Kalen DeBoer has put together an elite 2026 recruiting class, regardless of which recruiting service you prefer. It's a Top 5 class in the composite rankings with the majority of the work already complete. Alabama will potentially be looking to flip a couple of top targets between now and December, but for the most part, the job will be retaining the current crop of commitments and keeping the wolves away.
On Monday afternoon, MaxPreps released its preseason high school All-American first and second teams. As expected, there was a significant Alabama flavor to the team.
The Crimson Tide's 2026 class is headlined by five 5-star commitments. Those five all made MaxPreps' All-American teams, with three players making the first team and the other two settling for the second.
Ezavier Crowell, Xavier Griffin, and Jorden Edmonds lead Alabama's high school All-Americans
RB Ezavier Crowell, LB Xavier Griffin, and CB Jorden Edmonds are the three Tide commitments on the first team. WR Cederian Morgan and S Jireh Edwards are featured on the second team.
Crowell's inclusion is particularly impressive considering he should be a high school junior. The Alabama native reclassified into the 2026 class and committed to the Crimson Tide at the end of June, helping to kick off a ridiculous run of success on the trail over the summer. Crowell has been insanely productive the last two seasons, rushing for over 3700 yards and 56 touchdowns.
Griffin is a former USC commitment who joined Alabama's class just a few days after Crowell's commitment. Griffin's senior season at Gainesville High School in Georgia has already gotten started, and he didn't disappoint in the opener, finishing with three sacks.
Edmonds committed to Alabama when the class was still small, believing fully that the coaching staff was going to put together something special this cycle. He is one of the Tide's longest-standing commitments, pledging to Alabama back in March.
Morgan committed to Alabama in early July. He's coming off a big junior season for Benjamin Russell, where he finished with over 1100 yards and 14 touchdowns. He's got excellent physical ability and size, but is still a bit raw as a route runner. Tide WR coach JaMarcus Shepherd will have fun molding him.
Edwards is a versatile safety prospect capable of defending the deep third of the field or playing down in the box. He's unafraid to punish runners with some big hits. Edwards recently announced his recruitment was shut down, reaffirming his commitment to Alabama.