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Alabama Loses Out on Top 2026 Recruit

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alec Musa | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 9:45 PM ET

The Alabama Crimson Tide football program is off to a strong start this week regarding the 2026 recruiting class. However, the optimal word remains solid, and not perfect, after one top recruit snuck away from them on Monday.

According to Minnesota Star Tribune writer Randy Johnson, four-star 2026 tight end recruit Roman Voss has verbally committed to the Minnesota Gophers.

Voss entered the week with just two official visits in the books, having visited Minnesota in May and Alabama earlier this month. With zero tight-end recruits verbally committing to Alabama for the 2026 class, Voss' decision marks a tough blow for head coach Kalen DeBoer's recruiting efforts.

Voss is not the only recruit on Monday to pass on Alabama and pick another school. Another four-star tight end, Xavier Tiller, picked the Florida State Seminoles over the Tide. Meanwhile, four-star edge rusher Khamari Brooks verbally committed to the Georgia Bulldogs on Monday, with Alabama as a finalist.

Conversely, it has been a solid day for Alabama in terms of hard commitments. Four-star running back Javari Barnett became the first rusher to pledge his allegiance to DeBoer and his staff after flipping his commitment from the Illinois Fighting Illini to Alabama.

Safety Rihyael Kelley also flipped his commitment on Monday, opting for Alabama over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Alabama is up to ten hard commits for the 2028 class. 247Sports ranks the recruiting group as the 28th best class in the country, with five-star corner Jorden Edmonds headlining the group of soon-to-be high school seniors.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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