Alabama’s collection of talented quarterbacks added another future member last week as the Crimson Tide flipped four-star passer Jett Thomalla from Iowa State. The Omaha, Nebraska, native is the second high school quarterback to commit to Kalen DeBoer during his time at Alabama, joining five-star freshman Keelon Russell, who flipped from SMU last year.
While Thomalla won’t be joining the Tide until the winter, he offers plenty for Alabama fans to be excited about. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback is coming off a breakout junior season in which he completed 250 of 359 passes (69.6%) for 3,663 yards and 47 touchdowns with three interceptions.
On Tuesday, Alabama's NIL collective released an article in which Thomalla explained his decision to flip to the Tide.
The article described Alabama’s recruitment of Thomalla, stating that quarterback coach Nick Sheridan visited him in person a month after the quarterback pledged his commitment to Iowa State on April 18. That visit led to an offer that altered the trajectory of Thomalla’s recruitment.
“I was on campus [at Alabama] for an unofficial a week later,” Thomalla told Alabama. “And then I took an OV (official visit) the next week to Iowa State. They were both recruiting me and I was thinking that I needed to make a decision soon.”
After taking an official visit to Iowa State on June 6, Thomalla went on to flip his commitment to Alabama 11 days later.
“I woke up and didn’t feel right at all,” Thomalla said. “It was kind of a gut feeling that I couldn’t pass up this opportunity for myself and my family. I really love the coaching staff too. I feel like they believe in me and I can do it at their level.”
During his interview, Thomalla also discussed his recent performance at the Elite 11 in California. Rivals rated Thomalla as the 10th best quarterback at the showcase, stating, “He was a tick slow that first night but really stepped it up during the pro day and beyond as he was exceptionally good throwing receivers open and putting it where only they could catch it.”
Thomalla left the event pleased with his performance.
“I feel like I did really well actually, but the better part was learning from everyone,” he said. “It was a good experience to meet some guys that I might play against down the road.”
With his future decided, Thomalla said he plans to return to Alabama’s campus for an official visit on Oct. 18 when the Tide takes on Tennessee inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
