Alabama football’s 2025 recruiting class experienced a setback on Sunday when Jaedon Harmon announced that he was flipping his commitment. The Rome, Ga. native, who had originally pledged to join the Crimson Tide, now plans to attend Tennessee instead.
In a social media post on Sunday, Harmon expressed his gratitude to Alabama’s coaching staff for believing in him and offering him the opportunity to play for such a prestigious program. He concluded his announcement with a request for his decision to be respected.
Harmon, a four-star linebacker according to the 247Sports composite rankings, tagged Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and Volunteer linebackers coach William Inge in his post. Inge had previously worked on Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer’s staff at Washington. The 247Sports composite ranks Harmon as the No. 18 linebacker nationally and the No. 155 player overall.
During his junior season in 2023, Harmon recorded 80 tackles, including eight for loss and five sacks. He had committed to Alabama in April and had visited Tuscaloosa since then.
Harmon’s decommitment leaves Alabama with 19 current commits in the 2025 class, which will be DeBoer’s first full recruiting cycle as the Tide’s head coach. Despite the loss, Alabama’s class remains ranked No. 2 on the 247Sports composite, trailing only Ohio State. Tennessee’s class, bolstered by Harmon’s commitment, is ranked No. 6, with LSU, Georgia, and Auburn between the Volunteers and the Crimson Tide.
Even without Harmon, Alabama’s 2025 class still includes several linebacker commitments, including five-star Darrell “Duke” Johnson, four-star Dawson Merritt, and three-stars Abduall Sanders Jr. and Luke Metz.
