The Tide continue to rack up recruits. On Tuesday, Alabama football secured the commitment of Mal Waldrep, a class of 2025 interior offensive lineman. He reportedly chose to go to Tuscaloosa despite having other suitors such as Clemson, Florida, and Tennessee.

“It’s been my dream since I was young,” Waldrep said, via On3's Hayes Fawcett. “I’m home. Let’s do it Roll Tide.”

Hailing from Central Phenix City High School in Alabama, Waldrep joins the Crimson Tide as a three-star recruit. As per On3's website, he ranks 35th among the interior offensive linemen of his class. Nationally, Waldrep is number 433 overall.

Alabama football's class of 2025 recruits

Waldrep now becomes the 14th Crimson Tide commit from the class of 2025. He is the second offensive lineman to join Kalen DeBoer's squad, right behind fellow IOL Michael Carroll. According to 247 Sports, Alabama football has the third-best recruiting class for next year. Their commits are spearheaded by Darrell Johnson, Derick Smith and Keelon Russell.

Johnson is a linebacker out of Dodge County, Georgia. All recruiting outlets rank him as a top-50 player (nationally). In fact, ESPN has him as the 34th-best player in the country.

Then there's Smith, the number-two safety of the entire class. Out of all the major recruitment outlets, only Rivals.com doesn't rank him as second in his position.

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As for Russell, Alabama may have found their signal-caller for the future. Standing at 6-foot-3, the commit out of Duncanville, Texas is a unanimous top-10 QB in the country. Interestingly, ESPN puts Russell as the best quarterback in the class of 2025.

The team prepares for Kalen DeBoer's inaugural campaign

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer coaches his team during practice in the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility at the University of Alabama.
© Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

With another strong batch of incoming players, Alabama is showing signs that the school's winning tradition will likely continue despite the retirement of Nick Saban. Leading the charge for their 2024 campaign is new head coach Kalen DeBoer, who led Washington to a National Championship appearance earlier this year.

While Tide fans will have to wait for some time to see Mal Waldrep and his peers in action, Alabama's offseason indicates that their upcoming campaign could be a promising one. DeBoer will retain the services of quarterback Jalen Milroe, the team's top signal-caller last year. Running back Justice Haynes, linebacker Deontae Lawson, and safety Malachi Moore are all suiting up for another season with the Tide as well. Furthermore, a number of Washington players, such as Austin Mack (QB), Germie Bernard (WR), and Parker Brailsford (IOL) have followed DeBoer from Seattle to Tuscaloosa.

Alabama football kicks off its 2024 crusade against Western Kentucky on August 31.