There was plenty of good news to come out of Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
First-year quarterback Keelon Russell more than impressed, the ground game and defense look initially improved and the team as a whole cruised to a 48-10 victory over visiting East Carolina.
But even with all of that positivity, there was some bad news for Alabama fans on Sunday.
As 247Sports’ Brendan Sonnone reported, in-state linebacker Ryquan Butler has re-opened his recruitment after being committed to the Crimson Tide previously. Sonnone added that Butler has a handful of visits to Power 4 schools lined up and other suitors pining for his services.
The three-star linebacker hails from Loachapoka, Alabama, and also holds offers from the likes of Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
The Tide’s 2027 recruiting class currently ranks No. 42 in the nation according to 247Sports’ Composite, with 5 of those commits hailing from the home state. The 2028 class is currently ranked No. 1 nationally on the Composite with 6 verbal pledges in the early going.
Alabama will next visit first-year head coach Will Stein and Kentucky on Saturday for both teams’ SEC-opener. That game will take place at 3:30 ET, with the contest being broadcast by ABC.
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Parker is currently the sports editor for Gulf Coast Media in Foley, Alabama. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
