Alabama Flips Three-Star Safety from Rutgers

Earlier on Monday, the Crimson Tide flipped four-star running back Javari Barnett from the Illinois Fighting Illini. He had been committed to Illinois since April 6.

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The Tide added another flip, poaching another player from the Big Ten recruiting trail. According to Hayes Fawcett, three-star safety Rihyael Kelley flipped his commitment from Rutgers to Alabama.

Kelley committed to Rutgers earlier in June before taking an official visit to Alabama on June 20. His commitment to Rutgers came during his official visit to the Scarlet Knights on June 6.

Alabama moved quickly during Kelley's recruiting process, with the Tide offering him on June 11. He then scheduled an official visit to Alabama during the final recruiting weekend of the Summer, visiting the Capstone on June 20. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound safety plays his high school football at Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. His former high school teammate, Justin Hill, is currently a freshman at Alabama.

Kelley held four power four offers when he committed to Alabama, with West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, and the Crimson Tide accounting for the offers. He also held offers from Toledo, Western Kentucky, and Bowling Green as major schools in the group of five that had offered him.

According to On3 Sports, Kelley is ranked as the No. 999 overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting class. He is also ranked as the No. 91 overall safety and the No. 41 overall player in Ohio.

Kelley is the third commitment for the Crimson Tide in the secondary, joining five-star cornerback Jorden Edmonds and four-star cornerback Zyan Gibson.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.