Alabama dismisses Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. after arrest involving police officer
Coach Kalen DeBoer said the defensive back no longer met the football program’s standards after the team gathered more information. The charges against Kirkpatrick remain allegations.
Alabama dismissed defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. from its football program on Tuesday, October 27, after his arrest on misdemeanor charges involving a University of Alabama police officer. Coach Kalen DeBoer said the team had gathered more information and that Kirkpatrick had failed to meet its standards. The decision removes a reserve defensive back who had played in every game this season before Saturday’s game against Texas A&M.
“After gathering more information on the situation, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. will no longer be a part of our program,” DeBoer said in a statement reported by ESPN and CBS Sports. “He did not live up to the standards and expectations that I have set for this team and our players.” DeBoer did not specify in the quoted statement what additional information the team had obtained.
Charges and allegations involving a police officer
ESPN reported that Kirkpatrick was arrested Friday, October 23, on misdemeanor charges of doxing and harassing communications involving an officer connected to his 2025 arrest. CBS Sports reported allegations that Kirkpatrick sent messages to the officer and posted a photograph of the officer and his family on Facebook. Those accounts describe allegations behind the charges; they do not establish that Kirkpatrick committed the alleged acts.
Alabama suspended Kirkpatrick before its October 24 game against Texas A&M, ESPN reported. DeBoer told reporters Monday that the player was “not with us,” according to ESPN. Tuesday’s announcement changed his status from suspended to dismissed, ending his place in the program rather than only keeping him out of a game.
Kirkpatrick’s earlier suspension and role at Alabama
Kirkpatrick was arrested in 2025 on counts of reckless endangerment, attempting to elude police and speeding, ESPN reported. Alabama suspended him that October, and he did not play again during the 2025 season. CBS Sports reported that he returned to the team in the spring. Both outlets also reported a separate misdemeanor charge related to leaving the scene of an accident in June 2026.
ESPN described Kirkpatrick as a second-string inside cornerback with four tackles this season before the Texas A&M game. CBS Sports said he had appeared in 28 games over three years and recorded 17 tackles. He is the son of Dre Kirkpatrick Sr., a former Alabama and NFL cornerback, according to both outlets. The dismissal affects a player who had been a regular presence in Alabama’s secondary rotation even though he was not a starter.
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Sources and context
- Alabama dismisses DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. after second arrest, Kalen DeBoer announcesCBS Sports
- Alabama DB Kirkpatrick dismissed from program, DeBoer saysESPN
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.