Four-star LB Kenneth Simon II commits to Alabama football over Tennessee
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Brentwood Academy four-star junior linebacker Kenneth Simon II committed to Kalen DeBoer and Alabama on May 11 over Tennessee and others, he confirmed to The Tennessean.
Tennessee was a close second, Simon said.
The Volunteers had an in with Simon, whose dad, Kevin, was a two-time All-SEC linebacker selection at Tennessee and seventh-round NFL draft pick by Washington; he was once the director of player development at Tennessee, working as a liaison with NFL scout.
"My dad just wants to see me go do what's the best for me (no matter the school)," Simon told The Tennessean. "That talk (about the connection) wasn't too crazy. Not one time during the recruiting process did I feel like, 'All right, he wants me to go to Tennessee.' So, it wasn't too big a deal for him."
Simon's top four schools were Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. His other offers included Georgia, Michigan, Florida and Vanderbilt.
Simon is a four-star prospect ranked No. 6 in Tennessee for the 2027 class and is the No. 10 linebacker nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.
He finished with eight TFLs, 4.5 sacks, one interception, one blocked kick and one pass breakup in 2025 during Brentwood Academy’s TSSAA football runner-up finish in Division II-AAA. He also had 129 yards in kick returns and rushed for 64 yards and a TD.
DeBoer's long-term outlook with the Crimson Tide went a long way for Simon.
"Coach DeBoer signing that seven-year contract just shows there's stability in the program. That was the concern at first," Simon said. "But it's knowing that all the coaches are still gonna be there and I won't have to worry about the coaching staff changing anytime soon."
Simon said he's impressed with how DeBoer has done following college football legend Nick Saban. Simon's relationship with Alabama linebackers coach Chuck Morrell has grown a lot too during the recruiting process.
"I like what coach DeBoer is doing," Simon said. "He's keeping his head down and making sure his team is in the best spot possible for where it needs to be. And just the standard that guys are held to in the program, I feel like everybody should be held to that."
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean's high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Alabama football lands Kenneth Simon II, 4-star LB from Nashville
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