The Alabama Crimson Tide got some good news on Wednesday, as 2025 five-star defensive back Dijon Lee and five-star offensive lineman Michael Carroll signed with the program, despite getting significant interest from other schools leading up to early National Signing Day.
Alabama manages to keep two-five star recruits from flipping, but could be in danger elsewhere
Here’s how things are looking for the Crimson Tide after early National Signing Day.
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Rohan Chakravarthi is the site manager at Bucky’s 5th Quarter, contributes to Niners Nation and covers high school recruiting for SBNation.com.
Lee, a 6’4”, 190-pound cornerback, is the No. 3 cornerback in the 2025 class and the top recruit in the state of California, attending Mission Viejo High School.
The five-star had been committed to Alabama since the end of June, but had been facing a ton of interest from the USC Trojans, who were trying to flip the hometown recruit and keep him in California.
Given his unique length and frame, it was no surprise that some of the top teams in the country went after the talented cornerback, as Lee took official visits to Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Washington and Texas A&M before committing to the Crimson Tide on June 28th.
Lee was most recently in Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl, increasing the likelihood that he would stay with the Crimson Tide after posting on X that he was locked in to Alabama.
The five-star cornerback is a versatile player, given his unique size and athleticism, as he has the physicality and range to play safety, but is a talented cover cornerback as well with great instincts that a defensive coordinator can place in a lot of different positions on the field.
Lee headlines another strong Alabama recruiting class that also includes two other defensive backs: four-star cornerback Chuck McDonald and four-star safety Ivan Taylor.
Another big part of the recruiting class is five-star offensive lineman Michael Carroll, who also signed with the Crimson Tide on Wednesday, despite fielding interest from a number of programs heading up to National Signing Day as well.
The five-star from IMG Academy has been a big riser on the recruiting trail and committed to Alabama back in June following an official visit to the program.
Carroll also had official visits lined up with Georgia, Penn State and Michigan, but found the Crimson Tide to be the best fit, committing to head coach Kalen DeBoer’s program.
That didn’t stop outside interest from coming in, though, as Miami got Carroll for a visit after extending an offer, while Colorado was the biggest competition over the final month, getting the five-star for an official visit in November.
Ultimately though, the five-star offensive lineman is locked and loaded and headlines a five-linemen class for the Crimson Tide that also includes five-star Ty Haywood, five-star Jackson Lloyd, four-star Micah DeBose and three-star Mal Waldrep.
That class could be in jeopardy though, as Haywood has been getting some major interest from the Michigan Wolverines and is on flip watch, although this recruitment is expected to carry on past National Signing Day into the new year. With this one carrying on, Alabama could slip while other teams climb on, as the Crimson Tide place their focus elsewhere in the 2025 recruiting class.
Additionally, the Crimson Tide are firmly in the mix for five-star defensive tackle Justus Terry, who is the top uncommitted recruit in the 2025 class. Terry has shut down his recruitment ahead of National Signing Day and will announce his decision on December 6th, with Georgia, Auburn, Alabama and Texas being the top options currently.
So far though, early National Signing Day is going as the Crimson Tide had hoped, as they’ve signed 19 of their recruits already, including five-star quarterback Keelon Russell. Carroll and Lee. They were the top recruits to monitor on flip watch, but they’re sticking with Alabama, which could be big in getting the Crimson Tide another top-five recruiting class in the country.
