Kalen DeBoer and Alabama on outside looking in despite making final group for top in-state LB

The state of Alabama's top high school LB, 4-star Isaac McNeil from Mobile, is nearing his commitment date, and on Friday, he announced a trimmed-down list of just four schools remaining in his recruitment. It's an all-SEC affair between Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and Florida.

Per Hayes Fawcett, McNeil is set to make his announcement on June 2nd, live on the Rivals YouTube Channel:

Alabama may be in the top group, but the in-state product isn't likely going to end up in Tuscaloosa. You just have to read between the lines to make that determination.

Isaac McNeil's commitment announcement is scheduled right after his Auburn visit

June 2nd is a Tuesday. It's the Tuesday after McNeil's visit to Auburn. That's probably not a coincidence.

When visits are already set in stone, it's usually not a good sign if a recruit sets a commitment date BEFORE they make the trip to see your program. Alabama is on the calendar for June 19-21, but that visit isn't likely to happen.

McNeil is a quality player. He's ranked as the No. 4 overall player in the state of Alabama and the No. 110 overall player in the national composite rankings. The Crimson Tide would certainly take him, but he's not nearly as big a priority for Kalen DeBoer as he is for Alex Golesh.

That's because Alabama just recently landed a commitment from 4-star Kenneth Simon II out of Brentwood, Tennessee. Simon is similarly ranked as McNeil, but a player Alabama had higher on its board.

Alabama would probably like to take two off-ball linebackers in this class after only taking one who will surely play the position in the 2026 class. Tuscaloosa native Zay Hall signed in the last cycle, while 5-star Xavier Griffin is expected to play a Jihaad Campbell-type role at Alabama, where he could play both on and off-ball LB. He's expected to start his career in Tuscaloosa working as a Wolf.

But Alabama is flush with young linebackers after signing four in the 2025 class. DeBoer could also dip back into the Transfer Portal to find another veteran for the room next offseason. Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson has acquitted himself nicely in the locker room and is expected to play a pivotal role in the middle of Kane Wommack's defense in 2026.

Alabama could pivot toward 4-star Georgia native Cole Crawford, who holds an offer from the Crimson Tide and is expected to be in Tuscaloosa for a visit starting June 19th.

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