2026 Georgia Tech OL Commit Bear Fretwell Flips to Alabama

Nov 21, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets helmet is seen on the sideline in the first half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech lost one of their high upside commitments from the 2026 class today. OL Bear Fretwell, who took an official visit to The Flats in June, announced on social media that he was flipping his commitment to Alabama. The Yellow Jackets were Fretwell's first power four offer.

BREAKING: Class of 2026 OT Bear Fretwell has Flipped from Georgia Tech to Alabama, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’7 315 OT from Brooklet, GA had been Committed to the Yellow Jackets since June 15th

“Georgia boy going to Bama … ROLL TIDE 🐘🐘”https://t.co/oGFnyYxU6M pic.twitter.com/EShnPj8gPX

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 25, 2025

The 6'7 290 LBS prospect plays high school football at Southeast Bulloch High School in Georgia and has other offers from Cincinnati, Florida State, and Northwestern, among several others. According to the 247Sports Composite, he is the No. 622 player in the country, the No. 55 OT in the country, and the No. 68 player in the state of Georgia. The Yellow Jackets now have 20 commitments, and their class ranks 40th in the country according to 247Sports. The offensive linemen who remain in the class are Courtlin and Courtney Heard, who play at East Coweta High School.

This is a loss for Georgia Tech. Fretwell was an underrated player in the class and was a fast riser. While there is no need to panic and Georgia Tech will of course keep recruiting him, it does sting to lose a talented in-state player who you had been recruiting for some time. Let's see where this staff turns to now to fill out the rest of the OL class.

Just this week at ACC Media Days, Key spoke to the importance of recruiting well in the state of Georgia:

"Yeah, that's something we set out in the very beginning is to recruit the best players for Georgia Tech. All that starts in Atlanta, and then in the state of Georgia, and then it works out to Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and through Louisiana, and maybe every now and then we'll find somebody from a little small town in East Texas, Longview."