Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer brought in recruits from all over the country in the 2025 recruiting class that finished No. 4 overall in 247Sports, including seven players from California. DeBoer also tapped into the Florida pipeline, where he pulled in four-star safety Ivan Taylor. The No. 2 safety according to 247Sports is the son of former two-time Super Bowl-winning defensive back Ike Taylor.
That championship-winning DNA seems to have been passed down from father to son.
"He got in here, and he was eager to learn," Crimson Tide safety Bray Hubbard said of Taylor. "He was learning the defense. He comes in every day ready to work in the weight room, on the field, off the field, recovery training room...He's always here doing something to get better, and that's a guy that you can tell that he's going to be a really good player."
Taylor played his high school football at West Orange High School in Winter Garden Florida, where he finished his junior campaign with 45 tackles, four forced fumbles, a pass break, and an interception to his credit.
In the secondary, Alabama lost multi-year starting safety Malachi Moore and Devonta Smith, but returned both Hubbard and Keon Sabb on the back end. Starting cornerbacks Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown are also back.
Other than Taylor, DeBoer brought in five-star cornerback Dijon Lee and cornerback Chuck McDonald in the secondary while also bringing in cornerback Cameron Calhoun from Utah in the transfer portal.
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This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 3:13 PM.