“I’ve wanted to go to this school,” 2026 Hunstville RB Traeshawn Brown (5’9, 185) told KBTX on National Signing Day. “It’s like a dream school for me. I haven’t been there yet, but I just know that I am going to love it, and I’m ready to work.”

That school is none other than Alabama, and Brown finally set foot on campus on Monday as an official enrollee.

It was his first time in Tuscaloosa, one month after signing with the Crimson Tide during the Early Signing Period, securing a spot in the class as an early enrollee.

Huntsville head coach Todd Moebes said the Brown’s commitment story began shortly after the Hornets’ season ended.

“After we lost to Terrell in Round 2, he had a visit scheduled to Boise State,” Moebes said. “He went up there, had a great visit, and came back leaning strongly that way.”

Then Alabama entered the picture.

“The Tuesday before Wednesday signing day, there was a rumor floating around about Alabama,” Moebes said. “I talked to Traeshawn about protecting himself in the process. He wanted to wait until February, and I supported that. At that point, I hadn’t spoken to anyone from Alabama.”

Brown left that conversation expecting to sign with Boise State. Hours later, everything changed.

“Around 6 p.m., I got a call from Tuscaloosa,” Moebes said. “It was Coach (Robert) Gillespie, their running backs coach. From there, everything happened in the next 24 hours.”

The accelerated push required careful coordination between Brown, the high school staff, and Alabama’s compliance office.

“Our administration and counselors worked with Alabama’s compliance office to make sure he could graduate early and meet NCAA requirements,” Moebes said. “Then the next week, he signed with Alabama.”

To Alabama’s credit, even coming in late, they made sure Brown’s position was clear with signing day approaching.

“It was extremely fresh,” Moebes said. “Credit to Alabama too, because they were very professional. They did not come in saying, ‘Hey, look, we’re Alabama.’ They were very open and saying they understood they were here in the 25th hour.”

One month later, Brown stepped on campus for the first time.

“I cooked him a steak on the 2nd, and they drove to Tuscaloosa on Sunday,” Moebes said. “He just texted me this morning that he was settled in his dorm.”

Brown’s story draws immediate comparisons to former Alabama running back Josh Jacobs, who also emerged to sign with the Crimson Tide in a late move that paid huge dividends for the program and for Jacobs.

“Everybody that I had talked to from beat writers at Tuscaloosa News and several of their sports people, that’s what they were all relating it to as well,” Moebes said.

“It’s a great story. Hopefully, there’s another one down the line, and it becomes the story of Traeshawn Brown.”

As a senior, Brown rushed for 1,362 yards and 17 touchdowns to earn First-Team All-District honors.
 

Scouting Report: Compact, powerful RB with a multi-sport background in track and powerlifting. Generates low-to-mid 4.5s top-end speed quickly and shows burst through cutback lanes. Adds strength and thickness to push the pile but also has a natural ability to shift in the hole and avoid contact. Good lateral quickness, change-of-direction, and hands out of the backfield.