Decision Day: Will Alabama land another elite recruit from Mississippi?
During Alabama’s impressive run of commitments from June 4 through July 14, the program landed the top-ranked prospect out of Mississippi in Caleb Cunningham (July 13). A day later, the Tide earned a commitment from five-star offensive tackle Ty Haywood, who is a native of The Magnolia State.
Today, Bama will look to land another highly coveted recruit from Mississippi. Akylin Dear, the No. 3 player in Mississippi in the 2025 recruiting cycle, will announce his commitment on Tuesday. He announced his final three and commitment last week.
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BamaOnLine has all the details you need to know ahead of Dear’s upcoming commitment.
Date: Aug. 20
Time: TBD (expected to be close to evening time)
Finalists: Alabama, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss
Dear’s social media: X (Formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram
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Alabama has long been of high interest for elite RB Akylin Dear
Dear’s upcoming decision will be the second time that he will announce a college commitment this year.
The Quitman, Mississippi, High School running back originally committed to the in-state Ole Miss Rebels back on March 30. This announcement came just a week after Dear took an unofficial visit to Alabama, his first of the Kalen DeBoer era. It was somewhat of a surprise that he made a decision that early as there was confidence on Bama’s end after his spring trip.
Dear would go on to return to Tuscaloosa for an official visit from June 14-16. He decommitted from Ole Miss two weeks later; worth noting is that neither Ole Miss nor Mississippi State received an official visit from him in the summer.
BamaOnLine’s recruiting staff submitted our predictions for Dear’s recruitment back in late June. You can read more about those predictions and the intel behind them – HERE.
Dear has always had high interest in Alabama, a program that has been pursuing him since he was a sophomore. Running backs coach Robert Gillespie was retained by DeBoer, and that relationship has proven to be pivotal in Dear’s interest in the Tide.
In a conversation with BOL after his official visit, Dear says that he got significantly more time with the staff, as well as seeing the family vibe at Bama. Dear, who returned to The Capstone on July 28 for the Champions Cook-Out, also told BOL after his official visit that a pair of Alabama true freshmen pitched in to recruit him.
“Being able to connect with Daniel [Hill] was great,” Dear previously told BOL. “We’ve always competed against one another for years in high school. For this encounter to be him trying to help them recruit me because he knows my capabilities is an awesome feeling, that he even views me that way because I respect him.
“Ryan Williams was a great player-host as well,” Dear continued. “I’ve watched him over the past two years be a dominant force. For him to tell me to come home and play with him was crazy. I respect those guys and it means a lot that they would even consider me as a potential teammate.”
Whoever lands Dear on Tuesday will be getting one of the top players in the country. Dear is tabbed by On3 as the No. 31 overall prospect in this recruiting cycle. He’s also the No. 2 running back and the third-ranked senior out of Mississippi, behind Cunningham and Notre Dame quarterback commit Deuce Knight.
Despite a few recent decommitment, Alabama currently checks in at No. 2 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
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