Alabama fans, like most avid college football watchers, are often conditioned to search depth charts for answers during the offseason. Starters, snap counts, and positional hierarchies often dominate these conversations. But some of the most impactful players in a season never win a starting job on paper. Their value shows up in flexibility, matchup advantages, and the freedom they give a coordinator on Saturdays. That x-factor could very well apply to Alabama’s 2026 five-star linebacker signee, Xavier Griffin.
Even if Griffin doesn’t begin his career running with the first unit, his versatility alone has the potential to alter how Alabama plays defense. That matters far more than a title next to his name. At 6-foot-3, 218 pounds — and still physically developing — Griffin isn’t arriving in Tuscaloosa as a long-term project. He’s arriving as a functional chess piece, the type of defender who can step into a role immediately without waiting years to grow into the speed or physicality of the college game. In Kane Wommack’s third season coordinating Alabama’s defense, that distinction is critical.
By year three, defensive coordinators stop building foundations and start emphasizing efficiency. The system is installed. The terminology is familiar. Now the priority becomes multiplicity — showing offenses the same personnel groupings while presenting different pressures, fits, and coverages. That evolution depends heavily on linebackers who can handle multiple responsibilities without forcing substitutions or tipping the defense’s intentions. And in my early guesstimation, Griffin fits squarely into that vision, and his high school production supports that projection.
At Gainesville High in Georgia, Griffin totaled 96 tackles, 12 of which were tackles for loss, along with 18 quarterback hits, 4 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 1 interception, and 1 fumble recovery as a senior. This production illustrates his physical dominance, comfort in space, and awareness in coverage, which led him to become the No. 1 overall linebacker in his class nationally. Griffin's blend of downhill violence, sideline-to-sideline range, and ball skills is exactly what Wommack prioritizes at the second level — linebackers who don’t have to come off the field when the offense changes tempo or personnel.
Xavier Griffin can be Alabama's next Jihaad Campbell
This is why, ahead of his first set of practices this spring, several evaluators have begun drawing parallels between Griffin’s game and that of former Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell, now a Philadelphia Eagles first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The comparison isn’t about career trajectory or immediate dominance, but rather usage profile. Campbell’s early value at Alabama wasn’t limited to raw production; it was how his versatility allowed the defense to stay aggressive, disguise intent, and avoid predictable personnel groupings. Griffin offers a similar type of flexibility, potentially at an even earlier stage.
Due to these dynamics, this is why Griffin can be viewed less like a traditional freshman linebacker and more like a matchup-dependent defender. His skill set allows Alabama to deploy him in multiple roles depending on the opponent and situation. The Wolf linebacker spot is one obvious avenue, particularly given the premium that role places on length, coverage instincts, and blitz timing — and the limited proven depth behind the veteran rotation. Griffin can also slide into Mike or Sting alignments, where his burst and instincts make him a viable A-gap threat, a green-dot blitzer, or a second-level defender capable of closing space without safety help.
Those roles matter because Wommack’s defensive structure is built on disguise. Pressure looks that don’t always come. Linebackers who can threaten the line of scrimmage and still retreat into coverage. Fronts that remain sound against the run without sacrificing aggression. All of that hinges on having defenders who can execute multiple jobs from the same alignment — and Griffin fits that profile seamlessly.
Like any first-year player, there will be an adjustment period. And that’s where Alabama’s roster construction works in Griffin’s favor. The addition of Virginia Tech transfer linebacker Caleb Woodson in January provides stability and experience, allowing the Tide to be selective with how Griffin is deployed early. Rather than forcing him into an every-down role, Alabama can use him situationally, and in my opinion, that's where his versatility creates the most value.
These traits in Griffin’s game could be where his impact may show up first. Fewer substitutions, more disguised pressures, and personnel groupings that stay on the field regardless of down and distance. A defense that can remain aggressive without losing structure. Those details often decide games in the SEC, and Griffin has the tools to influence them this fall, even if his name doesn't appear atop the Alabama defensive depth chart.