Akylin Dear, No. 2 RB in 2025 class, commits to Alabama - ESPN

Alabama landed its fourth top-30 commitment in the 2025 class Tuesday afternoon when four-star prospect Akylin Dear, the No. 2 running back in the 2025 cycle, announced his pledge to the Crimson Tide.

Dear, a former Ole Miss commit from Quitman, Mississippi, is the No. 29 prospect in the 2025 ESPN 300. The 6-foot, 205-pound Dear committed to Alabama over the Rebels and fellow in-state finalist Mississippi State after reopening his recruitment earlier this summer, handing Kalen DeBoer the latest high-profile addition to his inaugural recruiting class with the Crimson Tide.

Alabama now holds 15 top-300 commitments in 2025, led by Dear and fellow top-30 pledges offensive tackle Ty Haywood (No. 18 in the ESPN 300), wide receiver Caleb Cunningham (No. 19) and cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. (No. 25). The Crimson Tide sit at No. 2 in ESPN's latest team rankings for the 2025 cycle as Dear's pledge gives the Crimson Tide another piece of positive momentum in the program's pursuit of landing the nation's top signing class this fall.

«I'm excited to be a part of an elite organization that is going to compete every year and strive to win a national championship,» Dear told ESPN. «I'm going to be able to say I play for Alabama Crimson Tide, which is probably one of the greatest programs ever in the history of college football. Being able to follow in the footsteps of so many greats and accepting the challenge to be elite above all other things has always been my overall goal.»

According to ESPN rankings, Dear is the No. 2 prospect in the state of Mississippi for his class. He emerged among the nation's top running backs in the backfield at Quitman High School during the fall of 2022, when he rushed for 800 yards and 21 touchdowns in his