Alabama football regained some recruiting momentum on Monday night when four-star safety Ivan Taylor announced he’d flipped his commitment to the Crimson Tide from Michigan. Taylor, son of two-time Super Bowl champion Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, is the No. 7 ranked safety and the No. 59 overall player in the Class of 2025 per 247Sports Composite ratings. He is the 10th top-100 player to commit to Alabama’s 2025 class.
Taylor, a 6-foot, 180-pound prospect from West Orange, Fla., is the first Crimson Tide commitment in about a month and provides some good news amid a recent wave of decommitments: wide receiver Caleb Cunningham (flipped to Ole Miss), linebacker Dawson Merritt (flipped to Nebraska) and running back Anthony Rogers (uncommitted). As it stands now, Alabama has 21 commitments in its 2025 class, which ranks No. 3 nationally behind Ohio State and Georgia.
I can’t sleep thinking about this one and the future of this team. ❤️🐘 https://t.co/5Rqv9Dlvk0
— Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (@haha_cd6) November 19, 2024
What does Taylor’s commitment mean for Alabama?
Taylor’s NFL pedigree has been apparent throughout his high school career. He’s been a starter at West Orange High, who plays in the second highest classification in Florida, since his freshman year. Taylor recorded 130 tackles, nine pass deflections, five interceptions and four forced fumbles over his first three high school seasons.
This year, he’s taken his game to another level. Through 11 games, Taylor has 50 tackles, six tackles for loss, six pass deflections and a career-high four interceptions. His football IQ and knack for forcing turnovers is an ideal fit in Alabama’s “Swarm” defense, which ranks No. 3 nationally in forced turnovers (24).
“Takeaways, it’s almost like muscle memory,” defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. “When we start every practice, we have six different drills that our guys go through that emphasize creating interceptions, punching the ball, raking at the quarterback, etc., a number of different areas where you can take the ball away from an offense.”
Taylor’s commitment coincides with Monday’s news that starting safety Keon Sabb will miss the remainder of the season to a broken foot but is expected to return in 2025.
“We expect him back and ready to roll for next year,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said on Monday. “I love what his commitment level is to our program, and we want to support him as he goes through these times.”
Taylor is a prized get for a group that needs to continue stacking talent after last season’s attrition. Starter Malachi Moore is out of eligibility after this season, and DeVonta Smith, a redshirt junior, has a stay-or-go decision to make. Right now, Sabb, Smith (if he returns) and Bray Hubbard are the projected starting safeties in 2025, and Taylor will join a group including King Mack, Kameron Howard, Zay Mincey and Red Morgan trying to compete for snaps.
Alabama’s willingness to play freshmen on defense has been a season-long storyline. If Taylor comes to the program ready, he could carve out a role as early as next fall.
(Photo: Paul Ryan / Correspondent / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
