Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes from Monday and Tuesday, October 20th and 21st:
Alabama lands 2027 QB commitment
On Monday, Alabama landed its second commitment from the weekend. A day after flipping 3-star 2026 EDGE Corey Howard from Georgia, 4-star in-state QB Trent Seaborn made his commitment to the Crimson Tide official.
Seaborn has been a well-known prospect for years now. He took over as the starting QB for powerhouse Thompson High School in the eighth grade, immediately leading them to the State Championship.
Seaborn is a lifelong Alabama fan - he released an awesome video on social media in the aftermath of his commitment that all Tide fans will want to see.
Seaborn is a consensus 4-star in the 2027 class, and he picked Alabama over South Carolina, Oregon, and Miami (FL).
Alabama makes a big move with another 2027 QB
Despite Seaborn's commitment, Kalen DeBoer may not be done with QB recruiting in the 2027 class. The Crimson Tide made a big move over the weekend with 5-star Elijah Haven, the nation's No. 1 QB in that recruiting class.
Haven's visit went well enough that he immediately scheduled a follow-up visit on November 8th for the LSU game.
Multiple recruiting industry experts, including On3's Steve Wiltfong, logged predictions on Monday for Haven to ultimately choose the Crimson Tide. He is currently scheduled to make his commitment on January 1st.
4-star 2027 ATH decommits from Alabama
It wasn't all good news for the 2027 class on Monday. 4-star ATH Alexander Ward, who has been committed to Alabama since November, decommitted from the Crimson Tide on Monday and reopened his recruitment.
Ward is a consensus 4-star in the 2027 class and could ultimately follow his brother to Boulder. 2026 WR Christian Ward is Alexander's older brother, and he recently committed to Colorado.
An expanded role for Daniel Hill could be on the horizon
Alabama fans could sleep better at night if the running game could finally get going. It was even a struggle against a Tennessee run defense that had struggled all season. There was a bright spot, however, in redshirt freshman Daniel Hill, who saw a good bit of action against the Vols in the second half. He flashed exactly what the coaching staff had seen from him during spring practice.
Hill has been dealing with a nagging injury, but he looks healthy now, and OC Ryan Grubb indicated an expanded role for Hill moving forward when he spoke to the media on Monday.
"We're a production-based business," Grubb said about the RB rotation.
Deontae Lawson talks about Kalen DeBoer's evolution
Alabama fans have noticed a change in Kalen DeBoer since the season-opening loss to Florida State. It was perhaps never more obvious than the tunnel walk-out before last weekend's game against Tennessee. He was fired up before the game.
Deontae Lawson was asked about it on Tuesday, and he talked about the evolution of his head coach:
"That's the Coach DeBoer that we're getting used to. He's definitely evolving," Lawson said.
Zabien Brown and Yhonzae Pierre named Co-SEC Defensive Players of the Week
Zabien Brown and Yhonzae Pierre were recognized by the SEC for their outstanding performances in Alabama's 37-20 win over Tennessee. They were both named Co-SEC Defensive Players of the Week.
Pierre had a breakout performance, sacking Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar three times, including once for a safety in the second quarter.
Brown made the play of the game, intercepting Aguilar at the goal line and returning it 99 yards for a touchdown as the first half expired.