Alabama football, now under Kalen DeBoer, can still strike fear into opponents through their recruiting wins. Their latest victory for a four-star prospect happened to come on a day known for delivering scare tactics.
The Tide and the first-year head coach scored big on Halloween night for the 2026 class. They received a new verbal commitment from Vodney Cleveland, a mammoth defensive line recruit. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Cleveland confirmed to On3.com he’s heading to Tuscaloosa.
Cleveland heads to Alabama as a major local recruiting coup. He occupies the trenches for Parker High School in Birmingham. And per On3.com’s Hayes Fawcett, Cleveland turned down top 10 programs Tennessee, Miami, even Alabama’s primary rival Auburn in choosing the Tide.
Cleveland rises as one of the first major recruiting victories for DeBoer and his staff. Many around Alabama wondered if DeBoer would become just as stout as a recruiter Nick Saban was. Saban became known for landing the highly rated prospects, especially those in-state.
He’s already is a top 100 prospect for his graduating class. Cleveland is even ranked No. 7 in both the state and among defensive lineman prospects by 247Sports composite.
Alabama Director of Player Personnel Bob Welton and general manager Courtney Morgan also got credited for helping land Cleveland by al.com.
Alabama football still attracting high-profile talents in new regime
The new regime is showing its early mettle on the recruiting trail. Tuscaloosa continues to attract high-profile four-star talents.
DeBoer and company previously landed Dorian Barney for the ’26 class. Like Cleveland, the cornerback from Carrollton, Georgia carries four stars.
The Crimson Tide aren’t ignoring their 2025 class though. The upcoming freshman class is stockpiled with not only four star talents, but five stars. DeBoer and ‘Bama have five “hard commits” with a five-star ranking by various recruiting outlets.
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Quarterback Keelon Russell out of Duncanville, Texas is one of them. Russell hails from the same state that produced Alabama starting quarterback Jalen Milroe. Russell turned down Southeastern Conference rivals Florida, Ole Miss, and even said no to No. 1 Oregon’s offer to choose Alabama.
Another major commit is cornerback Dijon Lee. The five-star defender captured a California state title with Mission Viejo in Orange County last season. The towering 6-foot-4 Lee is the Golden State’s top overall prospect for 2025 by 247Sports.
Four stars comprise a majority of DeBoer and Alabama’s ’25 class. There are 10 total including in-state finds Anthony Rogers (running back, Carver High of Montgomery) and Micah DeBose (offensive tackle, Theodore High).
Alabama checks in as the nation’s current No. 1 recruiting class for 247Sports and On3.com for 2025.