The Alabama football program is once again dominating the recruiting trail, even with the program no longer having head coach Nick Saban at the helm. One of the five-star recruits they got a commitment from is wide receiver Caleb Cunningham out of Ackerman, Mississippi who went to Choctaw County High School.
Despite having shared his intention to play for the Crimson Tide on July 13 via his X, formerly Twitter, account, Cunningham is still set to visit other schools like Ole Miss and even Auburn next week which could be seen as a shock to some that there could be other decisions to be made. However, Cunningham would say to Joseph Hastings of BamaOnLine.com that he is “not going anywhere.”
“Shoot, I’m locked in, for real. I’m not going anywhere,” Cunningham said about his commitment to the Alabama football team. “I might take other visits just to have fun and get out of the house, but I’m definitely really committed to Bama. I’m not going anywhere, for sure. People can talk, but I know I’m locked in. I’m not going anywhere.”
What Cunningham looks to build with Kalen DeBoer, Alabama football
It is going to be a thrilling three day span for Cunningham who will still visit Ole Miss and Auburn on the 26th and 27th of July as the two teams try to sway the locked in five-star wide receiver. However, the next day on the 28th, there is going to be a cookout from Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer and others where they will host all the five-star recruits that they got commitments from as Cunningham talks about what he is planning to accomplish on that day.
“Really, building a relationship with them,” Cunningham said. “It’s always good to start building that relationship up with your future teammates in your class. Just chopping it up with them. Things like that.”
Per Hastings of BamaOnLine, while the Alabama football program was first, Auburn was apparently second on Cunningham's list, even considering them at one point, but “privately” choosing the Crimson Tide during his visit in late June. The five-star receiver was blunt in his thoughts of comparing such schools as the Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers where he said to Hastings that the latter “can't compete” with the prestigious football school.
“Auburn, they can’t compete with Bama, to be real,” Cunningham said. “The visit, it was a great visit. Auburn, that’s a great school and great people. And then Bama, they’ve got a lot more that I need to get to the next level. I don’t think [Auburn] really has receivers drafted… I don’t know any that have come from there. There may be a couple, but not recently, though.”
Cunningham talks choosing Crimson Tide over other schools like Auburn
Cunningham does have a point in one way which is that the Alabama football program has produced some of the NFL's top receivers recently like Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, and the list vastly goes on. With the goal of making it to the NFL at some point, there is no better place to develop in to a complete player while winning football games than with the Crimson Tide.
Still, Auburn has produced talent and is a top school for any recruit to go to, but the Alabama football program still has not lacked the luster, especially that Nick Saban has retired as mentioned before. Cunningham made sure to say though that he does not “have anything” against the university, calling it a “great school.”
“I don’t have anything against Auburn. It’s a great school, I love the coaching staff, they’re great people, and I don’t have anything against them, but Bama just feels great being committed there,” Cunningham said. “Then, I also want to be able to compete every single day. I’ll be going against good players getting me better. Things like that. It’s going to be all types of good people out there on that field, every day in practice. That’s how we get better and become one of the best.”
According to 247Sports, Cunningham has played a lot of sports in high school where besides football obviously, he has also been on the basketball team, even leading his school to a district title as a junior, and even competes in track and field. In terms of his football resume at Choctaw County High School, he set school records as a junior where he caught 48 passes for 1,138 yards to go along with a whopping 14 touchdowns.
Five-star receiver talks his goals with the Alabama football team
The Crimson Tide have won six national championships since 2009 where the program was under Saban, showing how prestigious of a program it is that Cunningham is going to. However, it is important to mention that now with Kalen DeBoer as the head coach, who knows how the team can play and look different when on the field. Even still, Cunningham doubled down on his love for the school saying that “they have everything that you need.”
“Just the love there,” Cunningham said to Hastings of BamaOnLine. “They have everything that you need. If I go to another school, I would definitely regret it. Why not Bama, though? They’re going to get you to where you need to be. They’re going to develop you and they’re going to produce. That’s the main thing. I’m looking at the future.
“I know going to Bama,” Cunningham continued about his goals while with the Alabama football program. “I’m looking to be drafted in the first or second round to go to the league,” Cunningham continued. “I’m looking at the future, for sure.”
At any rate, Cunningham is looking to help the future of the team as for the current day, they are hoping to further improve after a 12-2 record, 8-0 in the conference, as they finished ranked fourth, losing to the nationa; champions in Michigan at the Rose Bowl. They open the upcoming season at home against Western Kentucky University on Saturday, August 31 to start a new era for the Alabama football team led by DeBoer and quarterback Jalen Milroe.
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