Alabama football does not recruit many players from Chicago and signs almost none. According to the Chicago Tribune, it has been twenty years since a Chicago-area player joined the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Jahleel Billingsley, like most of his family, loved basketball more than football. But they had a connection to the state of Alabama because Jahleel’s grandmother was from Selma, AL. Jahleel dedicated his commitment to his deceased grandmother when he announced for the Crimson Tide.
Hank South wrote about the family’s affinity for Alabama football based on a discussion with Jahleel’s father, Charles Billingsley.