Alabama fans don't get the warm fuzzies when they are battling Texas on the recruiting trail recently. There's a lot of scar tissue left over from this last Transfer Portal cycle when the Longhorns beat out the Crimson Tide for star WR Cam Coleman and flipped coveted RB Hollywood Smothers.
There's a general sense of unease among fans right now in these situations, and it's not just when the Tide goes head-to-head against the Longhorns; it's against any program with deeper pockets.
That's certainly the case in the recruitment of 4-star in-state safety Junior Tu'upo from Thompson High School. His recruitment appeared likely to be a battle between Alabama and Auburn, but in the aftermath of his visit to Austin on June 5th, Texas has surged ahead in his recruitment.
Alabama has the coveted final visit with Tu'upo this weekend, but it's clear that Kalen DeBoer and his staff have some significant ground to make up heading into the visit.
Multiple expert predictions have Junior Tu'upo heading to Texas
Via the Rivals Prediction Machine, recruiting experts Steve Wiltfong, Greg Biggins, Adam Gorney, and Chad Simmons all logged predictions on Tuesday for Texas to land Tu'upo. The Longhorns have significant momentum heading into this weekend's visit.
Safety is certainly not a position that Alabama is hurting for talent. Even with Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb entering their final seasons of eligibility, the Crimson Tide has a lot of young talent in the room waiting in the wings with Zay Mincey, Ivan Taylor, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., and Jireh Edwards, among a few others, ready to take over in 2027 and beyond.
But Tu'upo is a talented prospect who has been a priority for Alabama in this cycle. DeBoer and company will take their best swing at the Thompson High School product this weekend in hopes of changing his mind. They can't beat the offer Texas has made, no doubt, but they can pull on his heartstrings to keep him home.
Alabama also has the built-in advantage of Tu'upo's high school teammate, 4-star QB Trent Seaborn, being one of the most vocal members of the Tide's class. You can bet Seaborn will make the trip back to Tuscaloosa this weekend to try and help sway Tu'upo to join him at Alabama.
DeBoer and his staff are facing an uphill battle at this point, but if Tu'upo arrives for his visit as scheduled this weekend, Alabama won't be completely out of the race. And we've seen this staff close a whole lot of ground - time and time again - during visits.
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