As evidenced by the Brent Calloway brouhaha earlier this year, the Iron Bowl takes place both on the football field as well as the recruiting front.
The latest plot twist on the latter front took place earlier today, with Alabama high school running back T.J. Yeldon announcing he has switched his non-binding verbal commitment from Auburn to Alabama. Yeldon, who will be an early enrollee next month, announced his verbal flip-flop via a statement:“Over the last few weeks, I’ve really put a lot of time and thought into where I want to go to school and continue my football career. I am blessed to be in a situation where I have several great opportunities and I appreciate everyone involved who has helped me get to this point.
“I want to make an announcement so I can put this behind me and get to work on the things I need to do to prepare for college both athletically and academically. I am going to enroll at the University of Alabama in January.
“I have a lot of respect for Auburn, the coaches, and all of the people there, but at the end of the day I feel like the University of Alabama is the best situation and fit for me and my family. I am 100 percent confident with my final decision. I feel great about it and I’m excited to get started.”
Yeldon had originally given a verbal commit to Auburn in June.
If the verbal commitment holds, Yeldon would be a huge get for Nick Saban and his Tide coaching staff as Yeldon is a five-star prospect and rated as the No. 3 RB in the country by Rivals.com. He’s also the No. 2 player in the state of Alabama according to that recruiting service, so it would represent a significant in-state coup for the Tide.