With only three scholarships on the current Alabama football roster, Kalen DeBoer and staff hoped to land two signal-callers in the 2026 cycle.
In June, Alabama successfully flipped 4-star Jett Thomalla away from Iowa State. That didn't end their pursuit of others, however, and on Tuesday, 4-star Tayden Kaawa from Orem, Utah, originally a Hawaii native, announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide. He picked Alabama over BYU and Boise State.
BREAKING: Four-Star QB Tayden Kaawa has Committed to Alabama, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 22, 2025
The 6’5 225 QB from Molokai, HI chose the Crimson Tide over BYU
“Another Local boi in Tuscaloosa, Roll Tide🐘!!”https://t.co/afEMc428E7 pic.twitter.com/Tj6I9H1jwo
Kaawa becomes the 20th commitment of Alabama's 2026 recruiting class, which ranks inside the Top 5 nationally. Kaawa is ranked as the No. 351 overall player in the country, and No. 26 QB in the 247 composite.
Kaawa is the big, strong-armed QB that DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb like for their offensive system. He's listed at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds.
Alabama extended an offer to Kaawa on June 11th, and that offer immediately resonated in a major way for the 4-star QB. He immediately made plans to take an official visit and made the trip to Tuscaloosa on June 20th.
On June 30th, On3's Steve Wiltfong logged an expert prediction for Kaawa to land with the Crimson Tide. He has been trending toward Alabama for a few weeks. He made it official on Tuesday.
Tayden Kaawa solidifies the future depth at QB for Alabama
Three scholarship quarterbacks is about as small as you would ever want your QB room to be in college. Alabama currently has redshirt junior Ty Simpson, redshirt sophomore Austin Mack, and true freshman Keelon Russell.
Simpson is widely expected to be the starter this season, but as just a one-year placeholder until Russell - or potentially Mack - is ready to take the starting job in 2026. If things go as hoped, Simpson will move on following the season, Russell will take over the starting job, and most would anticipate Mack to transfer rather than sit on the bench for a fourth season.
That could leave Alabama with only one QB on the roster for 2026, which is why it was so important to land two in this recruiting class. Thomalla and Kaawa give Alabama a couple of developmental quarterbacks for the future, both of whom could be good enough to start in Tuscaloosa down the road.
Thomalla is the higher-rated of the pair, but Kaawa is oozing with potential. Both are "projects," but both should have the opportunity to sit back and develop for a year or two before they are potentially called upon to play.