Alabama and Texas are in an annual battle to win the SEC title each December, but right now, in the middle of April, the Crimson Tide and Longhorns are in a different battle that has nothing to do with that SEC crown and nothing even to do with the 2026 season.
Instead, it has everything to do with the 2027 season and one of the top safety prospects in the class. Four-star safety Junior Tu’upo is a 6-foot-2, 195-pounder who isn’t just 1 of the top safeties available for next season, he’s an Alabama product, currently starring at Thompson High School in Alabaster.
On Sunday night, Tu’upo told On3’s Hayes Fawcett that he’s narrowed his list of collegiate choices to 5 schools, with Alabama being 1 of them, so Tu’upo is obviously in the mix for the Crimson Tide, who hope to keep the top talent in-state. But Alabama will not only have competition for Tu’upo within the SEC, it’ll be pressed by its bitter in-state rival, too.
That’s because Tu’upo also has Auburn as 1 of his final 5, so the Tide and Tigers will be fighting for the current 23rd-ranked safety in the Class of 2027, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
But Tu’upo might just leave the state of Alabama but still land in the SEC, with Texas also among his final 5 collegiate choices. If Tu’upo does leave SEC country and the state of Alabama, it would seem he would end up in the Big Ten, with defending national champion Indiana and fellow Big Ten powerhouse Oregon filling out his final 5 list.
Tu’upo is currently the 246th-ranked player overall in the Class of 2027 and he’s the No. 11 player in the state of Alabama, according to those 247Sports Composite rankings.
While SEC programs like Alabama and Texas scramble to sign Tu’upo for the 2027 season, the Tide and Horns will also be battling each other for the SEC crown in 2026. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the odds for Bama, Texas and the rest of the conference’s elite to capture the SEC trophy in 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.
