Alabama lands four-star quarterback over BYU, Boise State

The Alabama Crimson Tide are hoping that they've found a player who can compete to be the quarterback of their future.

On Tuesday, Tayden Kaawa from Orem, Utah, committed to Kaleb DeBoer and the Crimson Tide. The BYU Cougars were one of Kaawa's finalists, so it's notable that Alabama was able to pull him out of Utah. He's ranked as the No. 6 player from the state, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Boise State was also a finalist, but Alabama's reputation spoke for itself on the recruiting trail with the four-star quarterback.

“It’s one of the greatest colleges for football,” Kaawa told Steve Wiltfong of Rivals. “The coaches there are great. They make you a better football player and better person.”

Kaawa took an official visit to Alabama in June, and it was that visit that really seemed to have sealed the deal for the Crimson Tide.

“Love the environment, the coaching staff to the medical staff,” he explained.

Kaawa is Alabama's second 2026 quarterback commitment, joining four-star quarterback Jett Thomalla from Omaha, Nebraska.

Kawwa is ranked as the No. 26 quarterback in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Thomalla is the No. 12 quarterback according to the same rankings, so it will be interesting to see how the two co-exist in the same class moving forward. 

With redshirts likely, they could also find themselves on different tracks in Alabama's timeline.

Either way, Kaawa is the 20th commitment to an Alabama class that's ranked No. 4 nationally.