Kalen DeBoer and Alabama appeared to be gaining momentum in their pursuit of top in-state safety Junior Tu’upo, but the recruiting battle is far from over. The four-star prospect, who is one of Alabama’s top-3 in-state defensive targets in this cycle, has named his top five schools, and the Crimson Tide faces stiff competition to land his signature.

Junior Tu’upo has Alabama at the top of his list. He keeps returning to Tuscaloosa, and the June official visit shows DeBoer still has traction here. But with other schools still getting their turns, this is momentum, not control. Tu’upo gives out his top 5 list, which includes Alabama, Auburn, Indiana, Texas, and Oregon.

What makes the competition stiffer is that all the teams on his list are the top ones that can easily influence Tu’upo’s decision. Despite that, Tu’upo has made it clear time and again that Alabama is his top priority because of the home-ground factor and their coaching staff.

“Alabama sits really high on my list,” Tu’upo said to Bama247. “I love the fact that they have more than everything to make you successful. The coaches have years of experience and evidence of development; they help you reach the next level and stay there.”

That is why the update is mixed. Alabama has done enough to stay near the front, but this recruitment still feels open because Tu’upo is continuing to look around before making anything final. Another factor that attracts him more to the program is familiarity. Having Trent Seaborn already committed could help Alabama because Tu’upo already knows someone in the class, and that comfort matters in close recruitments.

While Tu’upo has publicly stated Alabama is his top school, recruiting prediction models from services like On3 currently give rival Auburn a slight edge, creating a classic head-to-head battle between the player’s stated preference and industry predictions. Now, being another in-state city, Auburn also has the home-ground factor. Plus, Alex Golesh’s factor adds more to it. He came onto the team after finishing at South Florida with a 9-4 record. He has also visited them many times in the past few months. This shows his clear interest. After his visit back in March, he praised the program.

“It’s the first time I was able to see them practice and see what’s really going on behind the games,” Tu’upo said. “I really love what I saw, the intentionality the coaches have, and the energy they brought before the practice. Everyone on that field has the love of the game.”

On top of it, let’s not forget Indiana, Oregon, and Texas are also pretty solid teams who can turn that interest real fast. After winning last season’s national championship title, Indiana is among the top teams in the league. And knowing their NIL backing, Curt Cignetti can make a strong case in front of Tu’upo. The same is the case in Oregon. The team went to the playoffs, developed at the highest level under Dan Lanning, and has major NIL backing from Nike’s Phil Knight.

Let’s not forget that even Texas has a solid chance of landing him. Tu’upo already made a visit to the team a few weeks back and made a solid connection with safeties coach Blake Gideon. Plus, their overall culture and atmosphere impressed him deeply. As he explained his emotions after the visit.

“I loved the energy the coaches brought and the energy the players brought,” Tu’upo said. “You could see the standard they hold everyone to, and that’s something I really liked.”

So, with all the teams positioning themselves right in contention for Tu’upo’s commitment, it will be interesting to see which team finally makes it to the end and takes him in. However, Tu’upo is not the only safety player Alabama is eyeing.

Kalen DeBoer eyeing another safety recruit for 2027 class

Kalen DeBoer needs strong pieces in his team to make a strong presence in the 2027 recruiting class. And to make sure that happens, he is trying his best to add key players to the team. One of the players on their list who has also shown interest in joining the team is Chance Gilbert, who has them in his top four list along with Clemson, Georgia, and Georgia Tech.

For now, he isn’t planning to make his final commitment before taking an official visit to all the schools. Now, all the programs that made it to Gilbert’s top four list stood out to him because of the kind of relationships they have built with him.

“The people are great, and they’re all close by too, so I like that. What really stands out is how comfortable I am around everyone. I can see myself at any of those schools,” Gilbert said.

He has already visited Alabama twice, which gives them an early advantage. Plus, the team is yet to add a safety player to their 2027 class, which can give Gilbert a chance to start immediately. So, now let’s wait and see which players make their way to Kalen DeBoer’s team.