Alabama and Kalen DeBoer add new commit fans are hoping will be a hidden gem

The start to building the 2027 class hasn't quite gone according to plan for Alabama and Kalen DeBoer, as the Crimson Tide entered the weekend with three known pledges. Well, you can go ahead and change that, as No. 4 has arrived.

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Moments ago, Hayes Fawcett broke the news that tight end target Oakley Keegan has shut down his recruitment and committed to the Tide. Keegan picked up his offer from DeBoer last June and while other schools were involved, he has made the call that he doesn't need more time to mull things over and that he'll be SEC-bound for his college career:

TE Oakley Keegan has committed to Alabama and Kalen DeBoer

Checking in at 6-7, 240 pounds, Keegan is only a high school junior and he'll be ready to add on even more size/muscle once he makes the move to Tuscaloosa. He still has his senior campaign ahead of him before that happens.

Keegan appears to be a bit of a hidden gem for DeBoer, as he's currently unranked by 247Sports. You can go ahead and expect that to change in the near future. In addition to Alabama, the big-bodied TE had additional offers from Rutgers, Syracuse, Boston College, Vanderbilt and a handful of others.

The newest Crimson Tide pledge is familiar with Bama, as he has previously taken an unofficial visit to campus. Later this year, he'll make his way back for an official visit, but he'll be doing so as a future Alabama playmaker instead of an uncommitted recruit.

Keegan indeed is commit No. 4 for the 2027 efforts, as he joins quarterback Trent Seaborn, athlete Colt Lumpris and cornerback Nash Johnson III as the Bama pledges. DeBoer is going to look to get hot this spring in adding new commits, but this latest piece of good news from Keegan was a nice little surprise that members of the Alabama faithful probably did not see coming.