Recapping a Star-Studded Opening Weekend of Summer Recruiting For Alabama Football
![Mar 21, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer watches his offensive line go through drills during practice at the University Alabama Thursday. Mar 21, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer watches his offensive line go through drills during practice at the University Alabama Thursday.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4222,h_2374,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/187/01hzd8r1d2hdh5az8ezy.jpg)
This weekend, the Alabama Football team kicked off what will be a long and pivotal summer of recruiting. In addition to hosting 2025 recruits, the Crimson Tide hosted players from the 2026 and 2027 recruiting classes who attended camp. The Crimson Tide made summers massive under Nick Saban and leaving this weekend it looks like Kalen DeBoer may continue the tradition.
Crimson Tide gets Crystal Ball for Four-Star Quarterback
There's no position more important to a recruiting class than the quarterback position. Last week, we mentioned that Texas Native and SMU Commit Keelon Russell had seemingly moved to the top of Alabama Football's recruiting board. This weekend brought Russell to Tuscaloosa and the Tide seemingly made a strong impression. The Four-Star Quarterback went bowling with Ryan Williams who's been one of the top recruiters for Kalen DeBoer. Following the strong weekend, Alabama Football received multiple Crystal Ball Predictions to flip Keelon Russell. The Four-Star Quarterback is ranked as the Nation's 57th-ranked recruit and the eighth-ranked quarterback in the class. If the Crystal Ball predictions weren't enough look at what Russell's father said about the Crimson Tide.
Alabama is "no doubt" the leader for SMU 4-star QB commit Keelon Russell following an OV to Tuscaloosa, his father tells @SWiltfong_🐘
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 2, 2024
Read: https://t.co/pMxWFLgSih pic.twitter.com/ZBK59fVnek
Top 2026-2027 Players Head to Tuscaloosa
While the 2025 recruiting class will garner most of the buzz leaving this weekend, the 2026 and 2027 classes had plenty of talent on campus. Alabama Native Anthony Jones was the biggest name on campus as the 8th-ranked player in the 2026 class and the Nation's top edge rusher. The Tide will battle Auburn to land Jones while a few other SEC schools are close behind.
Former Alabama Commit Zykie Helton returned to campus this weekend. Helton is ranked as a three-star recruit at guard and was teammates with Alabama Tight End Caleb Odom in High School. When Helton de-committed it was to explore his options but, it seems the Tide are still the front runners.