Elite Alabama 2027 Commit Flips to SEC Rival

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It's an SEC tug-of-war, and Alabama may have lost a recruiting battle that always seemed destined to go the distance.

Four-star 2027 linebacker Kenneth Simon II committed to Alabama last month, but has now flipped his pledge to SEC rival Tennessee.

When Simon had initially committed to Alabama, it came as a shock to most, considering the ties that he has with the Vols. 

Simon’s father, Kevin, spent his entire collegiate career in Knoxville, and serves as Tennessee’s Director of Player Development.

When the Vols brought Simon in for a visit, he said he didn't think much of it at first. But returning to Knoxville clearly had an impact.

When a place feels like home for the linebacker, it holds a lot of weight.

“I originally committed to Bama, and you know, nothing went wrong there, coach Chuck and them they have a great coaching staff up there, and they treat my family very nice, but coming back down to Knoxville, that was my 1st time being in Knoxville for a minute,” he told Volquest of On3.

After he left, Simon was clearly torn. After enjoying his time in Tuscaloosa, and then coming home, he had a significant decision to make.

One that gnawed at him after he left Knoxville.

“Obviously, I’m a very loyal person at the end of the day and having to go back and tell someone that that you’ve built a relationship with, it’s never the easiest thing to do, but at the end of the day, like, I just got to follow my emotions, follow my heart and go do what’s best for me and my family.”

Simon’s flip leaves a massive hole for the Crimson Tide, who now have zero linebacker commits for the 2027 class.

However, there may have been an inkling that the Tide knew this was going to happen.

Alabama has also turned its attention toward outside linebacker/EDGE Jeremiah Beverly. 

Recently, 247Sports’ Brett Greenberg logged a crystal ball prediction for Beverly to land with the Crimson Tide.

Greenberg is a reliable source when making crystal ball predictions, with an 88% success rate all time, and 5/5 this recruiting cycle.

While the flip certainly stings for the Tide, this isn’t their first rodeo, and from the looks of it, they have already moved on.

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