linebacker Ian Jackson. James, the brother of five-star offensive tackle Tommy Brockermeyer, camped last summer in Tuscaloosa and has been in contact with the UA staff. An offer would go a long way in keeping Bama in the hunt for both of the Brockermeyer brothers. Lewis has seen his stock rise since putting together a strong junior season. The in-state wideout grew up a Bama fan and an offer from the Tide would be a significant development in his recruitment. Jackson, another in-state riser, has received Florida State and Tennessee offers of late.

Commits back in town

The Tide’s 2021 class sits at three members thus far — Drake Maye, Latrell McCutchin, and Deontae Lawson. The latter two will be in town this weekend. Maye will be back on campus in March. UA currently holds the No. 15 class in the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings, with an average score of 95 per commit.

Commit watch

Events like these seem to always produce a commitment or two, if not at the very least give UA some momentum heading into the spring. It would not surprise me if Bama landed any one of the following over the weekend:

Noah Josey — There hasn’t been a school Josey’s visited more than Bama in the last year. The Tide appears to be in good shape for the Volunteer State product.

Xavian Sorey — Another prospect the Tide has long been trending for. Florida and Florida State may keep it interesting, but the Tide has been a top contender for well over a year.

Hudson Wolfe — Wolfe is still taking visits and considering all of his options, but like Josey, he’s been a frequent attendee at UA recruiting events and games the last 12 months.

Terrion Arnold — Alabama appears to be putting the full-court press on the Tallahassee DB after offering in November.

Bonus: I’m not officially putting them on “commit watch” but if Alabama offers James Brockermeyer this weekend — something I think there’s a good chance of happening — I anticipate we’ll see Bama take a very big step forward in both James’ and his brother Tommy’s recruitments. They’re expected at Auburn on Sunday following the Alabama visit on Saturday. With Clemson fading I think Texas is the primary competition here.