Alabama is getting another crack at one of its top in-state targets this weekend, and this one has real flip-watch energy around it.
Junior Tu’upo, the 4-star safety from Thompson High School in Alabaster, committed to Texas back in June after Alabama hosted him for a summer visit. That didn’t close the book, though. The Crimson Tide have kept pressing, and Tu’upo has kept listening.
Last week, Tu’upo said he was still in touch with both Alabama and Auburn and that he was “looking to be surprised” and to see if he missed something. That line alone tells you the door is still open, even if Texas remains the school he’s pledged to for now.
Now Alabama is set to get him back on campus Saturday for the season opener against ECU. Sources told 247Sports that the Texas safety commit is expected to visit Alabama this weekend, a development that at least gives Kalen DeBoer and his staff another live shot to make their case.
The timing matters. The closer the calendar gets to the early signing period in December, the more pressure builds on a player like Tu’upo to decide whether staying home matters more than the original commitment. That’s where the chatter around him has started to matter, too.
One reason Alabama likes its position here: Thompson teammate Trent Seaborn. The quarterback is already locked in with the Crimson Tide and will be in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. Seaborn also plans to attend all of Alabama’s home games this season, and he can do plenty of recruiting of his own while he’s there.
That kind of peer pressure can go a long way, especially when it’s coming from a high school teammate who’s headed to the same place.
From a roster-building standpoint, Alabama doesn’t have a huge need at safety in the 2027 class. Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb are both likely to move on after this season, though Hubbard could return for a fifth year.
Even so, the next wave already looks lined up, with Ivan Taylor and Jireh Edwards appearing to be the leading candidates to step in. Zay Mincey and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. are also in the mix.
Still, Tu’upo is a prospect Alabama has wanted for a while. Texas beat the Tide out the first time around, but the fact that he’s heading back to Tuscaloosa says the conversation is far from over.
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