One of the state’s top high school football prospects is going to Alabama.
Warren Central defensive end Jerimy Finch Jr., the second-ranked in-state prospect in the 2026 class by 247Sports, announced his commitment to Alabama on Sunday on Instagram. The 6-3, 260-pound Finch picked the Crimson Tide over his other four finalists: Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Purdue and Tennessee.
Finch took an official visit to Alabama at the end of May. He also took official visits to each of his other four finalists.
“I’m looking for a family atmosphere and an opportunity where I can showcase myself,” Finch said last month. “Sometimes freshmen aren’t able to showcase their talent. It’s all about relationships and getting my feet wet. I feel like I can play anywhere on the line and help them win games.”
Finch, the son of former Warren Central star Jerimy Finch Sr., has been a disruptive force for the Warriors the past two seasons. He made a team-high 92 tackles as a junior, including 24 for a loss, and seven sacks.
Finch was part of a star-studded defensive line last season with Damien Shanklin (LSU), Tyrone Burrus (Indiana) and Marcus Bell Jr. (Campbellsville). One of his biggest strengths is his versatility, a trait that also stood out to college coaches.
“I feel like right now my strength is defensive tackle,” Finch said. “I didn’t play the edge because of Shanklin and Burrus. Some schools look at me as a tackle, some as an end and some as outside linebacker. Multiple, really. They like my versatility, my explosion and my instincts for the game.”
Finch is the eighth high school commitment in the 2026 class for Alabama. New Warren Central coach J.T. Whitaker believes the best is yet to come for Finch, who he plans to use in multiple ways this season.
“We’ll look at finding matchups (for Finch) where we can expose the other team’s offense,” Whitaker said. “Because he’s so versatile and talented, he could literally play any spot across the defensive line and be great at it. We’re not going to pigeonhole him into one thing because he’s so talented. Our job is to use those talents and bring the best out in him. Moving him around and making it tough on the opponent is kind of our goal there. The challenge for him is going from being one of the guys to be the guy. I think he’s ready to take that next step. He’s going to be dominant, there’s no doubt.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Football recruiting: Warren Central defensive end Jerimy Finch Jr. commits to Alabama
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
