Alabama football scored a recruiting victory on Tuesday when 2025 running back Akylin “AK” Dear announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide. Dear announced the news on social media in Collaboration with Hayes Fawcett from On3.
Dear had previously committed to Ole Miss. At the end of June, he withdrew his commitment from Lane Kiffin’s Rebels.
The Mississippi native is listed as a five-star talent in the 247Sports Composite.
“Dear possesses the ability to play in both a zone and power scheme at the next level,” 247Sports national recruiting analyst Carter Petagna wrote in his scouting report on Dear. “The Quitman High School standout shows great patience and vision at the line of scrimmage while demonstrating the quickness and explosiveness to move from the first to the second level to create distance between tackles. Dear is an efficient player who can trip up defenders with his one-cut pathlessness or contact balance. He excels at finding hidden yards and gaining yards after contact with his strong lower body.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Dear is listed as the No. 2 running back in the class of 2025, according to 247 Composite. The service ranks him as the No. 31 player overall in the class.
Dear chose the Crimson Tide over a top-three team that included Ole Miss and Mississippi State. He finished his junior season at Quitman with 2,016 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns.
He is Alabama’s 20th inductee in the class of 2025. The Crimson Tide’s class is ranked No. 2 nationally, just behind Ohio State.
Dear is the sixth 247 composite five-star player to be added to the class. He is the second running back in Alabama’s group alongside Anthony Rogers of Mongomery Carver, a four-star talent.
