With over 100 recruits in attendance, including some highly touted men’s basketball prospects, the Crimson Tide football team defeated former No. 2 Georgia in an intense, tale-of-two-halves thriller.
Football recruits
In the eyes of recruits, this game was an important test for Alabama, revealing the Crimson Tide’s capabilities under head coach Kalen DeBoer.
These revelations will likely have a big impact on recruits and future decisions. Recruits can now see that Alabama isn’t going anywhere with DeBoer and that the team will still win and develop at the same level as under former head coach Nick Saban.
Out of all the recruits in town for the game, 18 were already committed. This doesn’t mean the game didn’t mean much to them, though. After the win, 4-star linebacker commit Duke Johnson told On3 Recruits he’d be shutting down his recruitment.
Also at the game was 4-star linebacker Jaedon Harmon, who previously committed to Alabama in April and then flipped his commitment to Tennessee in August.
Although Harmon decommitted, his coming on the visit shows there could still be some interest. With a win this big and with the help of other recruits, Alabama could flip him back to Tuscaloosa.
Xavier Griffin, a 5-star linebacker in the class of 2026, is someone else the Crimson Tide could now have a chance to flip. Griffin is committed to USC, but this game has been his second visit to Tuscaloosa since June.
When speaking in August about the scheduled Georgia game visit, Griffin said he was “rolling with the Tide” but expressed confidence that the game would be a good one.
Griffin has also been targeted by Georgia. With a head-to-head matchup between the two and signs of his favoritism toward Alabama, this win could ensure Alabama holds heavy weight in a potential flip.
Men’s basketball recruits
Visitors to the game were not limited to football recruits. Alabama hosted three of the top 12 basketball recruits in the class of 2025.
One of those players was AJ Dybantsa, who is rated the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit.
In early August, Dybantsa announced his top seven schools, with Alabama making the cut. However, he also announced that the list was made up of schools whose coaches “spoke with [his] dad the most,” meaning more could go into his decision than just a school being an athletic powerhouse. His father, Ace Dybantsa, announced that his son would not make any college decisions until February 2025.
AJ Dybantsa still has two more visits scheduled, one with Baylor on Friday and one with BYU on Oct. 11.
Alabama does have an edge. After being coached by assistant coach Peyton Murphy in high school, he believes Alabama’s play style fits his game. Dybansta noted that the comparisons to another Alabama legend, Brandon Miller, are very real.
Although Dybantsa is still taking visits, an experience like the Georgia game is unmatched. Alabama made the Final Four in basketball last season, so Alabama might shoot up in his rankings.
All Alabama needs to do is continue to win and recruit heavily. With more wins and visits comes more influence, and if the pattern holds, it shouldn’t be long before fans start seeing big commitments.
