Alabama has been the leader in the clubhouse for 4-star EDGE Antwan Jackson out of Tennessee for quite some time now. It has felt like a foregone conclusion since his visit at the end of May that Jackson would wind up in the Crimson Tide's 2027 class.
But when you aren't able to land a public commitment and prospects continue to take visits, things can change rapidly in recruiting.
And while Alabama is still among the top three as the Colliverville native approaches a decision, Kalen DeBoer and his staff are in more of a fight to the finish line than they anticipated.
Jackson visited both Ole Miss and Missouri over the last couple of weekends, and both programs put their best feet forward in his recruitment. Jackson told Chad Simmons of Rivals that he's between the Crimson Tide, Rebels, and Tigers and that a decision is coming soon:
NEW: 4-star EDGE Antwan Jackson is closing in on a decision, he tells @ChadSimmons_ 👀
— Rivals (@Rivals) June 17, 2026
“It’s Alabama, Ole Miss and Missouri. Those are my top three schools, and I could decide on one soon.”
Details: https://t.co/O86xMHP183 pic.twitter.com/U5BTwDHSVt
Alabama is trying to hold off Ole Miss and Missouri to land 4-star EDGE Antwan Jackson
The 2027 recruiting cycle has not been much fun for Alabama fans. There have been highs, like landing 5-star QB Elijah Haven, but there have been plenty of lows, too, most recently with 4-star LB Kenneth Simon II flipping his commitment to Tennessee.
Jackson is one of Alabama's top remaining targets on the defensive side of the ball, and after not getting a visit from 4-star EDGE KJ Green before he committed to LSU, Jackson has become that much more of a priority. This is a recruitment DeBoer really needs to win to gain some positive momentum.
DeBoer has been open about this being a smaller class than normal, but the optics for Alabama signing a class as lowly rated as this one is currently aren't great.
Alabama still has some big-time targets it is pursuing and will hopefully land in the 2027 class. Jackson is one of them.
Jackson has admitted previously that no program has recruited him harder than the Crimson Tide. The question is whether that will be enough to get to the finish line, especially because it's pretty likely that both Missouri and Ole Miss have stronger NIL offers on the table.
Alabama's priority for this cycle will be retaining the young roster it currently has and supplementing it via the Transfer Portal in January. The high school class is taking a back seat because there aren't a lot of spots for young players who can't immediately contribute.
Jackson is one of a few who have been a priority throughout the process for the Alabama coaching staff. It would be difficult to stomach for Tide fans to stomach to see either Ole Miss or Missouri surge ahead at the finish line after how long Alabama has led the race.
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