4-star Alabama commit shuts down his recruitment amid flip rumors

Alabama's longest-standing commitment in the 2026 class just reaffirmed his pledge to the Crimson Tide on Monday night.

4-star CB Zyan Gibson, committed to the Crimson Tide since Christmas Eve, announced he would be shutting down his recruitment and was locked in with Alabama:

Gibson has been heavily courted by other programs, particularly in the SEC. He took summer official visits to both Ole Miss and Tennessee, sparking rumors of a potential flip. He also took numerous trips to Tuscaloosa over the summer and spent the final weekend of OV season at Alabama for his official. The Tide did enough to ward off the others and lock him in.

Of course, that doesn't mean this recruitment is over. We're still a long way away from Early Signing Day in December, and the sharks will undoubtedly be circling Gibson throughout the fall, looking to bring him to campus for gameday visits.

For now, though, the in-state pledge is locked in with Alabama.

Alabama is close to wrapping up another elite DB class

Gibson is one of two elite cornerbacks Alabama hs committed in this class, joining 5-star Georgia native Jorden Edmonds. The two make up an impressive crop of defensive backs themselves, and they'll join an extremely talented CB room in Tuscaloosa.

Earlier on Monday, Alabama landed a commitment from 3-star safety Rihyael Kelley, who flipped to the Tide from Rutgers. Kelley is the first safety commit, but hopefully not the last for Kalen DeBoer and company.

Alabama is seen as the favorite for 5-star safety Jireh Edwards from Maryland. Edwards is set to announce his commitment on July 5th. Coming off an official visit to Alabama in June, Edwards cancelled his remaining official visits, likely signaling a silent commitment to the Crimson Tide. We'll see if anything changes on that front late next week.

If Alabama lands Edwards as expected, that could wrap up the 2026 DB class for Maurice Linguist. It would be another home run, following the 2025 cycle that saw the Tide take an elite three-man class of Dijon Lee, Chuck McDonald, and Ivan Taylor.

Alabama has been linked with other cornerbacks in this class, namely Georgia Tech commitment Jaedyn Terry and Georgia native Lasiah Jackson. It's possible the Tide would take another corner, but it's far from a need.

With two already committed, and a roster flush with young talent at the position, there may not be room for another DB right now. Alabama is set to lose senior Domani Jackson after this year, but should return the rest of the CB room, including Zabien Brown, Cam Calhoun, and Dijon Lee, to go along with McDonald and the two incoming freshmen for next year in Edmonds and Gibson.

Linguist has a ton of talent to work with now and in the future in the secondary.