Nation's No. 1 Running Back Sets Commitment Date

Decision time is near for the top running back in the class of 2025.

Four-star tailback Akylin Dear will commit on Aug. 20, according to On3. The Quitman High School (Mississippi) product is down to a final three of Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. He was previously committed to Ole Miss from March to June of this year before backing off his pledge to the Rebels.

Dear (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) is rated as the No. 1 RB, the No. 3 player in the state and the No. 45 overall recruit in his class, per 247Sports.

Alabama has seemingly taken the lead for Dear, as 247Sports, On3 and Rivals each project him to land with the Crimson Tide.

Dear visited Tuscaloosa on March 28 before decommitting from Ole Miss nine days later.

Dear racked up 2,016 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior for Quitman high. Also a track star, Dear recorded a personal best of 11.17 in the 100-meter yard dash as a freshman.

Kalen DeBoer's class is shaping up to be one of the very best in the country. A pledge from Dear would add to a group already ranked as the second-best in the nation behind Ohio State, per 247Sports.

Related: Massive Four-Star Offensive Tackle Names Final Schools, Sets Commitment Date