Former Ole Miss commit AK Dear, who may be the finest running back in the 2025 cycle, has long been seen as a favourite to join Alabama.
A commitment appears likely given Dear’s statement that he will be present at this weekend’s Alabama Cold Summer Champions Cookout.
Dear is the number two running back and the number 31 overall player at On3, making him eligible for a fifth star at the end of the cycle. He is listed as the best rushing back in the class by 247Sports. Standing at six feet one inch and weighing in excess of two hundred pounds, he is a thoroughbred Alabama hasn’t seen in a number of years.
Dear’s commitment would provide Alabama with maybe the two top players in the state of Mississippi. Caleb Cunningham, a five-star wide receiver, has already made the Crimson Tide his home. Deuce Knight, a five-star quarterback and Notre Dame recruit, offers Magnolia State a very strong “Big Three.” If neither of the Mississippi colleges recruits any of these in-state 5-star prospects, it will come as a bit of a surprise. Getting two of them into Mississippi by Kalen DeBoer and his crew will be one of the greatest achievements of the cycle.
Theoretically, Alabama’s current commit, Turbo Rogers, a 4-star running back who is on the verge of being ranked in the top 100, would be lost if AK Dear were to arrive. Though there hasn’t been much talk about Rogers switching to Ohio State in recent weeks, if the Tide win, things will probably pick back up.
Alabama should ideally retain both running backs in this class, and the rivalry within the team will determine the starting lineup. I don’t think Turbo Rogers switching to Ohio State will be because to AK Dear. Running backs Bo Jackson, a 4-star, and Isaiah West, a 3-star, are two of the Buckeyes’ 2025 pledges. The running back room is similarly loaded.
Rogers is free to choose to move to Columbus, but from the outside looking in, he wouldn’t be entering a more advantageous environment or one with a clearer route to playing time.
Alabama should make a major push for Dear as though Rogers is planning to drop out of the class, and then it should exert every effort to retain both. I believe that is precisely the strategy being used by the Bama staff, and I wouldn’t be shocked if AK Dear pledges his allegiance to the Tide during this weekend’s picnic.