Flipping the stars has been a more exciting contention than what we see on the field and college football intellectuals know the best. Coach Lane Kiffin is the new beholder of the trend heavily eying another quality addition to an electrifying offense. Ole Miss will head to a do-or-die game wherein rests their playoff hopes this week against Oklahoma. They are not only hosting a magnetic fun night for the fans and visitors alike, rather they will honorably host five-star wide receiver Caleb Cunningham. Will there be another flip on the card of 2025?

Cunningham is a versatile sports talent. He was the Starkville, Miss., All-Area basketball player of the year this past season, and had led Choctaw County High School to a district title. Alongside, he is an All-State track and field athlete in long jump and high jump. If these are not enough, he has also recorded 124 catches for 2,150 yards and 30 touchdowns in his football career.

Since July, Cunningham has repeatedly stated that he is a 100 percent Alabama commit. But he is still going on visits to other colleges. This list, apart from Ole Miss, includes several other South Eastern conference programs like Auburn, LSU, and Mississippi State. As Cunningham is set for a visit to Oxford, O3’s recruiting head, Josh Newburg, devised some intriguing takes to add to the buzz.

Going deeper into the contingency,

On3’s recruiting director noted, “When he visited for Ole Miss’s opener we said on the Wiltfong Whiparound that he would be back for this game. We also are expecting them back in Oxford for the Georgia game and we think that they’re [Ole Miss] the biggest Challenger to Alabama right now to ultimately sign him.” Interestingly, Newburg stated that Cunningham might be serious about Ole Miss and the reason is a bit unusual.“He’s coming with his parents. I think that’s key too. I’m not sure his parents have been on many of the other visits this fall that he’s been on, so looks he’s serious about Ole Miss,” Newburg explained. But that is not the only reason. A more concrete reason is there.“His relationships with the rebel staff are second to none and they’re just going to continue to try and chip away at Alabama and we’ll be talking about Caleb Cunningham all the way up to the end,” Newburg further added. Well, we can not deny Cunningham’s chemistry with the coaching staff as Newburg indicated. In fact, the No.2 WR himself had accepted that.“It’s the relationships I have with the coaches. Plus, I just felt it was time to go check them out and see what they’re going to do. But it’s really like the relationships I have with the coaches,” Cunningham had said (via Inside the Rebels) ahead of his visit to the school. Based on that, Ole Miss has continuously pursued him to visit their campus.“They’ve been wanting me to come back and come check them out. I think this will be a better opponent they will play than the last time I was there,” Cunningham had said. With all that, Cunningham has been on multiple visits to Ole Miss. He attended the Juice Fest on July 27. Later in August, he was also on the sidelines for Ole Miss’s win over Furman.

If Ole Miss can flip Cunningham’s commitment, that would be a significant win for their 2025 class. The rebels have 17 commits in this cycle which is No. 23 in the nation and 12th in the South Eastern Conference. While they have roped in eight 4-star recruits, they have yet to land a five-star commit. Interestingly, in the past, there have also been hints from Cunningham about his favor for Alabama.

Back in June, Steve Wiltfong of On3 recruiting suggested that the Crimson Tide now leads in his recruitment. Cunningham also confirmed that on “X”. He shared a post from Inside Bama Recruiting that read

“5-Star WR @calebcunning13 Tells Me Alabama Is His #1 School” and wrote “100%”. But what made him go for Alabama despite so many visits to Ole Miss?

The man behind Alabama receiving Caleb Cunningham

Cunningham’s commitment to Alabama was not a smooth process. After Nick Saban’s retirement, the Crimson Tide had nearly lost the 6’1″, 190-pound standout from Choctaw County High School in Mississippi. Cunningham himself had admitted that post Nick Saban era, Alabama was not even in his top-12 choices. But the relationship he developed with wide receiver coach JaMarcus Shephard played a crucial role in turning the tables for Alabama.

Cunningham visited Alabama during spring practice, followed by an official visit during the final week of June. That visit propelled Alabama over Mississippi State, Tennessee, Auburn, and others. Arranging visits for priority recruits was important to the new Alabama regime, and the strategy is indeed paying dividends as the Tide hold the No. 2 class nationally.

“We did a really good job of getting guys to campus multiple times. It wasn’t just about those official visits, it was a combination of everything, the work that had been done all through the spring, the spring recruiting, and then doing a really good job of having official visits that were organized. Just great effort on building relationships with prospects, their parents, and their families,” coach Kalen DeBoer told The Athletic in July.

Cunningham has ignored 26 other houses to join forces with the DeBoer’s squad. While his constant outside visits (attending the other programs) cast a slight doubt on his mindset and professional satisfaction in the Bama’s camp, he really values what Shephard’ has to offer.

Immediately after committing, the prodigy said he loves coach Shephard and his style of coaching. The way he develops the players, making them at home was genuinely alluring and comforting for the spotlight transfer.

“His energy, it tops everything. He’s a dog. He got that dog in him. He coaches his guys hard,” Cunningham had said of Shephard.

Caleb had also showcased his unfathomable belief in the highly skeptical Kalen DeBoer’s era and predicted a slew of more wins and championships for the team. As he had said, Alabama has staff that

“knows football” and an offense, he said, that “knows how to get guys open.” Despite all the good words, if he reconsiders his decision, it will be salt to the wound for the Tide amidst a timid playoff hope. The suspense could have been higher!