On Tuesday afternoon, Alabama secured its fourth top-30 commitment for the 2025 class when four-star running back Akylin Dear, ranked as the No. 2 back in the cycle, announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide.
Dear, a former Ole Miss commit from Quitman, Mississippi, is the 29th-ranked prospect in the ESPN 300 for 2025. The 6-foot, 205-pound athlete chose Alabama over Ole Miss and Mississippi State after reopening his recruitment earlier this summer. His commitment adds another high-profile player to Kalen DeBoer’s first recruiting class at Alabama.
With Dear’s commitment, Alabama now boasts 15 top-300 prospects for the 2025 class, including other top-30 recruits like offensive tackle Ty Haywood (No. 18), wide receiver Caleb Cunningham (No. 19), and cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. (No. 25). This latest addition propels the Crimson Tide to No. 2 in ESPN’s current team rankings for the 2025 cycle, further enhancing their bid for the top recruiting class this fall.
“I’m thrilled to join an elite program that consistently competes for national championships,” Dear told ESPN. “Playing for Alabama is an incredible opportunity, and I’m excited to follow in the footsteps of so many football greats. My goal has always been to excel and be among the best.”
Ranked as the No. 2 prospect in Mississippi for his class, Dear made a significant impact at Quitman High School, rushing for 800 yards and 21 touchdowns in his sophomore season, and then totaling 2,016 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns last fall. Initially committed to Ole Miss in March, Dear decommitted in late June as he felt the Rebels weren’t the right fit for him.
Dear visited Florida and Alabama in the spring before decommitting and later returned to Alabama’s Champions Cook-Out. He did not visit Ole Miss or Mississippi State again before committing to Alabama.
Alabama’s associate head coach Freddie Roach and running backs coach Robert Gillespie played key roles in Dear’s recruitment. “It felt like home at Alabama,” Dear said. “The coaching staff, the environment, and their history of developing running backs for the NFL made it clear to me. Coach Gillespie has been incredibly supportive and believes in my potential.”
As one of Alabama’s 15 ESPN 300 commitments, Dear joins fellow top-100 running back Anthony Rogers (No. 98) in the 2025 class. The Crimson Tide recently lost a commitment from four-star athlete/running back Zymear Smith (No. 137), who has since committed to Maryland.
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