Aug 212 min read

Elite 2025 Running Back Commit Picks Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Kalen DeBoer have made a massive splash in the 2025 recruiting class. According to On3Recruits, the Crimson Tide landed 6-foot, 210-pound running back Akylin Dear. Dear chose the Crimson Tide over the Ole Miss Rebels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Dear is classified as the No. 2 running back in the 2025 cycle.

His recruitment was led by Crimson Tide Assistant head coach Robert Gillespie and Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kane Wommack.

Dear in High School

Dear went to high school in at Quitman High School in Quitman, Miss. In addition to football, Dear also ran track and posted a score of 11.33 in the 100-meter dash as a sophomore and ran a career best 11.14 when he was a freshman.

Akylin Dear — ©Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger/USA TODAY NETWORK

In his sophomore year, he tallied 800 total yards and 21 total touchdowns. In his junior year, he totaled 2,016 rushing yards and 27 total touchdowns. He also threw for 3 touchdowns.

Alabama 2025 Recruiting Class

Dear joins an already stacked recruiting class that the Crimson Tide have put together for the 2025 season. According to 247Sports, the Crimson Tide 2025 recruiting class ranks No. 2 in the nation and has 20 total commits.

The recruiting class contains four five-stars, 10 four-stars including Dear, and six three-stars.

Cooper Petegna, 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst, gave a breakdown of who Dear is as a player.

"A strong north south runner with a sturdy frame at 200-pounds plus," he said. "Dear possesses the ability to play in both a zone or power scheme at the next level. The Quitman High School standout displays good patience and vision at the line of scrimmage while demonstrating the short area burst and explosiveness to change gears from the first to the second level to create separation between tackles."

Petegna also said Dear exhibits a ton of quickness and speed to be a serious threat at the next level. Along with this, Dear also projects to make an immediate impact in the NFL and has the traits to be a Day 2 NFL Draft selection come Sundays.

Stay tuned to College Football Dawgs throughout the season for continued reporting on the Alabama Crimson Tide.