There's smoke but very little fire with Alabama and this 5-star RB

It's hard to put anything past Kalen DeBoer and this coaching staff on the recruiting trail right now. Alabama has been on an insane run recently, landing four 5-star recruits in nine days and vaulting all the way up to No. 3 in the class rankings on the composite following the commitment of 5-star safety Jireh Edwards on Saturday.

Edwards stirred the pot on social media following his commitment, hinting at a major prospect joining him in Tuscaloosa:

That's 5-star RB Derrek Cooper from Hollywood, Florida, the No. 30 overall prospect in the 2026 class. Cooper is listed as an athlete on 247 and could be a factor as a defensive back on the collegiate level as well.

Cooper added to Edwards' post with a quote tweet followed by a follow-up post that had Alabama fans dreaming of yet another 5-star recruit joining the Tide's loaded class.

Derrek Cooper is no longer a realistic option for Alabama

While Edwards and Cooper were having fun on social media, and Edwards will no doubt try to recruit Cooper to Tuscaloosa, he's not a realistic option at his point for DeBoer and the staff. Alabama has two running backs already committed in this class - 5-star Ezavier Crowell and 3-star Javari Barnett.

Cooper would obviously be a take, and if it cost them Barnett then so be it. But it's hard to envision Crowell and Cooper landing with the same team. And Crowell has always been the top priority.

Cooper is a player the Alabama staff likes a lot, and the feeling has been mutual. Alabama is one of the five programs still in the mix, joined by Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia, and Miami.

Cooper took an official visit to Alabama over the weekend of June 6th, the same weekend Edwards was in town. Edwards silently committed to the Crimson Tide then before making the announcement official on Saturday.

If Cooper and Crowell were willing to play together, then that would be a heck of a coup by this coaching staff. Alabama has five 5-stars committed, with a realistic shot at getting a sixth with in-state EDGE Anthony 'Tank' Jones. If Cooper were to join as well, then we'd be getting into historic territory for the Tide's 2026 class.

But while the smoke started billowing on Saturday night, there's little chance that it ever develops into actual fire. In the new revenue-sharing era, it's not likely Alabama would want to devote the resources to two high-profile running backs in the same class. They have their featured back in Crowell, and took an upside swing on Barnett.

In the end, it was just a couple of teenagers having fun on social media. Cooper is likely to end up elsewhere, but Alabama is still more than happy with the two running backs they have committed.