Kalen DeBoer and Alabama aren't going to freak out over losing a recruiting battle for a defensive back. No team in the country has recruited that position better than the Crimson Tide over the last two cycles, and the cupboards are currently overflowing with talent.
But recruiting is often about being greedy, especially when you're a program like Alabama.
And Alabama was feeling greedy in the recruitment of 5-star CB John Meredith III, the No. 2 overall player in the 247 composite for the 2027 class. While it always felt like the Tide was fighting an uphill battle against Texas A&M for the Lone Star State native, Meredith had been a frequent visitor to Tuscaloosa, and Alabama was reportedly putting a lot of pressure on the Aggies.
Now, however, it appears a third team has entered the mix and begun trending in his recruitment. Two recruiting experts logged expert predictions on Wednesday for Texas to land Meredith:
NEW: Rivals' @samspiegs and @SWiltfong_ have logged expert predictions for Texas to land Five-Star Plus+ CB John Meredith🤘
— Rivals (@Rivals) April 29, 2026
Details: https://t.co/diOcd721Tv pic.twitter.com/nLhsGAKvYu
5-star CB John Meredith predicted to land at Texas over Alabama
The longer Meredith's recruitment goes on, the clearer it appears that he doesn't intend to leave the state of Texas. The Fort Worth native has favored both Texas A&M and Texas at different times in this recruitment, with Alabama always appearing to be running in second place.
But recruiting always has a lot of twists and turns, and these predictions don't mean things are over and done with. As of now, Meredith is still scheduled to take his official visits this summer, and Alabama will get the first crack at him over the weekend of Memorial Day.
DeBoer and his staff have proven time and time again that they can knock these official visits out of the park. DBs coach Maurice Linguist has done an excellent job in building relationships with prospective defensive backs, landing 5-star players such as Dijon Lee, Jorden Edmonds, and Jireh Edwards during his time in Tuscaloosa so far.
Texas has the momentum right now, but this recruitment is far from over.
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