Alabama football is currently the subject of endless scrutiny and will be under immense pressure when it battles Oklahoma in Norman next Friday night, but the team is finding constructive ways to pass the time. Besides game planning for the Sooners, head coach Kalen DeBoer is attacking the recruiting trail. He secured a commitment from four-star tight end Colt Lumpris, according to On3's Hayes Fawcett.
The 6-foot-7, 235-pounder is the No. 17 TE in the 2027 class, per On3 but is a few spots higher on 247 Sports' rankings. Either way, he is expected to make a visible impact in Tuscaloosa. Lumpris had received offers from Ohio State and Ole Miss, both of whom will join the Crimson Tide in competing in the upcoming College Football Playoff, but he obviously believes Bama is the best fit.
The New Jersey native boasts the size and agility to blossom into a fierce red-zone threat at the next level. DeBoer has made offense a bigger part of the Tide's identity this season, which is something that surely caught Lumpris' attention during his selection process. While it remains to be seen how Alabama's quarterback room will shake out in the next couple of years, if all goes according to plan, this newcomer will be a key component of the team's passing attack.
Juggling recruiting duties with CFP preparations is an arduous task, but Kalen DeBoer understands the importance of maintaining a steady influx of difference-making talent. Focus will soon shift to Oklahoma, as the Alabama football community gets set for what is a highly intriguing battle between the No. 8 and 9 seeds.
The Crimson Tide must ignore the noise surrounding their CFP inclusion and figure out how to avenge their Nov. 15 defeat versus Oklahoma. Colt Lumpris will surely be dialed-in for that do-or-die matchup.
