The 2026 recruiting cycle is far from over, but it feels like Kalen DeBoer, Courtney Morgan, and the Alabama staff are getting close to putting the finishing touches on their group. There are still a few obvious major targets on the board, but on Friday, the Tide added a surprising 21st commit by flipping three-star offensive tackle Bear Fretwell from his commitment to Georgia Tech.
Fretwell did not take an official visit to Alabama this spring and only received an offer from the Tide on July 5, 2025, less than a month after his commitment to Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-7, 290-pound Georgia native is the 55th-ranked offensive tackle in the country according to 247Sports Composite, and bolsters Alabama’s place as the No. 3 recruiting class in the country.
BREAKING: Class of 2026 OT Bear Fretwell has Flipped from Georgia Tech to Alabama, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 25, 2025
The 6’7 315 OT from Brooklet, GA had been Committed to the Yellow Jackets since June 15th
“Georgia boy going to Bama … ROLL TIDE 🐘🐘”https://t.co/oGFnyYxU6M pic.twitter.com/EShnPj8gPX
Alabama flips 3-star offensive tackle, Bear Fretwell, from Georgia Tech commitment
Alabama expert Andrew Bone from Rivals/On3 was the first to predict the flip, just hours before it came in on Friday. Fretwell is the third offensive lineman in Alabama’s 2026 class, which comes a year after five-star offensive guard Michael Carroll headlined a four-player 2025 offensive line class, and after adding three offensive linemen in the transfer portal this offseason.
With left tackle Kadyn Proctor, center Parker Brailsford, and right guard Jaeden Roberts all back for the 2025 season, the offensive line projects to be a major strength for the Tide. DeBoer and his offensive staff will need fall camp to finalize the replacements for first-round NFL draft pick Tyler Booker at left guard and Nebraska transfer Elijah Pritchett at right tackle, but the trenches are relatively solidified in front of first-year starting quarterback Ty Simpson.
However, Roberts is in his final season of eligibility while Proctor and Brailsford are both candidates to leave for the NFL Draft after this season. If all three depart, the offensive line will need a major overhaul heading into 2026, and the depth up front will be tested.
It’s not surprising that DeBoer has continued to prioritize the offensive line because, while he’s known for his high-power offenses, DeBoer has always built through the trenches throughout his career as a head coach. When he led Washington to the 2024 National Championship Game, his offense was led as much by the Joe Moore Award-winning O-line as it was by first-round draft picks Michael Penix Jr. and Rome Odunze.
As a three-star, Fretwell may be a developmental project, but you can never have enough depth on the offensive line, so he’s an important addition to the 2026 class.