A decommittment has been on the mind for a while now for Quitman (Miss.) four-star running back Akylin Dear, and he has now made it official by publicly backing off his pledge from Ole Miss.
The elite 6-foot, 200-pounder was pledged to the in-state Rebels since March 30. He is coming off June official visits to Alabama and Texas A&M and is now back on the board as one of the top overall prospects in the nation.
“I’ve been thinking about it for sometime now and just have been contemplating on what’s best for me and my future,” he told On3. “It’s always been a tough decision because you want to stay home and put on for your home state, but at the same time you want to follow your dream that you grew up loving this team all your life and as a kid, saying I wanted to play for this team. At the end of the day I had to do what was best for me and my family and what made me happy so that I don’t ever have any regrets.”
The buzz has been around the Alabama recently in Dear’s recruitment, as Kalen DeBoer, Robert Gillespie and Co. have been pushing hard for the blue-chip burner. Dear has taken plenty of visits to Tuscaloosa — and his recent OV only helped Bama.
Other schools have been in contact with him as well, but Dear isn’t sure if he’ll take any more visits or look to make a commitment soon.
“I honestly don’t know because I want make a decision but at the same time want to make sure I’m making the right decision and not just jumping from one situation to the next,” he added. “I know whenever I do make this final decision that’s going to be it because it will be time for me to focus on my season and helping my team and teammates compete and win a championship.”
As of now, he doesn’t have any visits planned for the end of July when the current recruiting dead period ends.
Akylin Dear Recruiting Profile
Dear is the No. 36 recruit and No. 2 RB in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 2 player in Mississippi.
On3’s scouting and rankings team writes this about him as a prospect:
“True three-down back that has all of the physical, athletic and technical ability to walk in and carry the load for an offense the day he steps on campus. He has the frame to add the necessary mass in order to become a bell cow back. Stands in at 6’0, 200 pounds with an advanced physical build. Strong, between the tackles runner who is light on his feet with excellent wiggle. Has the top end speed to hit the homerun ball. Great forward body lean that runs behind his pads making him a load to bring down for defenders. Comfortable pass catcher and ball tracker downfield. Put together strong workouts in the spring camp setting prior to his senior season. One of the most complete players in the entire 2025 recruiting cycle.”
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