College Football's No. 5 CB Sweepstakes Down to Two National Powerhouses

A pair of Power Four college football programs are in pursuit of the No. 5 cornerback prospect in the class of 2027.

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2027 cornerback Hayden Stepp is quickly approaching a college decision after taking official visits to four different programs. The high-end four-star prospect holds no less than 40 different offers from programs across the country as he nears his commitment.

Rivals' Industry rankings slot Stepp as the No. 5 cornerback, No. 1 prospect in Nevada and No. 40 overall prospect in the class of 2027. At 6-foot-3, Stepp possesses the length that only a few of his peers in the class feature.

Stepp plays for a prominent Las Vegas football pipeline at Bishop Gorman High School. In three years of high school football, Stepp has registered a combined 58 tackles, 12 pass breakups, three interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Of the cornerbacks who are slotted in the top five at the position in Rivals' Industry rankings, Stepp is one of two who have not announced a college commitment. Joshua Dobson, the No. 3 cornerback in the class, will announce his commitment on July 1.

The latest intel surrounding Stepp's recruitment

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Even though Stepp took four different official visits, his recruitment has narrowed down to a pair of contenders: Alabama and Oregon. Chad Simmons of Rivals discussed where Stepp's interests lie on a recent edition of "The Inside Scoop."

"I see the Tide in the top two, maybe not No.1 coming off that official visit to Oregon," Simmons said.

"When Oregon lost Donte Wright to Miami, they thought they were going to flip him from Georgia, and now my sources say they're going to put all their resources into Hayden Stepp. Alabama has been battling back and forth, No. 1 and No. 2 at times. I think right now, coming off that trip, Oregon has the momentum."

Even though Simmons said the Ducks now have momentum, he reiterated that Alabama has remained in touch with Stepp in the weeks after his official visit to Oregon.

"There's still communication going on with Alabama," Simmons said. "(He) knows a lot of people in that program in Tuscaloosa (and) has great connections there, but right now the buzz is around Oregon a little more coming off that official visit."

Implications of Stepp's decision for Alabama and Oregon

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As Simmons alluded to, the Ducks were all in on flipping Donte Wright, the No. 2 cornerback in the class, from Georgia before they became interested in Stepp.

Losing out on Stepp would be unfortunate, but Oregon holds a commitment at cornerback from No. 1 in-state prospect Josiah Molden, who ranks just outside the top 25 cornerbacks nationally.

Alabama's need for blue-chip recruits in the cycle is far more dire than Oregon's. The Crimson Tide is beginning to warm up after a slower start to its class, but it has yet to land a blue-chip defender in the cycle. Three-star prospect Darrius White is Alabama's lone cornerback commitment.