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Alabama flips second class of 2026 recruit from the Big Ten in one day
Hours after Alabama football flipped four-star running back Javari Barnett from the Illinois Fighting Illini on Monday, coach Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide have flipped another player who was committed to a Big Ten program.
That player is 3-star recruit Rihyael Kelley, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound safety out of Cincinnati who had previously committed to Greg Schiano and Rutgers football. On3's Hayes Fawcett reported the news.
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While not as big a name as others on Alabama's 2026 recruiting board, Kelley is the No. 81 safety in 247Sports' Player Rankings. Most of his offers outside of Rutgers came from Group of Five schools: Toledo, Bowling Green, and James Madison among them.
Kelley is the 10th hard commitment in Alabama's 2026 class. He's the fourth player in the past week to commit to the Crimson Tide and joins Barnett, 3-star defensive lineman JJ Finch (Warren Central High School, Indianapolis), and four-star quarterback Jett Thomalla (Millard South High School, Omaha), the No. 13 overall QB in the 2026 class per On3.
Thomalla flipped his commitment to Alabama from Iowa State last week, while Finch committed to the Crimson Tide on Sunday over offers from Tennessee, Miami and Michigan.
Alabama's 2026 class is ranked No. 11 by On3's Team Industry rankings.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football flips 3-star safety Rihyael Kelley from Big Ten team
