5-star Alabama freshman shows up to spring ball with head-turning size

Football is back for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama and all is right in the world. Well, it may not be late August just yet, but spring ball has kicked off for the Crimson Tide on Sunday and this means the 2026 season will get here before you know it.

How many clear starters the Alabama Crimson Tide will have at the end of spring

This also marks the first time we're going to see plenty of Alabama youngsters and transfers hit the practice field for the first time in their college careers. The list includes freshman Jireh Edwards, who has graduated from high school early and enrolled in Tuscaloosa.

Coming out of high school, Edwards was ranked five stars and the No. 2 safety in the country per the 247Sports Composite. He was already a big boy at 6-2, 215 pounds. However, his short time in the Alabama weight room is paying off, as the elite talent is up to 221 pounds in a flash. Yup, this is bad news for opposing offenses out there:

Jireh Edwards will be ready to make an early impact for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama

As you can see from the above post from Brett Greenberg, it's not just Edwards who is turning heads because of his size. The young freshmen as a whole look ready to make noise once Week 1 of the new season gets here for the SEC powerhouse.

With Edwards in particular, though, him being a baby-faced freshman and already having NFL size is pretty dang remarkable. He's only going to get bigger, faster and stronger now that he's around the Alabama coaches and training staff.

When he signed with the Tide this past December, he did so with nearly 40 offers to his name. Plenty of other schools were trying to overcome Alabama for his pledge, including Georgia, Auburn and many others. In the end, Edwards made things official with DeBoer and fans all over the country can't wait to see what he'll be able to get done in Year 1 with the Tide. This kid has the potential to be the real deal for Bama.