Alabama pulls the rug out from under one ACC school after flipping an emerging offensive tackle with elite size

The Rivals Industry Rankings currently have Fretwell rated as a three-star recruit. The 6-foot-7, 315-pounder checks in as the No. 690 player nationally, the No. 51 offensive tackle and the No. 80 player from the state of Georgia. Rivals is a little higher on Fretwell though, listing him as the No. 38 tackle and No. 41 player from the state of Georgia.

As Fawcett points out in the tweet above, Fretwell had been committed to the Yellow Jackets since June 15. He had announced an offer from Alabama earlier this month, so the staff has done a lot of work in a short amount of time to secure the flip. We know former OL coach Brent Keys, who is now the head coach at Georgia Tech, knows how to evaluate offensive linemen. He spent three seasons in Tuscaloosa, from 2016-18.

In other words, this is an important get for the Tide.

They already had two offensive linemen committed for 2026 in Samuelu Utu (four-star, No. 171 overall and No. 10 IOL) and Chris Booker (four-star, No. 263 overall and No. 19 IOL), but those guys are both viewed as interior pieces. Don't get me wrong, it's still possible for one or even both of them to play some offensive tackle on the next level, but Fretwell moreso fits what they're looking for at the position as far as length and stature.

Over the last two cycles, this is what Alabama has added along its offensive line from the high school ranks:

• Michael Carroll (5-star / No. 14 / IOL1)
• Jackson Lloyd (4-star / No. 43 / OT7)
• Sam Utu (4-star / No. 171 / IOL10) - commit
• Chris Booker (4-star / No. 263 / IOL19) - commit
• Micah DeBose (4-star / No. 276 / IOL19)
• Bear Fretwell (3-star / No. 690 / OT51) - commit

They've also added former Texas A&M starter Kam Dewberry from the transfer portal, but he's a senior who won't be on the roster when the three current commitments arrive in 2026. Still, this is a pretty strong group for offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic to work with in the future, and it's also possible that they explore another tackle at some point. That'd probably come from the transfer portal though.

Alabama still has the No. 6 class, according to Rivals. 247Sports has them sitting at No. 3.