Alabama 5-star doubles down on Crimson Tide after Oklahoma loss

Alabama got off to a slow start in the 2026 recruiting cycle. However, any early June concerns about Kalen DeBoer and Courtney Morgan’s recruiting acumen have since been put to rest. The Crimson Tide have the third-ranked class in the country, and all signs point to the staff keeping the group intact through the early signing period. 

Five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin headlines the class as the 16th overall player in the country according to 247Sports Composite, and nothing has changed for him after Alabama’s loss to Oklahoma at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

Griffin told Brett Greenberg of Bama247, “Nothing has changed with ‘Bama, I’m still locked in. Adversity is good for every great team. Shake it off and get back to work.”

Xavier Griffin stays locked in with his Alabama commitment

Following a run of eight-straight wins, the Crimson Tide suffered their second loss of the year on Saturday. So, despite amassing an impressive collection of SEC wins through the conference slate, the Crimson Tide could be in a precarious position with regard to an at-large bid into the College Football Playoff. 

The good news for DeBoer, after missing the CFP in Year 1 and finishing with a 9-4 record, is that his team controls its own destiny. If the Tide win out, beating Eastern Illinois next week and Auburn in the Iron Bowl, they will make it back to the SEC Championship Game, facing either Texas A&M or Georgia, in a rematch of Alabama’s Week 5 win in Athens. Even with a loss, it would be nearly impossible for the committee to keep out one of the SEC Championship Game participants. 

Even an Iron Bowl loss wouldn’t force Alabama into firing DeBoer; his buyout is too big, and he’s had too much early success to consider such a move. However, programs can lose big-time recruits if they start to lose games, and from Griffin’s comments, it doesn’t appear that would be the case in Tuscaloosa. 

While the Tide are still SEC contenders, this 2025 team is flawed. The lack of a run game is a major concern, and the defense has had issues against mobile quarterbacks. The best way to fix those flaws is to continue stacking elite recruiting classes. 

The cupboard was far from bare when Nick Saban retired, but a transfer portal exodus forced DeBoer to restock a few shelves on the fly. Once his No. 3 2026 class joins his No. 3-ranked 2025 group, it’ll be tough to keep the Tide out of the national championship conversation.