Bama, DeBoer land No. 29 prospect in ’25 class

Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff WriterMar 11, 2024, 01:58 PM ET

Nearly two months since being hired at Alabama, Kalen DeBoer secured the biggest recruiting victory of his tenure on Monday.

Four-star athlete Derick Smith (No. 29 in the 2025 ESPN 300), the third-best athlete in the cycle, became the highest-ranked prospect to pledge to the Crimson Tide following DeBoer’s arrival in Tuscaloosa.

Smith attended Alabama’s Junior Day on Feb. 3, and he also took visits to both Auburn (unofficial) and Florida State (Junior Day) in January.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Smith, who attends in-state Southside High School in Selma, Alabama, caught 46 passes for 1,487 yards and 14 touchdown receptions while adding 1,036 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games last season.

He’s the second ESPN 300 player to commit to Alabama since Saturday, joining athlete Zymear Smith (No. 109 in 2025 ESPN 300). That momentum has been bolstered by retaining a commitment from Saraland High School (Alabama) wide receiver Ryan Williams (No. 3 in the 2024 ESPN 300), who reclassified from 2025 and helped highlight ESPN’s second-best class in 2024.

The additions of both Derick and Zymear Smith give a big boost to the Tide’s early 2025 fortunes on the trail, especially in light of four-star wide receiver Jaime Ffrench, Jr. (No. 14 in 2025 ESPN 300) decommitting on Jan. 14 after Saban’s retirement.