Alabama Among Finalists for Two Elite 2027 Prospects

The Crimson Tide looks to be closing in on two highly touted defenders in the 2027 recruiting class.

Alabama Head Coach Kalen DeBoer After Vanderbilt Win | Obtained from Alabama Football's X/Twitter

Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama staff are seemingly closing in on two more elite prospects for the 2027 recruiting class after a pair of elite defenders named the Tide in their top schools.

The first was 4-Star linebacker Quinton Cypher from Millbrook High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. The 6-foot-2, 220 lb. prospect is set to decide between Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and Miami on December 19, according to Rivals.

🚨NEWS🚨 2027 4-star LB Quinton Cypher will announce his commitment on December 19, @ChadSimmons_ reports.

Cyper’s finalists are Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama and Miami.

Read: https://t.co/Ww0sCYrG1l pic.twitter.com/LgfsWKSPwB

— Rivals (@Rivals) December 16, 2025

Cypher is ranked as the No. 11 linebacker in the class and the No. 8 overall prospect in North Carolina, according to 247Sports' composite ranking. This season, as a junior for Millbrook, he put together an absolutely ridiculous stat line, finishing the year with 181 tackles, 48.0 TFL's, 5.5 sacks and four interceptions.

The North Carolina native is a dynamic linebacker prospect with the ability to dominate opposing offenses in multiple ways. He is a deadly run stopper, frequently blowing up plays before they even develop, but he can also drop into coverage and take away passing lanes with ease.

He made an unofficial trip to Tuscaloosa in September of this year for the Tide's game against Wisconsin, and has also taken visits to his other finalists as well: Miami (September 20), Ohio State (November 1) and Georgia (November 15).

The next highly touted defensive prospect on the Tide's radar is 5-Star safety Honor Fa'alave Johnson from Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, California. He named Alabama among his top ten schools, also including USC, Miami, Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Ohio State as well.

NEWS: Five-Star Safety Honor Fa’alave-Johnson is down to 10 Schools, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’1 190 S from San Diego, CA is ranked as the No. 1 Safety in the ‘27 Class (per Rivals Industry)

Where Should He Go? https://t.co/N6ctbucywt pic.twitter.com/MAripPdZx8

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 16, 2025

Johnson, who has not yet lined up a commitment date, is one of the most sought after prospects in the entire 2027 class. He stands 6-foot, 170 lbs., and though listed as a safety, has been a dominant player on both offense and defense.

As a junior this season for Central Catholic, the San Diego native saw time at both wide receiver and running back on the offensive side of the ball, as well as safety and cornerback on defense. He finished the year with 38 tackles, two interceptions and four pass deflections to go along with nearly 2,000 all purpose yards and 28 touchdowns.

As of now, the Crimson Tide holds four commitments in the 2027 recruiting class, and is ranked as the No. 11 team in the nation, according to 247Sports' composite ranking. DeBoer has already stacked up back-to-back top five classes in 2025 and 2026, and the early stages of 2027 are looking quite promising.