The defensive position Alabama does not want to pay top dollar for in 2027 recruiting class

Alabama football’s 2027 recruiting class includes eight commits at the moment, with the summer official visit season set to come to an end soon.

The Tide currently holds commitments from two quarterbacks, a pair of running backs, a tight end duo, a defensive lineman and a kicker. While there are definitely some commitments Alabama should be really excited about, there is one position the Tide is continuing to miss on. That position is inside linebacker.

It started when four-star linebacker Brandon Lockley committed to Oregon three days after the Tide’s linebacker coach Chuck Morrell visited him in Pennsylvania. Alabama then switched its attention to four-star linebackers, Kenneth Simon and Isaac McNeil. Simon would eventually commit to the Tide before flipping his commitment to Tennessee this week. McNeil committed to Auburn after Morrell made a strong push and showed interest in him.

The Tide then went on to offer Ayden Coleman, a three-star linebacker out of Mississippi. He committed to Mississippi State this week, but he is still expected to visit the Tide this weekend officially.

Changing Coleman’s mind this weekend is doable for the Crimson Tide’s coaching staff, but one thing remains very evident. An NIL offer to Coleman will likely not be a very lucrative one. Touchdown was told by sources close to a linebacker prospect the Tide was pursuing that the message they received from Alabama was that the Tide will not pay top dollar for an off-the-ball linebacker, at least for this class.

Alabama is expected to sign a smaller class during this cycle due to the youth of its current roster. The Tide’s inside linebacker position is one of those positions filled with youth. Luke Metz, QB Reese, Abduall Sanders, Xavier Griffin, Zay Hall and Duke Johnson all have three years of eligibility or more left ahead of the 2026 season.

How the Tide attacks recruiting the inside linebacker position moving forward will be worth monitoring.