Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.

#21 · DB · Sr. · Alabama5′11″ · 207 lb · Gadsden, AL · Gadsden City

Last gameW 31–20vs Texas A&M · Oct 24
Nextat LSUSat Nov 7 · 3:30 pm ET
5 tackles in 5 games; their best was 1 vs East Carolina.
Game 1: against East Carolina, win 48-10, 1 tackle1WECUGame 2: at Kentucky, win 45-17, 1 tackle1WUK@Game 3: against Florida State, win 50-36, no tackles in this gameWFSUGame 4: against South Carolina, win 49-18, 1 tackle1WSCGame 5: at Mississippi State, win 56-23, no tackles in this gameWMSST@Game 6: against Georgia, loss 17-20, 1 tackle1LUGAGame 7: at Tennessee, loss 10-26, 1 tackle1LTENN@Game 8: against Texas A&M, win 31-20, no tackles in this gameWTA&M
Game 1: against East Carolina, win 48-10, 1 tackle1WECUGame 2: at Kentucky, win 45-17, 1 tackleWUK@Game 3: against Florida State, win 50-36, no tackles in this gameWFSUGame 4: against South Carolina, win 49-18, 1 tackleWSCGame 5: at Mississippi State, win 56-23, no tackles in this gameWMSST@Game 6: against Georgia, loss 17-20, 1 tackleLUGAGame 7: at Tennessee, loss 10-26, 1 tackleLTENN@Game 8: against Texas A&M, win 31-20, no tackles in this gameWTA&M

Texas A&M · W 31-20

No tackles.

Kirkpatrick has tackles in 5 of Alabama’s 8 games: none against Florida State, Mississippi State and Texas A&M.

This week

What’s being said

45 stories in the last 30 days, from 25 outlets.

Oct 24: 4Oct 25: 1Oct 26: 10Oct 27: 24Oct 28: 4Oct 29: 1Nov 3: 1L 17-20 vs GeorgiaLL 10-26 at TennesseeLW 31-20 vs Texas A&MWOct 6Nov 4Most in a day: 24
Oct 24: 4Oct 25: 1Oct 26: 10Oct 27: 24Oct 28: 4Oct 29: 1Nov 3: 1L 17-20 vs GeorgiaLL 10-26 at TennesseeLW 31-20 vs Texas A&MWOct 6Nov 4Most in a day: 24
Stories per day. W and L: the team’s results.

Details revealed on Alabama football DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.arrest

Montgomery Advertiser +1 Oct 27

All 46 stories this season

The story

As of

The name does a lot of work here. His father, Dre Kirkpatrick, was an All-American corner at Alabama and a first-round NFL pick, and the junior carries the bloodline into a secondary that doesn't have an obvious spot for him. The 2025 story overwhelmed the football: arrested in early November on reckless-endangerment and eluding charges after a high-speed drive down University Boulevard, suspended indefinitely by Kalen DeBoer the same weekend, and as of December still on the outside with "nothing that has changed," per DeBoer. The receipts on the field are thin — two seasons, roughly 20 games, a forced fumble and a pass breakup to show for it.

Read the rest of the story

Then the quiet part: he's on the 2026 roster. DeBoer told reporters this spring that Kirkpatrick "met those requirements" to return, praised his attitude, and stressed he'll "do the things not just on the field, but off it as well to meet the standard our program expects." That's a coach choosing to reopen a door, and Alabama message boards have spent the offseason litigating whether the second chance is earned or just deference to the surname. A-Day put him back in pads, in the husky/safety rotation but stuck behind Red Morgan — who locked the job down late last year — and redshirt freshman Chuck McDonald.

So the forward stake is small in stature and loud in subtext: the name is national, the role is a backup pushing for snaps. 2026 is the year Kirkpatrick has to convert a reinstatement into reps.

Update (Oct. 28, 2026): Alabama lost 26-10 at Tennessee on Oct. 17 as a 7.5-point favorite. The Crimson Tide beat Texas A&M 31-20 on Oct. 24 and are 6-2, No. 10 in the AP poll. Kirkpatrick has 5 tackles through 8 games, including 1 in the loss at Tennessee.

Sources

Style of play

Style of play

Play style

A hard-hitting, twitchy defensive back built more like a strong safety than an outside corner — 6-foot, 192, the kind of frame that fits Alabama's husky hybrid role where you cover slot, fill the alley, and tackle in space. The scouting read (his 2025 snaps were too sparse for play-by-play percentiles): downhill instincts and physicality are the calling card, a contributor on special teams and in the return game, with the open question being whether his cover discipline and ball production can match the thump. He profiles as a rotational husky/safety who has to win on effort and reliability, not pedigree.