Alabama has a golden opportunity to make a move on 4-star Texas commit visiting this weekend

Kalen DeBoer and Alabama aren't done swinging for a priority in-state target.

4-star safety Junior Tu'upo from nearby Thompson High School in Alabaster committed to Texas back in June. Alabama had him on campus for a visit during the summer, but the Longhorns ultimately won out. At least for a short period of time.

His recruitment isn't over yet.

Alabama is still calling, and the blue-chip recruit is still picking up the phone. Tu'upo mentioned last week that he was still talking to both Alabama and Auburn and was "looking to be surprised" and to see if he missed something.

Read into that what you want. If it's purely a financial decision for the Thompson product, then he'll probably stick with his Texas pledge. But if there's more to it than that, then Alabama has a chance. Both sides are still interested in one another, as noted by Tu'upo heading to Tuscaloosa to visit this Saturday for the season opener against ECU:

4-star safety Junior Tu'upo to visit Alabama this Saturday

We'll see if Alabama has a legitimate shot to flip Tu'upo or not, but getting him back on campus is a positive development. The closer we get to the early signing period in December, the more real leaving home gets for him. And the more chatter in his circle to try to keep him more local.

Tu'upo's Thompson teammate, star QB Trent Seaborn, will certainly help Alabama's cause. Seaborn is rock solid with his Crimson Tide commitment, despite the inclusion of 5-star QB Elijah Haven in the same class. Seaborn will be at the game this Saturday and plans to attend all the Alabama home games this season.

You can bet that he'll keep his recruiting hat on to try and convince his high school teammate to become his college teammate, too.

Alabama doesn't have a major need at safety in the 2027 class. Even though both starters - Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb - will likely move on after this season (Hubbard could come back for a fifth season, though he'll likely head to the NFL), Alabama's replacements for them already look pretty set in stone, with Ivan Taylor and Jireh Edwards looking like the next guys up back there. That's not to mention Zay Mincey and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., who will push for the spots, too.

But Tu'upo is a player Alabama has coveted throughout. They would love to add him to this class. Texas got the better of Alabama in the initial recruitment for him, but the door is clearly still open for the Crimson Tide to convince him to flip.

This weekend will be a golden opportunity to make serious inroads toward keeping him home.

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