NCAAF
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama’s early June recruiting momentum continued on Saturday when four-star cornerback Chuck McDonald announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide. A Santa Ana, Calif., native, McDonald is the No. 9 cornerback and No. 76 overall player in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Advertisement
McDonald, a 6-foot-1 and 190-pound prospect, officially visited Alabama during the May 31-June 2 weekend, and it left such an impression that McDonald committed ahead of a scheduled visit to Georgia this weekend and expected trips to Oregon and USC later this month. He’s the second official visitor from that weekend to commit, joining four-star quarterback Keelon Russell, signifying the importance of hosting as early as possible and the job the new coaching staff is doing in its first official visit cycle.
McDonald’s commitment continues a strong recruiting pipeline for Alabama at premier high school Mater Dei. McDonald’s teammate Abduall Sanders Jr. (a linebacker) is already a member of the 2025 class, current team members Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown, both cornerbacks, are alumni as was former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young.
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
In McDonald, Alabama’s getting a versatile, polished player who has experience against some of the best high school competition in the country. He began playing a major role at Mater Dei as a sophomore in 2022, recording 28 tackles, six pass breakups, a forced fumble and two blocked punts. In 2023, he improved on those numbers with 34 tackles, seven pass breakups and one interception.
He’s a dual-sport athlete who helped the Mater Dei track team to a state championship as a sprinter in the 100 meters and 200 meters. That speed translates to the football field where McDonald plays outside cornerback and in the slot, matching up against taller, rangy receivers or shorter, shiftier opponents in the middle of the field.
GO DEEPER
Alabama flips top-50 QB Keelon Russell from SMU
Alabama signed an impressive defensive back class in 2024 of five players, including three five-star prospects: Brown, Jaylen Mbakwe and Zay Mincey. Through the transfer portal, the Tide added Jackson, Keon Sabb, DaShawn Jones, Kameron Howard and King Mack. Now, position coaches Maurice Linguist and Colin Hitschler have added a highly touted prospect in 2025 to continue rebuilding depth for a position that was hit hardest by the offseason attrition. McDonald is the second defensive back addition for this class, joining four-star Zymear Smith.
Alabama’s 2025 class now has 12 commits, including five ranked in the top 100 nationally. The class was ranked No. 8 nationally, according to 247Sports, before his commitment.
(Photo: Tim Heitman / USA Today)
Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.
Kennington Lloyd Smith III is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering Alabama football. Kennington most recently covered University of Iowa football and men’s basketball for the Des Moines Register. He is a three-time state press association award winner in feature writing, enterprise writing and podcasting. Kennington attended The University of Georgia and originates from Atlanta, GA. Follow Kennington on Twitter @SkinnyKenny_
