Amari Sabb had a front-row seat to watch his brother, Alabama safety Keon Sabb, star on his debut. Keon had two interceptions in the Crimson Tide’s 63-0 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday. His brother, a four-star athlete in the Class of 2026, was right there cheering him on.
“I was losing my voice yelling that loud, especially after the second one,” Sabb told Tide Illustrated after the game. “And the crazy thing is before [the first pick] happened I said ‘I need them to throw it deep so Keon can get one.”’
While Amari got to watch a star performance from his brother in person, the Glassboro, New Jersey product also enjoyed his first-ever Alabama game as a recruit himself. Amari and his brother Xavier — top-rated wide receiver in the Class of 2027— were both in attendance for the Tide's season opener and have retained interest from the new staff since they picked up offers in February.
“Last time I was there was just the spring game so I only got a quarter of the atmosphere,” Amari said. “This game, it was way more than I expected. All the fans, the noise, the light show because it was a night game. It was just unexpected. It was something special.”
While Keon’s two interceptions stole the show, Amari paid close attention to how Alabama looked in its first game under Kalen DeBoer.
“They’re a very explosive team, fast and physical,” Amari said. “I noticed how they slide to the ball and just how explosive the offense is overall with so many weapons.”
Amari is being pursued on both sides of the ball by the Crimson Tide, with his main recruiters being safeties coach Colin Hitschler and wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard. Sabb is still considering where he wants to play at the next level, and Alabama would take him at either position. Sabb was able to catch up with both Shephard and Hitschler before the game.
“They always talk it up,” Sabb said. “They always talk about how they’re going to develop me, aside from the football part, but as a young man, and how they can help get me to the next level after college.
“I think Coach Shep is great. Me and him really match our energy. I'm a real energetic guy. He is too. Every time I see him, we just match the same energy. He just seems like a great guy. Really different guy than most choices I've met.”
Sabb was also able to briefly catch up with DeBoer after the game. He described the first-year coach as a “great guy, really down to earth.”
Heading into his junior season at Glassboro, Sabb has retained significant interest from a host of Power Four programs. The Crimson Tide remains right in the thick of it for his services and has a unique recruiting angle for both Amari and Xavier given Keon is already in the program.
“They were already pretty high so I feel like they stayed in the same spot,” Amari said after the visit. “They’re already pretty high on my list so there’s not too much more they can do to impress me even more.”
Sabb does not currently have any more visits scheduled but is planning on taking trips elsewhere depending on when he’s available during the season. He mentioned Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Tennessee as places he’s hoping to get to for games this fall.
