Alabama's coaching staff is clearly playing chess with latest QB commit that could signal massive changes to that room in 2026
Alabama has now added its second quarterback commitment for the 2026 recruiting cycle, and it’s an important one.
Alabama has landed a second quarterback commitment for its 2026 recruiting class. After flipping four-star Jett Thomalla from Iowa State last month, the Crimson Tide have now added three-star Tayden Kaawa out of Orem High School in Utah, who has been on their radar for a while now.
This decision feels like Alabama is playing chess while others are playing checkers. As of right now, Ty Simpson looks like the projected starter for 2025, but beyond that is where it starts to become fuzzy.
Should Simpson have a strong enough season, it's possible he could enter the NFL draft. If that happens and freshman phenom Keelon Russell is trending towards being his replacement, it's possible for Austin Mack to move on via the transfer portal. If Simpson elects to return for 2026, it's hard to know the status of the other two guys, and if Russell ends up earning the job as a freshman, it becomes likely that Alabama loses Simpson and Mack after 2025.
So in other words, there are multiple scenarios where Alabama loses two of its three quarterbacks from this season. Now, would Kalen DeBoer and company want to enter 2026 with a second-year Russell and two true freshmen as their entire quarterback room? No, but that's what the transfer portal is for. You could bring in an experienced guy to compete with Russell while having two freshmen providing depth and stability for the future.
It makes a lot of sense, when you think about it.
At this point, none of us know how things are going to play out in 2025. But this is about being proactive instead of reactive, and Alabama's staff is doing an excellent job of heading off any potential problems in the future by adding two quarterbacks in this cycle. They've added two really intriguing options, too.
Thomalla brings a high ceiling with some elite traits. I'd say his upside is higher than Kaawa, but Kaawa is a much more steady product at this point. The Hawaii native brings premier size to the table (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) while also having a consistent, reliable delivery. He always seems to play under control and doesn't ever looked panicked out there.
Similar to Thomalla, Kaawa has enough mobility to be a threat, but it's not primary for him. In fact, he mostly uses his escapability to create opportunities downfield in the passing game. I wouldn't say he brings an elite arm to the table, but he's got more than enough juice to make every throw. Plus, he's a guy who continues to get better with each passing year.
The Rivals Industry Rankings have Thomalla as the No. 168 player nationally and the No. 11 quarterback. Kaawa is only a three-star, the No. 440 player and the No. 26 quarterback, but the Rivals-only rankings have him much higher (four-star, No. 166 overall, QB13) while having Thomalla just slightly ahead at No. 121 overall (QB11).
Alabama's 2026 quarterback room got a lot better today.
