Alabama lands transfer commitment from FCS cornerback
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Alabama’s transfer portal haul grew by one player on Saturday as a cornerback from the FCS ranks announced his pledge to the Crimson Tide program.
Carmelo O’Neal, an Atlanta native who spent two seasons at Mercer, committed to the Tide on Saturday. O’Neal, who will have two years of eligibility remaining, revealed the news to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.
O’Neal played in 11 games with the Bears as a true freshman in 2024, posting 18 tackles while adding two passes defensed. He registered back-to-back five-tackle games toward the end of that season.
In 2025, O’Neal was seventh on the team with 36 tackles while leading all defenders with 10 PBUs. He was also credited with a forced fumble, 1.0 sacks, and 1.5 tackles for a loss.
The Crimson Tide’s transfer commitment list for this cycle now includes six players after the addition of O’Neal. Running back Hollywood Smothers (NC State) was first to pledge to Alabama on Monday, followed by a pair of commitments from linebacker Caleb Woodson (Virginia Tech) and offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn (Michigan) on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the Tide added a defensive lineman in Devan Thompkins (USC). They also received a commitment from long snapper Ethan Stangle (Syracuse).
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
