Bogdan Zverev Gives Alabama Its First Verbal for the Class of 2026

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Bogdan Zverev, a high school junior from Sarasota Florida, has become the first swimmer to publicly announce their verbal commitment to a Power 4 school in the class of 2026.

He is the second public commitment reported to SwimSwam in the class after Paul Moody, who committed to Army West Point last week.

Zverev announced his commitment wearing football gloves that when held together make the famous script “A” logo for Alabama, which has become a common scene for Alabama swimming commits.

Zverev attends Sarasota High School and trains with the Sarasota Sharks. He specializes in middle distance freestyle and IM events, similarly to his most famous training partner Summer McIntosh. McIntosh, a Canadian, was the best female performer at the Paris Olympics, winning three gold and a silver medal.

Zverev finished 3rd in the 200 IM (1:49.33) and 11th in the 100 fly (50.88) at the 2023 Florida High School State Championship 4A meet, for the state’s biggest schools.

While he didn’t improve in those events in yards after the end of the high school season, he took another big lurch forward in the long course season. At the Florida Long Course Senior Championships in July, he won three events and had had three other top 3 finishes. That included 2:03.79 in the 200 fly, 2:06.03 in the 200 IM, and 4:35.61 in the 400 IM.

His 200 IM time was over a three second improvement off his best and more than a five-and-a-half second improvement off his time from the 2023 Futures Championships.

Best Times in Yards

• 200 IM – 1:49.33
• 400 IM – 3:55.56
• 200 free – 1:39.27
• 500 free – 4:26.79
• 100 fly – 50.53
• 200 fly – 1:49.33
• 100 back – 49.85
• 200 back – 1:49.92

He joins an Alabama team that finished 7th at last year’s SEC Championships – a meet that becomes even more competitive this season with the addition of the Texas Longhorns to the conference.

The Alabama men didn’t score a lot of points in Zverev’s best events last season. They had no A or B finalists in the 200 IM, and no scorers (among only one entry) in the 400 IM. Then-sophomore Charlie Hawke finished 3rd in the 500 free (and 5th at NCAAs), but their only other scorer was Leonardo Alcantara in 23rd.

They brought in a little bit of help for those problems in a strong class of 2024, but heading into his junior season Zverev is ahead-of-pace for all of those. A smaller class of 2025 didn’t offer much help in the IMs or middle-distance races either.

This could be a key pickup for Alabama head coach Margo Geer as she looks to establish recruiting supply lines. The Sarasota Sharks have a strong recruiting history of sending top swimmers to the University of Florida, but they have provided talent to a number of other SEC schools as well, and head coach Brent Arckey swam at Alabama for two years. If Zverev develops well in Tuscaloosa, that could mean positive long term gains for the Crimson Tide.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].      

About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour 

Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.

FFT SOCIAL

Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour
Facebook – @fitterandfastertour
Twitter – @fitterandfaster

^{FFT is a SwimSwam partner.}