The Alabama football recruiting class this season has proven the doubters wrong as the program is still a popular destination despite the era of head coach Nick Saban having been completed. This time around, they got the commitment of running back Akylin Dear who recently was ready to sign with Ole Miss but switched which the young player called a “business decision” according to On3 Sports.
“It is a business decision,” Dear said about his commitment to the Crimson Tide. “Alabama has great history at running back, they know how to win, the staff shows constant love and it is the place for me.”
“Since the first time I visited Alabama, I knew that was where I was going to end up,” Dear continued. “I have been there eight or nine times and I have always had that feeling. It goes back to when coach Nick Saban was there. Something about the feeling at Alabama has always been different.”
Akylin Dear cites Alabama football coaching staff as reason to committ
Dear, who is the No. 2 running back in the country per On3 Sports, would credit the coaching staff of the Alabama football team and mentioned head coach Kalen DeBoer and team position coach Robert Gillespie. The four-star running back would go as far as to say that their whole family knew the Crimson Tide would be the destination for his college football career.
“The new coaching staff makes me feel right at home,” Dear said. “When I am there with coach G [Gillespie], coach DeBoer and the staff now, it feels like I am in Quitman (Miss.). The feeling is like home and I feel loved.”
“Since the first time I visited a couple of years ago, I have known Alabama was it,” Dear continued. “I knew, my mom knew, my family knew, and now I am committed. It has always been that school.”
Dear rushed for 2,016 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior at Quitman High which is in Mississippi as he doubled down on his compliments to the coaching staff, especially Gillespie saying that he “never gave up” and they share some similarities.
“Coach G was really the only coach that stayed with me when I was committed,” Dear said. “Some others would talk to me some and reach out a little, but coach G stayed with me. He kept texting me and calling me. He never gave up. That showed me how much he wanted me.”
“Coach G is my dog,” Dear continued. “He is from Mississippi like me. He played at Hattiesburg. So why not be coached by my own kind? We are Mississippi boys who have a deep connection. Coach G is the best and he is at Alabama, one of the best in college football. Our relationship is stronger than anything and I can’t wait to play for him.”
Akylin Dear on the legacy of the Alabama football program
If there is one aspect of the Alabama football team that Dear was attracted to, it's their development of NFL running backs like Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Trent Richardson, Najee Harris, Damien Harris, Mark Ingram and many more. Dear calls the Crimson Tide a “factory” for running backs and likes how much DeBoer is an “offensive guy.”
“Alabama is a factory at running back,” Dear said. “They have a great history and that is a big reason why I want to go there. They know how to get their guys the ball and develop them into NFL players. That is my goal.”
“Coach DeBoer is an offensive guy,” Dear continued. “He has had some top running backs. Coach DeBoer is a man of honesty, he is a winner and I know he will help get me where I want to go.”
At any rate, Dear is joining an Alabama football team that has a lot of aspirations even after the absence of Saban where they look to build off of last season as they finished as the No. 4 team and lost to the University of Michigan at the Rose Bowl. They open the season on August 31 against Western Kentucky.
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