ACKERMAN, Miss. — Everyone expected Alabama to beat Vanderbilt handedly on Saturday, especially Caleb Cunningham.
The 2025 Alabama five-star commit talked with JaMarcus Shephard the Friday before when the Crimson Tide wide receivers coach attended Choctaw County High School football's win against East Webster. And 24 hours later , Cunningham was admittedly floored.
"That really shocked the crap out of me," Cunningham said.
But Cunningham made it clear. Nothing about Alabama's loss Saturday changes where he stands with the Crimson Tide .
"It's football," Cunningham said. "It ain't changed nothing with my commitment, you know what I'm saying? I'm still 100% locked in for sure. You're going to lose. Down in the SEC, it ain't telling who will win. But losing to Vandy is kind of crazy, though."
Cunningham said he knows Alabama is "cleaning stuff up" ahead of Saturday's home game against South Carolina.
Cunningham committed to Alabama on July 13 as the second wide receiver in its 2025 class, joining New Jersey four-star Lotzeir Brooks . Cunningham is the No. 14 player in the country per 247Sports' composite rankings, and is the No. 2 receiver in the class.
Per 247Sports, Cunningham, now a 6-foot-1, 190-pound receiver, had 48 catches for 1,138 yards and 14 touchdowns.
"He demands a ton of attention," Choctaw County football coach Dillon Mitchell said. "You got to design plays with him getting (the ball) and then also him forcing the defense to react to him going across the formation and wherever he's lined up."
While Cunningham said he is locked in to Alabama, he said other programs are continuing to try and flip his commitment, mentioning Mississippi State, Ole Miss , Auburn, LSU, Florida State and Texas as the programs that have been talking to him most.
As a Crimson Tide commit, though, Cunningham feels on top of the world.
"It feels great. Amazing. Like the best decision ever," Cunningham said. "You can't go wrong. That's a great program, man. Plus the receivers they have (who are) in the league, they've done developed, they really the team that's going to get you to the league for sure.
"They got everything you need to be successful."
As for Alabama moving forward, Cunningham made a prediction.
"From now on, I know they are going to go crazy for sure," Cunningham said. "I don't think they will lose no more."
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: 2025 5-star commit Caleb Cunningham shares thoughts on Alabama loss to Vanderbilt
