Recruiting Rundown: Alabama Continues to Build on 2026 Class
The Alabama Crimson Tide continued to work its way up to a strong 2026 recruiting class this week, finding itself among the final schools for top prospects and scheduling visits with elite talents. Though the dead period is active until March 2nd, Alabama made strides in positioning itself as a premier destination for the 2026 class.
The Tide kicked off its, “Fourth Quarter,” spring conditioning program this week, officially welcoming many of the 2025 signees to the team and giving them the first taste of what they can expect in their freshman seasons.
According to Ryan Fowler, host of “The Game with Ryan Fowler,” on Tide 100.9 FM in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is set to begin its spring practices on March 3rd, meaning fans are a mere weeks away from their first look at the 2025 Crimson Tide.
Turning attention to the class of 2026 and beyond, Alabama was limited in contact due to the dead period, but still managed to find itself among the final schools for one next year’s top players. Elite offensive tackle prospect Immanuel Iheanacho named the Tide in his top-11 this week.
Alongside the Tide, vying for the 6-foot-6, 345 lb. prospect from Rockville, Maryland, is Oregon, Georgia, Penn State, LSU, Maryland, Florida, Miami, Auburn, Tennessee and Texas A&M. Iheanacho features a unique combination of power and athleticism for the position with the ability to not only push defenders off the ball on run looks, but also stay in front of twitchy edge defenders in the pass game.
He is undeniably one of the most sought after talents in next year’s recruiting class.
Alabama also lined up a visit this week with another top 2026 prospect, locking in Duncanville, Texas linebacker Kevin “KJ” Ford, Jr. The 12th ranked player in the nation, according to 247Sports composite ranking, is set to make a trip to Tuscaloosa on May 30th.
With over 30 division one offers, most of which coming from power four programs, Ford is clearly one of the top talents in not only the Lonestar state, but the nation as a whole.
Alabama also locked in another visit with 2026 cornerback Caden Harris from Brownsville, Tennessee. A 6-foot, 160 lb. defender, Harris is a speedy corner with enough range to cover almost any receiver.
247Sports ranks him as the No. 4 player in the Volunteer state and he holds over twenty division one offers.
Looking at more of the Tide’s top targets in next year’s class, Brandon Arrington, who was in town for Alabama’s junior day on February 1st, took to social media this week to share some very impressive news. The top ranked athlete in the nation revealed his new personal best in the 60 meter dash of 6.67 seconds, which is just .34 seconds off the world record for the event.
It’s safe to say that Arrington is one of the fastest athletes in the class if not the entire country, and landing a player with his skill set would be a massive boost to the Tide.
Fellow 2026 prospect, Bear McWhorter from Cass High School in White, Georgia, announced this week that he will make his commitment on February 28, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3.
McWhorter is rated as a 3-Star prospect and is the No. 47 ranked player in the state of Georgia, according to 247Sports composite ranking. He stands at 6-foot-3, 293 lbs. and is a dominant force on the interior offensive line.
2026 cornerback Jorden Edmonds, who the Tide has been in heavy pursuit of, officially set his commitment date for February 19th, but has reportedly backed off that date and is now undecided on when he will announce his decision.
The Sprayberry, Georgia native was recently in attendance of the Under Armour Next camp in Atlanta and showed out among his competition. He is rated as a 4-Star prospect and is the No. 10 ranked player in the Peach state. Edmonds holds offers from a dozen SEC programs as well as many more from the other power four conferences.
2027 edge rusher Jabarrius Garror, who committed to Alabama last summer, was also in Atlanta for the Under Armour event. The 6-foot-2, 200 lb. defender was impressive as always, showcasing his speed off the edge and his bend around the corner.
Though he is just a sophomore, Garror has already compiled 116 tackles, 60 TFL’s, and 24.5 sacks in two seasons. He is one of the most impressive players in the 2027 class, and it was on full display in Atlanta.
Other top Crimson Tide targets were in attendance of Nike’s Next Ones event this week. Current Maryland commit Zion Elee faced off in one-on-one drills against the aforementioned Iheanacho. Though Elee was able to display his explosiveness off the ball, Iheanacho was mostly dominant in the reps, using his massive frame and quick footwork to his advantage.
CJ Sadler, the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Michigan, was also in New Orleans for the Nike event, and made an impressive concentration grab that he then turned into a touchdown. He holds offers from over twenty division one programs, including Alabama, and is one of the most highly sought after talents in the class.
Cederian Morgan, one of the top ranked wideouts in next year’s class and a player very high on Alabama’s priority list, was officially selected to participate in the 2026 Polynesian Bowl this week. Each season, the nation’s top high school talent gathers for an all-star game in Honolulu, Hawaii. Since its inception in 2017, the game has seen the likes of Puka Nacua, Travis Hunter, Penei Sewell and many more.
The Crimson Tide extended a trio of offers this week to 2026 offensive tackle Wilson Zierer, and 2027 prospects Antwoine Higgins and Zac Fares.
Zierer, a 6-foot-6, 280 lb. offensive tackle prospect from Rabun Gap, Georgia, is unrated as a prospect currently by major recruiting outlets, but has a massive frame with the potential to reach elite size for the tackle position.
Fares is a 6-foot-5, 220 lb. tight end that is also unrated currently by major recruiting outlets. Unlike Zierer; however, Fares already possesses the size of a division one tight end. He hauled in 35 receptions for 615 yards and three touchdowns as a junior for the Arbor View Aggies in Las Vegas.
Finally, fellow 2027 prospect Antwoine Higgins, Jr. also received an offer from the Crimson Tide. Rated as a 4-Star prospect by 247Sports, Higgins is a 6-foot-3, 215 lb. linebacker prospect with a bruising style of play.
In Alabama basketball news, one of the top prospects in the entire 2026 class reportedly has the Tide on his radar. According to Joe Tipton of On3, 5-Star guard Caleb Holt from Loganville, Georgia has been visited by ten schools, one of which was the Crimson Tide.
Holt is the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Georgia and the No. 3 player in the 2026 class. Originally from New Market, Alabama, he attended Buckhorn High School before transferring to Grayson.
2025 Football Signees
- EDGE Justin Hill, 6-foot-3, 220 lbs. – Cincinnati, Ohio (Signed 12/04/2024)
- TE Marshall Pritchett, 6-foot-5, 211 lbs. – Rabun Gap, Georgia (Signed 12/04/2024)
- S Ivan Taylor, 6-foot, 174 lbs. – Winter Garden, Florida (Signed 12/04/2024)
- LB Darrell Johnson, 6-foot-1, 200 lbs. – Eastman, Georgia (Signed 12/04/2024)
- WR Lotzeir Brooks, 5-foot-9, 170 lbs. – Millville, New Jersey (Signed 12/04/2024)
- OT Micah DeBose, 6-foot-5, 215 lbs. – Mobile, Alabama (Signed 12/04/2024)
- DL London Simmons, 6-foot-3, 296 lbs. – Flowood, Mississippi (Signed 12/04/2024)
- LB Luke Metz, 6-foot-3, 220 lbs. – Hoschton, Georgia (Signed 12/04/2024)
- OT Mal Waldrep, 6-foot-5, 320 lbs. – Phenix City, Alabama (Signed 12/04/2024)
- DL Steve Mboumoua, 6-foot-4, 290 lbs. – Summit, Mississippi (Signed 12/04/2024)
- QB Keelon Russell, 6-foot-3, 175 lbs. – Duncanville, Texas (Signed 12/04/2024)
- CB Dijon Lee, 6-foot-4, 190 lbs. – Mission Viejo, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
- DL Kevonte Henry, 6-foot-4, 220 lbs. – Norwalk, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
- CB Chuck McDonald, 6-foot, 190 lbs. – Santa Ana, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
- K/P Alex Asparuhov, 6-foot-3, 190 lbs. – Fresno, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
- LB Abduall Sanders, Jr., 6-foot-1, 225 lbs. – Santa Ana, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
- OL Michael Carroll, 6-foot-6, 315 lbs. – Bradenton, Florida (Signed 12/04/2024)
- OT Jackson Lloyd, 6-foot-7, 290 lbs. – Carmel, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
- TE Kaleb Edwards, 6-foot-6, 240 lbs. – El Dorado Hills, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
- RB Akylin Dear, 6-foot-1, 200 lbs. – Quitman, Mississippi (Signed 12/04/2024)
- WR Derek Meadows, 6-foot-4, 20 lbs. – Las Vegas, Nevada (Signed 12/04/2024)
2026 Football Commits
- CB Zyan Gibson, 5-foot-11, 177lbs. – Gadsden, Alabama (Committed 12/24/2024)
2027 Football Commits
- ATH Alexander Ward, 6-foot-1, 170 lbs. – Marietta, Georgia (Committed 11/26/2024)
- EDGE Jabarrius Garror, 6-foot-2, 200 lbs. – Mobile, Alabama (Committed 07/31/2024)
Check out the Alabama football recruiting tracker for the latest of the 2025 class and more.
2025 Basketball Signees
- SF Amari Allen, 6-foot-7, 180 lbs. – Green Bay, Wisconsin (Signed 11/13/2024)
- SF London Jemison, 6-foot-8, 200 lbs. – Oakdale, Connecticut (Signed 11/18/2024)
- SG Davion Hannah, 6-foot-5, 180 lbs, – Brandon, Missouri (Signed 11/18/2024)
Check out the Alabama men’s basketball recruiting tracker for the latest of the 2025 class and more.
