Alabama flips 2026 Florida RB from Illinois commitment
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Javari Barnett has had a change of heart, deciding to play in the SEC instead of the Big Ten.
The 2026 running back from Florida verbally committed to Illinois back in April. On Monday, however, he announced that he is now pledged to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Out of Tampa Bay (Florida) Tech, Barnett is listed as measuring approximately 6-feet and 205 pounds. On the 247Sports Composite, Barnett is rated 3-stars, the No. 30 running back, No. 69 player in the state of Florida and No. 478 prospect overall in the Class of 2026.
As one of the top running backs in the Sunshine State, Barnett was widely recruited. In addition to Illinois and Alabama, his 29 scholarship offers included Auburn, Baylor, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Maryland, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, USC, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
With Barnett on board, Kalen DeBoer‘s staff now has 9 verbal commitments in UA’s 2026 recruiting class, which ranks No. 35 nationally on the Composite. Fans can get a preview of what Barnett brings to Tuscaloosa by watching his highlights in the video below, via Hudl:
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
