Alabama Leading Pack for Elite West Coast Talent

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Grant Bricker | Last updated Jun 29, 2025 5:09 PM ET

The Alabama Crimson Tide already secured Kalen DeBoer's first West Coast commitment with four-star inside offensive lineman Samuelu Utu and are closing on another.

On3's Steve Wiltfong revealed that Alabama is out in front for four-star quarterback Tayden Kaawa from the 2026 class. Kaawa's other schools include the BYU Cougars and Boise State Broncos.

He is a native of Utah and attends Orem High School. The prospect comes in at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds.

The quarterback recently took a trip to Alabama, with the Crimson Tide hosting him on June 20 for an official visit.

Kaawa revealed that Alabama's development of talent is what led him to put the Crimson Tide at the top of his list.

“I’d say it would be Alabama because I know how the development is there,” Kaawa said. “I know how they put players in the NFL.”

Kaawa is a four-star prospect and the No. 12 quarterback in the 2026 class, per On3 Sports.

The numbers back up what Kaawa said about sending players to the next level. Since 2009, Alabama has had 133 players drafted to the NFL. The Crimson Tide had seven players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has Alabama as the frontrunner, giving the Crimson Tide an 88.3% chance to land him. Hawaii (2.5%) ranks second, followed by the California Golden Bears (2.1%) and the Oregon Ducks (1.8%).

If Kaawa picks Alabama, DeBoer would have two quarterback commits from the 2026 class. The Crimson Tide already has a pledge from four-star quarterback Jett Thomalla. Thomalla was in the news recently after performing well at the Elite 11 Finals.

Alabama opens the second year of DeBoer's tenure against the Florida State Seminoles on August 30. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

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

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