Just a few days ago, the Crimson Tide received massive news when Bear Fretwell flipped his commitment from the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to Alabama.
The 295-pound prospect from the class of 2026 was a substantial addition to the Tide's upcoming recruiting class and an even bigger addition for Alabama's offensive line. After the first day of fall camp, offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic sent a message directly to Fretwell:
"Big Bear, keep grinding," Kapilovic said. "Day 1 in the books for us, you can see the intensity, alright? Keep driving, keep grinding, keep leading. We'll see you soon. Roll Tide!"
Clearly, this man knows how to recruit the right players to his program and undeniably knows how to coach an offensive line unit.
Kapilovic joined Alabama in 2024 when head coach Kalen DeBoer took over the program. In his first season, he coached the O-Line to cut their number of sacks allowed in half, from 49 to 24, which was desperately needed in a rapidly improving SEC.
Alabama OL coach Chris Kapilovic relays a message to Alabama commit Bear Fretwell (@bear_fretwell) following the first day of spring practice.
— Crimson Coverage (@CrimsonCoverage) July 30, 2025
🎥: @bearfretwell (Instagram) pic.twitter.com/HIjKBtiESg
Previously, Kapilovic was at Michigan State, where he was the offensive coordinator alongside acting as a running backs coach and assistant head coach for the Spartans. He repeatedly led the MSU offensive line to being one of the best in the Big Ten, despite the Spartans being a far cry from a top dog in the conference.
Fretwell wasn't the only top offensive lineman to commit to the Tide. He joined four-star interior offensive linemen Samuelu Utu and Chris Booker in Alabama's 2026 class, Utu committing to the Crimson Tide just a few weeks before Fretwell.
The Tide's class of 2026 currently ranks fourth in the SEC and seventh in the country, a slight dip from its class of 2025, which ranked third in the SEC and third in the nation. However, Alabama is far from done recruiting for its upcoming class.
DeBoer and Kapilovic are doing all of the right things on the recruiting trail. Now, everyone will have to wait to see just how well this recruiting success pays off on the field.