Alabama flips second recruit of the day with Rutgers commit joining the Tide

Merry Flip-Mas!

Alabama landed its second commitment of the day - and its second flip of a Big 10 school - by flipping safety Rihyael Kelley from Rutgers.

Earlier on Monday, Alabama flipped 3-star RB Javari Barnett from Illinois. Barnett and Kelley were both projected to flip to the Crimson Tide with RPMs coming in for both on Sunday after taking official visits to Tuscaloosa over the weekend.

Kelley is Alabama's 10th commitment in the 2026 class, and the third in two days. Along with Barnett and Kelley, the Tide landed a commitment from 3-star DL JJ Finch on Sunday.

Kelley fits the mold of DBs that Kane Wommack and DB coach Maurice Linguist are looking for. He has great size at 6-foot-3, and has the positional versatility to play corner or safety. He might not be a guy who contributes immediately, but he has long-term upside.

Kelley committed to Rutgers just over two weeks ago, but an in-person evaluation by the Crimson Tide led to the offer, and a subsequent flip on Monday. Aiding Alabama in this recruitment were two players on the current roster from Kelley's high school in Cincinnati: LB Justin Hill, a 4-star recruit in the 2025 cycle, and Utah transfer CB Cam Calhoun.

This staff trusts its ability to evaluate prospects

On paper, there's not a ton exciting about Kelley's commitment. He is rated as the No. 85 safety in the 2026 class in the composite. You could say something similar about the last two Tide commitments as well - Barnett and Finch. All three are 3-stars, but they are guys the staff is higher on than others.

Alabama GM Courtney Morgan is certainly excited about the Tide's last three commitments:

In the revenue-sharing era, it is more important than ever to find some diamonds in the rough. You identify your top targets on the board, go all-in for them, and then you fill out your class with guys you believe are undervalued by others.

Alabama has some elite targets on the board and in the class already. 5-star CB Jorden Edmonds is already committed, and the Tide has made a trio of in-state 5-stars priorities: WR Cederian Morgan, EDGE Anthony "Tank" Jones, and RB Ezavier Crowell. They are also aggressively pursuing 5-star LB Xavier Griffin and 5-star safety Jireh Edwards.

The dream scenario for the Tide in this class at safety was landing Edwards and fellow 5-star Jett Washington. That was never really realistic, and Washington recently committed to Oregon. Alabama still sits in a good spot with Edwards and adds some depth to the DB room with Kelley.

A staff that can evaluate is a premium in the new world of college football. Kalen DeBoer and his staff have a proven track record of it.