5-star Alabama commit isn’t going anywhere after latest comments

The commitment of five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin on June 29 officially turned the Tide for Kalen DeBoer’s second recruiting class at Alabama. Griffin was the program’s second five-star commit of the cycle and set off an avalanche of commitments, including two more five-stars, Cederian Morgan and Jireh Edwards, in early July. 

With the money that is currently flowing through the sport, flip watch has heated up more than ever before, early signing day, but Alabama fans don’t have to worry about Griffin changing his allegiances. The Gainesville, Georgia, product is locked in with Alabama, telling BamaOnLine’s Andrew Bone that, “I’m all ‘Bama the rest of my life.” 

Xavier Griffin showing unique loyalty on NIL and transfer portal era

Griffin certainly isn’t coming to Tuscaloosa to play for free, but it does appear that he’s motivated by more than money. It’s not just “flip watch” that’s more intense than ever, the prevalence of the trnasfer portal has created an inescapable annual roster churn, but Griffin sounds intent on staying loyal to the Crimson Tide throughout his three, four, or even five-year college football career. 

A hybrid linebacker/edge rusher, Griffin will be a unique chess piece for defensive coordinator Kane Wommack as he constructs his future defenses at Alabama. All indications are that the staff sees him as an off-ball linebacker first and foremost, but there’s a chance that is reevaluated after DeBoer and general manager Courtney Morgan missed out on five-star in-state edge rusher Tank Jones. 

Jones’s commitment to Oregon may eventually force the 6-foot-3, 200+pound Griffin to play more on the edge, unless one of Alabama’s other 2026 edge rushers commits and blossoms into a star. At least if Wommack wants to move Griffin around on his defense, he can feel safe that he’s not risking a portal departure by doing so. 

Griffin is a key piece to Alabama’s 2026 recruiting class, which has climbed up to the No. 5 spot in the country. He is the 17th-ranked player in the nation according to 247Sports Composite and the Tide’s top recruit. Knowing that he’s locked alleviates some pressure on DeBoer as he heads into a potentially make-or-break Year 2 in Tuscaloosa. 

After missing the College Football Playoff last season, DeBoer’s recruiting prowess is currently the best case for keeping him as the head coach of the Tide long-term. The wins need to come, and they need to come fast, but the loyalty that players like Griffin have pledged to him should buy time until his first SEC Championship run.