Dijon Lee details Bama commitment, recruiting a pair of 5-stars to Tuscaloosa

June saw Alabama land its first quarterback commitment, first offensive lineman commit(s), first ‘Wolf’ addition and the first special teams pledge of the 2025 class.

To end the month on a high note, the Tide landed a commitment from their first five-star of the cycle: Mission Viejo, California, cornerback Dijon Lee. Lee chose Bama on Friday following an official visit with the school the weekend prior. Alabama beat out the likes of Georgia, Texas, and others to secure Lee’s commitment.

Lee, the No. 30 overall prospect regardless of position in his class, broke down his decision with BamaOnLine.

“The relationships that I had with Courtney Morgan and Kalen DeBoer, it carried over,” Lee told BOL. “And, before that, who doesn’t want to play at Alabama? Nick Saban made a great foundation for the place. When he retired, they went over there and kept on recruiting me hard, and telling me that they wanted me at any place that they went to. After that, I just felt that that was home.

“They were definitely very happy because we’ve been building this relationship for a long time,” Lee continued. “But they were like, ‘Let’s get to work. It’s time to work.’ They were definitely stoked, though, and very happy.”

DeBoer’s staff at Washington offered Lee in February 2023, one of his first notable offers to that point. They got him on campus in April, and then again in October for the Oregon game. The Huskies were of high interest for Lee despite being coveted by national programs from coast to coast.

Four days after arriving in Tuscaloosa, DeBoer and Morgan offered Lee at Alabama. The coaches got the West Coast recruit on campus a trio of times, an impressive feat considering the distance he had to travel.

“They showed us that we were a top priority there every single time we were there,” Lee said. “They told us that, and they just haven’t changed ever since. Loyalty is the most important factor of it all.”

Lee’s grandfather, Terrence King, accompanied him on all three visits to T-Town this year. Following last week’s official visit, King told BOL that Alabama “feels like home” for the family, and had nothing but positive things to say about DeBoer and his program.

He took his grandfather’s advice into account when making his decision.

“I was talking with Courtney Morgan, and talking it over with my family. Doing the pros and cons of those places: Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Texas, and Washington,” Lee said. “We were going over what would be the best fit for me. I took my grandpa’s advice, took my family’s advice – They told me this would be the best place for me to succeed, and that’s the place I picked.”

New Bama commit Dijon Lee is recruiting a pair of 5-stars to Tuscaloosa

A new relationship that Lee had to build in this process was the one with future position coach Maurice Linguist. There was not a prior connection like with DeBoer and Morgan, but Linguist made a strong impression on Lee from his very first visit.

“Me and Coach Mo have a great relationship,” Lee said. “We just started building it, but it started off on the right foot. First impression is everything. We talk a lot. Week in and week out, he has been just showing me strategic ways to play corner and teaching me before I even got there. I just know he’s a very smart coach, so that boosted me into wanting to go there.

“I know that he’s definitely a great coach,” Lee continued. “When I go there, he will develop me and turn me into the best player I can be. That’s really what I want.”

Along with knowing some of the staff members, Lee has bonds with several members on the team, including fellow California defensive back products Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown.

Those two — along with a couple of other new additions to Alabama’s team — have given Lee some insight into the program.

“Talking to them, they just told me about Alabama,” Lee said of Brown and Jackson. “They told me about all the pros and cons. How the coaches are. They were just telling me about how it is there. They kept it real with me, which is what I like.

Five-star DB Dijon Lee, now an Alabama commit, on his official visit with the Tide.

“I talked with Jaylen Mbakwe and Ryan Williams,” Lee added. “They were pretty much giving me the rundown of it, too, but differently because they’re from Alabama. They were just telling me about Alabama. Period. They had more knowledge than anyone else since they’re from there.”

Mbakwe and Williams were instrumental recruiters for Bama as high school prospects, and have continued that since joining the team.

As the Tide’s new highest-rated commitment, Lee intends on recruiting top prospects to join him in Tuscaloosa.

“I see a couple of people with top fours and top fives, and I talk with them a little bit,” Lee said. “Kaliq [Lockett], I’ve talked with him multiple times. We actually were at the On3 Elite Camp together. We’ve been talking about it. Caleb Cunningham, I talked to him when we were on the same official visit. So, those are two I’m trying to get.”

And what is Lee’s recruiting pitch to the pair of five-star wideouts?

“You’ve seen what Kalen DeBoer did at Washington on offense,” Lee replied. “Why not come do it at Alabama in the SEC?”

Alabama’s culture, history also appealed to Lee

An interesting takeaway from this conversation is that Dijon Lee says Alabama would have been of high interest for him if he was pursued by Nick Saban‘s staff. There was some communication between the two sides, but it picked up immensely when DeBoer and Company arrived.

One of the main reasons why is the development of defensive backs over the past couple of decades.

“Definitely has one of the best DB histories of all time,” Lee said. “In my opinion, that’s ‘DBU’ because they have so many DBs in the NFL. I would love to add on to the list.”

The Alabama culture has remained intact, and is one that Lee is itching to join.

“Definitely a great culture there,” Lee said. “It’s still like Coach Saban is there. It’s still the same Alabama. I feel like in the next few years, they’ll be back on top winning national championships. I see that Coach DeBoer, he’s a great coach, most definitely. And a leader. He likes player-led teams. That’s what Alabama is: A player-led team.

“Everybody on the team wants to be a leader. Everybody wants to keep each other accountable. That’s what I want to be a part of.”

As for when he will join the team, Lee is planning to officially arrive in December for bowl prep. He will sign on Dec. 4 and join the Tide when he can, while also mentioning that he would like to participate in an all-star game if he can.

Nothing is scheduled for the end of July, but Lee says he has a firm date for when he’ll be back at Bama.

“We already got it booked for the Alabama – Georgia game,” Lee said. “Can’t miss it.”

Lee added that his recruitment is pretty much shut down, but he is considering attending a few college games this season if he can.

To end our conversation with Lee, we asked him for his message to Alabama’s fan base.

“Roll Tide,” Lee said.

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