The Alabama football team is having a fun Monday as it has now flipped two recruits from Big Ten schools. First, the Crimson Tide landed four-star running back Javari Bennett, who was originally committed to Illinois. Then, Alabama flipped three-star safety Rihyael Kelley from Rutgers. Kelley committed to the Scarlet Knights since June 8th, and it didn't last long. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer came in and stole him away.

“BREAKING: Class of 2026 Safety Rihyael Kelley has Flipped from Rutgers to Alabama, he tells me for @on3recruits,” Hayes Fawcett said in a post. “The 6’3 185 S from Cincinnati, OH had been Committed to the Scarlet Knights since June 8th.”

Rihyael Kelley referenced a couple of Alabama football jokes upon his commitment to the program:

“Nun but the Tidee… thank you ma #LANK,” he said.

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Kelley is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports. He is the #1,006 player in the 2026 recruiting class, the #85 safety and the #41 player in the state of Ohio. Kelley currently attends Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati. This was a big pickup for Rutgers, but Kelley is now going to play for Alabama.

The Alabama football team has gotten off to a bit of a slow start in the 2026 class, but there is a ton of time for things to ramp up. If you are a Crimson Tide fan, don't be concerned. With official visits going down throughout June, it's too early to worry about recruiting rankings. For example, Rutgers actually has a higher national recruiting ranking right now for its 2026 class. When all is said and done, that won't be the case.

After this commitment from Rihyael Kelly, Alabama has the #28 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports. The Crimson Tide are typically one of the best in the country when it comes to recruiting, and when the 2026 cycle wraps up, they will likely have a top-10 class.