In today's era of college football, commitments are like placeholders, and sometimes recruiting can be a dirty game.
One minute, you're celebrating and projecting how the prospect fits into the future of your program. The next, another school comes calling with deeper relationships, family ties, or simply a better pitch at the right time, and as momentum flips quickly, what once felt secure can change overnight.
Kalen DeBoer and Alabama football experienced that firsthand on Saturday after losing four-star linebacker commit Kenneth Simon II to Tennessee. The Brentwood Academy standout had been committed to the Crimson Tide for over a month before ultimately choosing the Volunteers, leaving DeBoer and company with an unexpected void to fill in their 2027 recruiting class. Fortunately for Alabama, the calendar is still on its side.
Fortunately, there is still plenty of time remaining before National Signing Day, giving the Crimson Tide staff a solid window to regroup from this surprising blow, reassess their linebacker board, and turn their attention towards the next wave of talent capable of strengthening the future of Kane Wommack's defense. With that in mind, here are four linebacker options Alabama can pivot to next in the 2027 cycle.
Option 1: Isaac McNeil — 4-Star LB (Auburn Commit)
If Alabama is going to swing big after losing Simons, Isaac McNeil is the obvious name at the top of my list. The four-star linebacker recently committed to Auburn, but if Simon's flip showed anything, it's that commitments are far from final. Before choosing the Tigers, McNeil had Alabama in his top four choices alongside Florida and Georgia, meaning the Crimson Tide already laid important groundwork in his recruitment.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Vigor High School product possesses the blend of size, athleticism, and instincts that projects to early playing time in the SEC, and replacing one blue-chip linebacker with another should be the priority. It won't be easy pulling him away from a rival, but Alabama has never been afraid to recruit through commitments when the talent warrants it. If the DeBoer and company want the highest-upside alternative, McNeil is it.
Option 2: Ayden Coleman — 3-Star LB
Ayden Coleman may not carry the same recruiting profile as some of Alabama's other targets, but the Louisville native has quickly become one of the more intriguing linebackers on the Crimson Tide's board. Coleman has already camped with Alabama and expressed strong interest in the program after receiving an offer.
At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, he has the physical tools DeBoer and Alabama linebackers coach Chuck Morrell covet at the position. His recruitment is currently heating up after finishing his junior campaign with eight sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception, and a pass breakup. Coleman is currently on a visit to Starkville with Mississippi State today, before his official visit with Alabama on June 19. And now, with a void at the position, Alabama could be looking to capitalize on an early connection and turn it into a long-term commitment.
Option 3: Cole Crawford — 4-Star LB
Cole Crawford may not be the flashiest name on Alabama's linebacker board, but the four-star prospect has quietly been of interest to DeBoer and the Crimson Tide staff and could very well be a player worth watching as the program recalibrates its approach at the position following Simon's flip.
At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Crawford brings frame and physicality to develop into the type of backer Alabama could add to its 2027 cycle. The Carterville, Georgia native has garnered interest from Ohio State, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech, but with the Tide now looking deeper on its board, the framework could work in both sides' favor.
Option 4: Attack the 2027 Transfer Portal LB market
In today's roster-building landscape, high school recruiting isn't the only path to solving a position of need. If Alabama comes up short in landing its preferred linebacker targets of the future in the 2027 cycle, DeBoer and his staff could pivot towards the transfer portal as a more immediate solution. Rather than reaching for a high school to simply fill numbers, Alabama could take a more calculated approach and wait for a college-developed talent to enter the market.
The Crimson Tide have already demonstrated a willingness to supplement the position through the portal, dating back to acquiring Nakhai Hill-Green in 2025, and more recently bringing Caleb Woodson this past January. This trend could easily continue to follow that model moving forward, with Alabama viewing the portal not as a fallback option, but as a strategic extension of its recruiting board at linebacker.
All in all, Alabama still has multiple paths to address its linebacker need ahead of 2027 and successfully offset Simons' loss. Whether it's flipping high school targets, developing under-the-radar prospects, or simply turning to the transfer portal for proven production, the key moving forward is flexibility. And with young players currently on the roster such as Xavier Griffin, Cayden Jones, Luke Metz, QB Reese, and others, DeBoer is well-positioned to wait, evaluate, then strike when the board aligns in the Crimson Tide's favor.
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