Vanderbilt couldn’t beat Alabama on the field for the 2nd year in a row, but on Signing Day the Commodores scored a huge recruiting flip of a 3-star wide receiver from just down the road.
Owen Cabell, who had been committed to Alabama since June 30, is heading to Vanderbilt instead. The Nashville product who has starred at Christ Presbyterian Academy will stay within the city limits to start his college career in 2026.
There were other SEC programs in the mix for Cabell, with Arkansas making him an offer, as well as Georgia and Tennessee adding offers to lure him away from Alabama. In the end, the program in his home city was the 1 to sway him from his commitment to the Crimson Tide.
Cabell committed to Alabama not too long after his official visit to Tuscaloosa back in the summer. But he also took an official visit to Vandy, which planted the seed for Cabell.
The Vanderbilt football social media account announced Cabell’s flip with a post that had the headline, “Signed and sealed.”
It was Vanderbilt’s 2nd successful flip in 2 days, following the highly publicized flip of the nation’s No. 1 quarterback, Jared Curtis, who announced on Tuesday night he was changing his commitment from Georgia to Vandy.
Cabell is the 630th-ranked player in the Class of 2026, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, he’s the 87th-ranked wide receiver and the 20th-ranked player from the state of Tennessee. On Signing Day, Cabell announced he’s now property of Vanderbilt, not Alabama, and that announcement was met with huge roars from his hometown fans.
Instead of heading to T-Town, Cabell is staying in his hometown to play his college football.
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.
