Alabama can get much-needed revenge on Georgia this weekend by landing 5-star LB

Family ties don’t run too deep in the SEC. On Tuesday night, Justice Fitzpatrick, four-star cornerback and younger brother of Alabama great Minkah Fitzpatrick, committed to Georgia. The Crimson Tide weren’t even a finalist for Justice, who chose the Bulldogs over Florida, Miami (FL), Texas, and Ohio State. 

Still, after missing out on a player of Fitzpatrick’s caliber with such close ties to Tuscaloosa, Kalen DeBoer needs to send a message back to Georgia, and he can do it by plucking a five-star from right under Smart’s nose. 

Five-star Georgia native Xavier Griffin headlines Alabama’s weekend official visits

After last weekend kicked off the summer official visit schedule for Alabama but failed to yield any commitments, DeBoer and his coaching staff will need to make a big push this weekend with five-stars Xavier Griffin and Jireh Edwards headlining the group. Five-star cornerback Jorden Edmonds is already committed to the Crimson Tide, so Griffin and Edwards are the top priorities.

Griffin is scheduled to announce his commitment on June 29 and has scheduled official visits to Alabama, Florida State, Texas, Ohio State, and USC. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Gainesville, Georgia native is the No. 2 ranked linebacker in the 2026 class according to 247Sports Composite rankings, and already has a prediction logged to commit to the Crimson Tide. 

Griffin had previously been committed to USC, but de-committed in May. He is set to head back out to LA on June 20 as his final official visit before his commitment. 

Georgia was long considered a sleeping giant before Smart was able to tap into the state’s recruiting potential. However, Smart hasn’t completely cut out the rest of the SEC from Georgia’s stockpile of talented high school players, and DeBoer will need to recruit the state effectively to reestablish Alabama’s dominance over the SEC. So far in 2026, three of DeBoer’s five commitments, including Edmonds, are Georgia natives. 

Jireh Edwards is not from Georgia, but 247Sports has logged a prediction for him to land with the Bulldogs. The talented 6-foot-2, 205-pound safety from Maryland is slated to announce his commitment on July 5, so again this weekend won’t lead to immediate news with a top prospect, but Alabama could still seal the deal and sway him from his Georgia affinity. 

There is still plenty of time in the 2026 cycle, but DeBoer has fallen behind. This weekend and eventual commitments from one or both of Griffin and Edwards would get Alabama’s recruiting efforts back on track.