Alabama just landed a 2028 star before he's even in high school yet

Recruiting in 2026 has gotten so absurd that a kid from Middletown, Delaware just committed to a program before he's even a senior in high school. Tysir Young, the No. 7 linebacker in the 2028 class per Rivals, announced he's headed to Tuscaloosa, and he didn't just pick Alabama over some random Group of 5 school. He picked the Crimson Tide over Miami, Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia and Rutgers. That's a murderer's row of programs to say no to.

Hayes Fawcett

@Hayesfawcett3

BREAKING: Four-Star LB Tysir Young has Committed to Alabama, he tells me for @Rivals The 6’3 215 LB chose the Crimson Tide over Miami, Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia, and Rutgers He’s ranked as the No. 7 LB in the 2028 Rivals Industry Rankings 🐘 t.co/xApTPLVh1w

For a guy who's still two years away from playing meaningful snaps for the Tide, Young's résumé already reads like a finished product. He's the top-ranked recruit in his home state of Delaware and checks in as the No. 13 edge prospect nationally per the 247Sports Composite. Alabama offered him back in March, and it wasn't some blanket mass-offer situation — linebackers coach Chuck Morrell reportedly built a real relationship with the kid over the following months, and it clearly paid off.

The pitch that seems to have sealed it is almost too on the nose. According to Young, Morrell spent a lot of time comparing his game to Jihaad Campbell, the former Alabama linebacker who racked up 117 tackles and 11.5 sacks in his final season with the Tide before Philadelphia scooped him up in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. "Coach Chuck talked to me a lot about Jihaad Campbell because he thinks our games compare," Young said. When your position coach is telling you that you profile like a guy who just got drafted in Round 1, that's a heck of a recruiting tool.

This isn't a standalone win either — it's part of a bigger flex. Young is now Alabama's 7th commitment in the 2028 class and its 2nd-highest-rated pledge in that group so far, and he becomes the 3rd linebacker and the first true off-ball linebacker addition of the cycle. Kalen DeBoer's staff is quietly building out a class that's got people buzzing about the Tide reclaiming the No. 1 spot nationally, and that's wild considering this cycle is barely out of the gate.

None of this means anything on the field for a long time — Young won't suit up in Tuscaloosa until 2028 at the earliest, and a lot can change with a kid this far out from signing day. But the fact that Alabama is out here beating Georgia, Ohio State and Miami head-to-head for talent that isn't even in high school yet tells you the DeBoer era isn't just stabilizing the program, it's already recruiting like the Saban glory days never left.