Let's recap a busy weekend in Tuscaloosa full of official visits, baseball Transfer Portal news, and the landmark House vs. NCAA case reaching a settlement.
Alabama picked up a prediction to land 4-star OL Sam Utu
On'3 Steve Wiltfong logged a prediction late Saturday night for Alabama to land 4-star OT Sam Utu in the midst of his official visit to the Capstone. Utu, a native of Orange, California, is ranked as the No. 176 player in the composite
Alabama is now a heavy favorite in the On3 RPM after making a big impression on his official visit. Heading into the weekend, Washington was viewed as the leader for the blue-chip offensive line prospect, but Kalen DeBoer and company know how to host a visitor.
He may not have been the most high-profile prospect on campus, but football is still a game won in the trenches, and shoring up the offensive line is a big step for the Crimson Tide to remain in the upper echelon of the sport.
There will be plenty more news coming out this week from the Tide's big official visit weekend. So far, so good. There certainly haven't been any Auburn-level gaffes, at least.
House vs. NCAA settlement opens the door for revenue sharing
The biggest news of the weekend came through on Friday night with the House vs. NCAA reaching a settlement. Alabama fans should view the settlement as good news. The Tide will no longer have to compete with big-money boosters dropping millions to land prospects. Instead, each of the major programs will be working with similar money from the revenue sharing.
While NIL will still be a thing, it won't be unregulated any longer. Instead, it should (and should being the operative word here) make NIL more in line with what it was supposed to be: a program that allows players to make money off of their name, image, and likeness, but no longer a direct pay-for-play model.
If you missed it, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne released a statement early Saturday morning.
Justin Lebron will return to Alabama for his junior season
With respect to the historic House vs. NCAA settlement, the best news of the weekend in Tuscaloosa came from the report that Tide star shortstop Justin Lebron will return to Alabama for his junior season despite rumors of him potentially entering the Transfer Portal.
Lebron is one of the best players in the country, and he undoubtedly could have commanded a serious payday on the open market. Rob Vaughn reeling him back into the boat is major news for the Crimson Tide heading into 2026.
Vaughn has made some waves in the Transfer Portal, too, with plenty of players expressing interest in coming to Tuscaloosa to play with Lebron. There has been no bigger pick-up in the portal than Purdue Fort-Wayne's Justin Osterhouse announcing his commitment to the Tide on Saturday.
Roll tide 🐘 #committed pic.twitter.com/9UCew5bHVt
— Justin Osterhouse (@JustinOsterhou1) June 7, 2025
Osterhouse hit .328 with 16 homers and 46 RBIs last season. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.