Alabama beats out SEC rival, others for 4-star RB out of Georgia
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Alabama earned a huge recruiting victory for the 2027 season on Sunday afternoon by getting a commitment from 4-star running back Nigel Newkirk.
Newkirk told On3’s Hayes Fawcett of his intentions to head to Tuscaloosa for the 2027 season. Not only did Alabama beat out SEC rival LSU to grab Newkirk, but the 5-foot-11, 200-pounder is also from a rival SEC state, playing his high school football in Gainesville, Ga.
Also in the mix for Newkirk were Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan, so this was a significant win for Kalen DeBoer‘s program as it tries to rebuild its running back room after a disastrous season on the ground in 2025. Newkirk can’t help matters for the Tide in 2026, but he’ll be in Tuscaloosa for next season to try to make his imprint immediately at Alabama.
Newkirk becomes Bama’s seventh overall commitment in its 2027 recruiting class, but he’s also a significant victory because Newkirk is the first running back to commit to Alabama for next season. The Tide’s 2027 class is currently only ranked 44th in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, so Bama’s class was in need of a big-time boost and got exactly that with Newkirk’s commitment.
According to those 247Sports Composite rankings, Newkirk is the 230th-ranked overall prospect in the Class of 2027, he’s rated as the 16th-best running back in the class and the 24th-best player from the state of Georgia.
Newkirk can’t help the Crimson Tide until the 2027 season, but the 2026 Bama edition will be chasing an SEC title this fall. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about Alabama’s chances to be holding another conference trophy come December:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
