4-Star OT believes Kalen DeBoer is "revitalizing" football program at Alabama

By Viraj Mali

Modified Mar 02, 2025 20:16 GMT

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Hayden Ainsworth, a four-star offensive tackle from Biloxi High School (Mississippi) is a highly recruited prospect sitting on offers from programs such as Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida State, Maryland, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Ainsworth reclassified from the Class of 2027 to 2026 on Friday.

The Crimson Tide are one of the early favorites to land him and the offensive lineman spoke about the program in an interview with On3. He praised Kalen DeBoer and his coaching staff and called Alabama a "prestigious program."

"Bama is a team with elite status. Blue Blood. They are the definition of it," Ainsworth said on Saturday. "It’s a prestigious program and will continue to be under this coaching staff. This revitalizing of their program I think is a blessing and Coach Kap (offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic) is an elite coach.

"He’s recruited some big names and the fact he still pursues a relationship with me and other coaches asking me to get up there means the world. I’m huge on relationships and right now that’s what they are excelling at."

Ainsworth is an unranked prospect, but he has more than 15 offers from top programs in the country. According to On3, Ole Miss is the frontrunner, with a 95% chance to secure his commitment.

Hayden Ainsworth reclassified from 2027 to 2026 last week

Hayden Ainsworth, the four-star offensive tackle from Biloxi, Mississippi, was initially classified as a 2027 prospect. However, he reclassified to the Class of 2026 on Friday and is already taking visits to some of the top programs in the nation.

Ainsworth visited Oxford in February and spoke about the Ole Miss Rebels' coaching staff during the program's Junior Day.

"Every time I’ve been there, he (OL coach John Garrison) treats me as a player they want and not just a pushover or a guy they just invited because they wanted to," Ainsworth said on Feb. 2, via Rivals. "His philosophy about OL and how they run some schemes align almost identically to what I’ve run and the tempo he showed is something I love."

Ole Miss' Class of 2026 is ranked No.54 in the nation, as per 247Sports. Lane Kiffin and his coaching staff have landed commitments from Jameson Powell and Zion Legree and are set to add more athletes from the class.