Alabama is locked in multiple fierce recruiting battles with Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs, including one over five-star safety Jireh Edwards. Now, both Smart and Kalen DeBoer know when this particular recruiting content will be decided.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Maryland product arrived in Tuscaloosa for his official visit on Friday, June 6, just days after scheduling his commitment date for July 5. 247Sports has logged a prediction for Edwards to land with the Bulldogs, but his recruitment is still very much open as he finishes out the official visit season with trips to Alabama, Texas A&M, and Oregon.
ESPN 300 No. 29 overall prospect Jireh Edwards getting loose at St. Frances Pro Day here in Baltimore @jaygolive1k
— Billy Tucker (@TheUCReport) May 29, 2025
Yesterday announced his top six of Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Auburn, Florida, and Texas A&M with a commitment date of July 5th 👀 pic.twitter.com/Cg4FF7Ferr
Jireh Edwards sets commitment date for July 5 in heated SEC recruiting battle
As he often does, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning snuck his way into an SEC-heavy recruiting battle for Edwards. Along with Alabama and Georgia, Edwards took a mid-May official visit to Auburn, and this week made an unofficial trip to Gainesville to meet with Billy Napier and the Florida Gators. Edwards does not have an official visit scheduled with Florida.
With just under a month until Edwards announces his final decision, this weekend could be the last chance to sway a player who would be an ideal fit in defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s secondary.
A lengthy defensive back, Edwards is most comfortable around the line of scrimmage, flying downhill to make big hits in the run game or sniffing out screens to detonate in the backfield. While he’s not the most comfortable in coverage, Edwards’ long arms make him disruptive at the line of scrimmage and the catch point, and in zone, he has a nose for the football.
He would be comfortable filling a role similar to the one Bray Hubbard played during his 429 defensive snaps last season. Wommack and his staff would likely deploy Edwards in the box or as an oversized nickel more often than as a true deep safety, and his ability to fit the run only adds to the versatility of whichever defense he chooses to join.
DeBoer has done a nice job adding difference-makers in the defensive backfield since taking over in Tuscaloosa, but most, including his top two-ranked commits in the 2026 class, are cornerbacks. Edwards is the type of playmaker who can take a defense to the next level, so Alabama fans should hope for good news to come out of this weekend’s official visit.