The Tide Turns at LB: Position group remains strong for Alabama despite loss

Jaedon Harmon, four-star linebacker from Rome High School in Ga., pulled a surprise on Sunday in flipping his commitment from the University of Alabama to Tennessee. The Harmon news comes only a few days after an interview with BOL stating, “Yeah, I’m 100 percent on Alabama.” It’s wild how quickly things can change in recruiting (or Harmon was strongly considering a flip to the Vols prior to the interview which seems more plausible) despite his only recent trip to Knoxville in March.

Alabama wasn’t slow playing Harmon. He was wanted by defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach Kane Wommack, and had been committed since April 14. Harmon took official visits to Alabama and Ohio State in June, and he returned to Tuscaloosa in late July for the Champions Cook-Out. He had not given any indication Tennessee was a threat to flip his commitment.

BOL publisher Tim Watts noted on Sunday morning, however, that Tennessee was trending for Harmon, and a flip could happen as early as today. Harmon flipped within a few hours with a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), “I want to thank the entire Alabama staff for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to play for a great great program! Respect my Decision.”

The coaches can decide if it will continue to pursue, or decide to focus its attention elsewhere. The linebacker class has high numbers, and a pretty significant target remains on the board for the Crimson Tide.

Additional thoughts- HERE

Alabama in good shape at LB position

Alabama commit Duke Johnson on his official visit with the Crimson Tide.

The positive- Alabama has three inside linebacker commitments in its ’25 class- Top 100 Darrell ‘Duke’ Johnson (Eastman, Ga-Dodge County), four-star Luke Metz (Hoschton, Ga-Mill Creek) and four-star Abduall Sanders (Santa Ana, Calif-Mater Dei). It was a position which quickly filled during the spring. The players took official visits to Alabama and elsewhere in June.

Johnson visited Auburn and UCF. Metz took an official visit to Georgia, while Sanders visited Tennessee. All, however, have indicated a strong commitment status with UA since their official visits, and the trio were in Tuscaloosa for the Champions Cook-Out on July 28.

“Bama just does it so differently than everyone else,” Metz said after his official visit. “It’s just so different there. They are just better than everyone. I can’t explain it. We can really get just about anyone we want right now. It’s just the vibe of the program. The whole ‘LANK’ mentality has changed everything.”

“I was going to go to Auburn, but there was no point,” Johnson told BOL earlier this month in regards to considering a visit to Auburn last month. “I’m locked in with Bama. Don’t keep entertaining the rival school. You see what happened with the other dudes who did that.”

“They’re my guys,” Sanders said in response to his commitment to Alabama. “I’m not looking anywhere else. I took my OV to Tennessee, but those are my guys right now. Until further notice, it’s Roll Tide. I’m shut down right now.”

The only uncommitted target is No. 1 LB Ty Jackson. Alabama will continue to heavily pursue Jackson who intends to wait until December 4 before announcing a decision. He visited Alabama twice during the spring, and he also returned for an official visit on June 21-23. Alabama is considered a top contender in his recruitment, but others are also battling including UGA, Florida and FSU. He is expected to return to the Capstone on 9/28 (vs. UGA).

Must-Read: Father of nation’s No. 1 LB discusses continued interest in Alabama

(Keep in mind- Alabama also has two ‘Wolf’ LB commitments in Justin Hill and Dawson Merritt)

Ready for good news?

Akylin Dear Alabama Crimson Tide

AK Dear, No. 2 running back from Quitman High School in Mississippi, will announce his college decision on Tuesday. The former Ole Miss commitment has been trending heavily to Alabama since re-opening his recruitment (6/28). The BOL staff (Bone, Watts and recruiting reporter Joseph Hastings) have previously submitted official predictions in favor of Alabama.

The Rebels received a commitment from Shekai Mills-Knight, four-star running back from Baylor School in Chattanooga, on Saturday. Knight took an official visit to Alabama in June. The Tide shifted all of its attention, at the position, to Dear after his official visit on June 14. Alabama felt there was a great chance to flip him away from the home-state school.

BOL continues to like where UA stands with Dear. He is ready to reveal the college choice in a few days. Tide fans are looking for encouraging news on the recruiting trail, despite still holding to the No. 2 class in the country per On3 Sports.

More on Dear’s upcoming decision- HERE

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