Bama lands prized RB recruit, adds to ’25 class
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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Alabama landed its fourth top-30 commitment in the 2025 class Tuesday afternoon when four-star prospect Akylin Dear, the No. 2 running back in the 2025 cycle, announced his pledge to the Crimson Tide.
Dear, a former Ole Miss commit from Quitman, Mississippi, is the No. 29 prospect in the 2025 ESPN 300. The 6-foot, 205-pound Dear committed to Alabama over the Rebels and fellow in-state finalist Mississippi State after reopening his recruitment earlier this summer, handing Kalen DeBoer the latest high-profile addition to his inaugural recruiting class with the Crimson Tide.
Alabama now holds 15 top-300 commitments in 2025, led by Dear and fellow top-30 pledges offensive tackle Ty Haywood (No. 18 in the ESPN 300), wide receiver Caleb Cunningham (No. 19) and cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. (No. 25). The Crimson Tide sit at No. 2 in ESPN’s latest team rankings for the 2025 cycle as Dear’s pledge gives the Crimson Tide another piece of positive momentum in the program’s pursuit of landing the nation’s top signing class this fall.
“I’m excited to be a part of an elite organization that is going to compete every year and strive to win a national championship,” Dear told ESPN. “I’m going to be able to say I play for Alabama Crimson Tide, which is probably one of the greatest programs ever in the history of college football. Being able to follow in the footsteps of so many greats and accepting the challenge to be elite above all other things has always been my overall goal.”
According to ESPN rankings, Dear is the No. 2 prospect in the state of Mississippi for his class. He emerged among the nation’s top running backs in the backfield at Quitman High School during the fall of 2022, when he rushed for 800 yards and 21 touchdowns in his sophomore season. High-level offers across the Power 4 followed, and Dear’s recruiting profile ballooned further in a junior year that saw him total 2,016 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns last fall.
Dear initially committed to Ole Miss on March 30 of this year. At the time, he represented the top prospect committed to Lane Kiffin’s latest class and an important get for the Rebels after the program did not sign a running back in the 2024 class. But Dear’s verbal pledge ultimately lasted not even three months, as he decommitted from Ole Miss on June 28, pulling his pledge in the midst of a flurry of late-June exits from the Rebels’ 2025 class.
“I thought [Ole Miss] was what I really wanted, but at the same time I was really kind of just overwhelmed and tired of the recruitment process,” Dear said. “During my search, I’ve always [sought] the feeling of a sense of home, and I didn’t feel that entirely when I was committed to Ole Miss. Something just was missing.”
Dear took spring official visits to Florida and Alabama before his decommitment, and he told ESPN the move to reopen his recruitment provided an opportunity to reevaluate his priorities at the next level. One month after decommitting from Ole Miss, Dear was back in Tuscaloosa for Alabama’s Champions Cook-Out. Notably, Dear did not take official visits to Ole Miss or Mississippi State during the summer before committing to the Crimson Tide.
Alabama associate head coach Freddie Roach and running backs coach Robert Gillespie led Dear’s recruitment for the Crimson Tide.
“It felt like home,” Dear said of Alabama. “The coaching staff, the environment, the pursuit of greatness as an organization, the vibe of all the players, the number of running backs that they have produced and put in the NFL. Most of all, [Gillespie] has been absolutely great to me, and genuinely believes in me and my ability to contribute to his room.”
As one of those 15 ESPN 300 commits pledged to the Crimson Tide’s 2025 class, Dear joins fellow top-100 rusher Anthony Rogers (No. 98 in the ESPN 300) as the only running back committed to Alabama in this cycle. The Crimson Tide lost a commitment from four-star athlete/running back pledge Zymear Smith (No. 137) in July. Smith later committed to Maryland.
The 151st running of the Kentucky Derby is set to deliver yet another exhilarating race to the finish. From the field to the favorite, here is everything to know about the first leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown.
When is the 2025 Kentucky Derby?
The 2025 Kentucky Derby will take place Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
What time does the 2025 Kentucky Derby begin?
The post time for the 2025 Kentucky Derby is 6:57 p.m. ET.
How can fans watch?
Coverage of the 2025 Kentucky Derby begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Peacock will stream early coverage beginning at noon ET.
How many horses run in the Kentucky Derby?
Twenty horses have the chance to compete in the Kentucky Derby.
How do horses qualify for the Kentucky Derby?
To earn a spot in the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby, a horse must compete in a series of designated races from September through mid-April. Points are awarded to the top five finishers in each race. The 20 horses with the most points, or the horses who win their international series, earn a spot in the starting gate in Louisville on the first Saturday in May.
Who is the favorite in the 2025 Kentucky Derby?
Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy, opened as the 3-1 favorite.
What are the post positions for the 2025 Kentucky Derby?
Post 1: Citizen Bull (20-1 morning line odds)
Post 2: Neoequos (30-1)
Post 3: Final Gambit (30-1)
Post 4: Rodriguez (12-1)
Post 5: American Promise (30-1)
Post 6: Admire Daytona (30-1)
Post 7: Luxor Cafe (15-1)
Post 8: Journalism (3-1)
Post 9: Burnham Square (12-1)
Post 10: Grande (20-1)
Post 11: Flying Mohawk (30-1)
Post 12: East Avenue (20-1)
Post 13: Publisher (20-1)
Post 14: Tiztastic (20-1)
Post 15: Render Judgment (30-1)
Post 16: Coal Battle (30-1)
Post 17: Sandman (6-1)
Post 18: Sovereignty (5-1)
Post 19: Chunk of Gold (30-1)
Post 20: Owen Almighty (30-1)
Alternate: Baeza
Which post has produced the most Kentucky Derby winners?
Post 5 has produced the most winners, with 10.
What three races make up horse racing’s Triple Crown?
The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes are the three races needed to accomplish the Triple Crown.
Who won the 2024 Kentucky Derby?
Mystik Dan, trained by Kenny McPeek, won last year’s Kentucky Derby at 18-1 odds.
What is the purse for the 2025 Kentucky Derby?
Since 2024, $5 million in prize money has been guaranteed for the Kentucky Derby.
Check out the ESPN horse racing hub page for the latest news and notes ahead of the big race.
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Ryan S. Clark
Add Rick Tocchet to the list of available coaching options on the open market with the Vancouver Canucks announcing Tuesday that Tocchet left the team.
There had been a belief that Tocchet’s time with the Canucks could be coming to an end. Last week saw the discussion of Tocchet’s future with the franchise come under greater focus, with Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford saying they weren’t exercising their option on Tocchet’s contract before adding that they offered him a new, more lucrative deal to remain in Vancouver.
But now? Tocchet joins the list of sought-after coaching candidates and the Canucks become the eighth NHL team that will use this offseason to go through a coaching search.
“After a very long and thorough process, unfortunately Rick has decided to leave the Vancouver Canucks,” Rutherford said in a statement. “This is very disappointing news, but we respect Rick’s decision to move to a new chapter in his hockey career. We did everything in our power to keep him but at the end of the day, Rick felt he needed a change.”
In the same news conference in which Rutherford said the team offered Tocchet a new deal, he also said that Tocchet “may have his mind somewhere else” before adding that he felt Tocchet and his staff did “a good job coaching this team this year” as they did in their first full campaign.
Tocchet was a midseason hire during the 2022-23 season. His first full year in charge saw the Canucks win 50 games, finish with 109 points and win the Pacific Division. He led the Canucks to their first postseason appearance since the 2019-20 season and was a win away from advancing to the Western Conference finals.
Entering this season, the Canucks had most of their players from their playoff team. They started strong with a 15-8-5 record but encountered numerous on-ice and off-ice problems that would prove too large.
Among them was the friction between star forwards J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. The tension between Miller and Pettersson reached a stage in which Canucks captain Quinn Hughes publicly acknowledged there was an issue with Miller and Pettersson denying such issues.
Miller would be traded to the New York Rangers before the trade deadline, and the Canucks struggled to find someone who could replace his production. They would finish six points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final Western Conference wild-card spot.
Still, Tocchet had the support of Hughes, along with others within the organization who wanted him to stay.
As for what it all means going forward for both parties? Tocchet is among those who will join Mike Sullivan, who parted ways with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday after winning two Stanley Cups in 10 seasons, as one of the most attractive names for teams seeking a new bench boss.
Then there are the teams that need a coach. It’s a list that includes the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Seattle Kraken, plus the Penguins and now the Canucks.
“I’m choosing to move on from the Vancouver Canucks,” Tocchet said. “Family is a priority, and with my contract lapsing, this becomes an opportune time. While I don’t know where I’m headed, or exactly how this will play out for me over the near term, I feel like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities around hockey.”
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