One of the nation's best is off the board.
After no shortage of twists and turns over the past few months as SEC programs jockeyed for position with Mississippi's No. 1-ranked prospect, Caleb Cunningham's decision is in.
Alabama landed a commitment from the No. 22 overall prospect in the Rivals250 for the 2025 class on Saturday after four official visits in June to Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, and of course Tuscaloosa.
Cunningham took his final official visit to Alabama over June 21-23 weekend and the Crimson Tide have been trending up with the elite wide receiver ever since.
"It was hard," he said of his decision and leaning toward Auburn for most of the summer. "When I went on the official visit, the Bama coaches told me they were gonna change that, and they definitely did. Looking at getting to the next level, Bama is definitely gonna get me to the league I'm looking at my future."
"The competition ... I want to get good coaching every day to get me where I need to be and everybody is gonna come in and compete and work," Cunningham detailed. "Bama is Bama. Everyone is elite on the team and that'll get you ready. One of the big reasons I picked 'Bama is everyone on the field is a competitor; It's not gonna be easy like high school. I love the culture there. The culture is great, the fan base is great. Bama made it feel like home for real."
Cunningham locked in his commitment to Kalen DeBoer and JaMarcus Shephard on Saturday after weeks of weighing his decision.
DeBoer's experience at wide receiver and Shephard's resume of developing first-round talents at the position were major points of emphasis for Cunningham as he evaluated his fit.
"Being a former wide receiver, he's gonna spend time with the receivers a lot," he started. "When I was there in the spring he spent time working with the receivers here and there, giving them details and what they need to know."
"Even though Saban's not there, Coach DeBoer is gonna build Bama back up. The future is still bright at Bama."
Cunningham was favoring Auburn for much of the summer as he navigated through official visits to The Plains and then Florida and Tennessee.
After the 6-foot-3, 185-pound multi-sport standout from Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County High School returned to Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide opened his eyes in a big way.
"During the meetings, I got all the details I needed. They went big on the visit learning about my position, about the sports science, and about the school," Cunningham started.
"That's when they started to separate," he continued. "The strength and conditioning coach went one-on-one with us how he produces an develops guys for size and speed, then injuries ... the resources there, the workout plans ... They're some great coaches and showed me how he develops guys, and he can ... those were the details I needed. That's definitely why I liked Alabama. They put it all on the table and gave me all the details -- all the resources I need to be successful."
"Why wouldn't you want to be built by 'Bama?" he exclaimed.
Shephard, the Crimson Tide's first-year wide recievers coach, also loomed large in Cunningham's decision.
"He has a lot of energy toward me. He always tells me 'I want you, baby! We gotta have you, Caleb! We love you, Caleb!' His energy toward me, how loud he is, he told me everything I need to know on that visit," he recalled.
"The culture, the great tradition going on there and the coaching staff ... they have all the resources there I need," Cunningham added. "Bama is a school that produces receivers and develops them, gets them to the league, and I want to be developed by Coach Shephard. He's the No. 1 WR coach in college football, and I want to be coached by the best and developed by the best. He's the type of guy I wanna be coached by. He's gonna coach me hard and also take care of me."
