A recap of Alabama Crimson Tide news from the weekend of June 28th and 29th.
5-star LB Xavier Griffin commits to Alabama
The biggest news of the weekend for Alabama came on Sunday when Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide landed a commitment from 5-star LB Xavier Griffin. Griffin had been trending to Alabama since he decommitted from USC last month, but both Texas and Ohio State made major pushes for the elite Georgia product.
Griffin grew up a fan of the Crimson Tide. He was born in Huntsville before moving to Georgia prior to the start of his freshman year of high school. That, along with a great job by OLB coach Christian Robinson, helped Alabama land the blue-chip prospect.
Griffin projects as a Jihaad Campbell-like player for Alabama's defense. He'll probably start as a Wolf LB, but don't be surprised to see him play both on and off-ball during his time in Tuscaloosa.
Another elite prospect predicted to land at Alabama
On Saturday, Alabama picked up another prediction to land an elite recruit in the 2026 class. 4-star DL Nolan Wilson is the No. 58 overall player in the class, according to the 247 composite. Nolan is considering Auburn, Ole Miss, Miami, and Florida, along with the Crimson Tide. The Hurricanes have appeared to be the biggest competition to the Tide.
Wilson would be a huge pick-up for the Crimson Tide at a position of need. After losing out on Titan Davis to Michigan, Wilson became an even bigger priority for the staff.
Wilson is scheduled to make his announcement on July 4th.
Ty Simpson gives revealing quotes at Manning Passing Academy
Alabama's expected starter at QB this season is Ty Simpson, the redshirt junior who has bided his time in Tuscaloosa. Simpson spent the weekend in Louisiana at the Manning Passing Academy. He spent some time throwing some darts:
Alabama QB @ty_simpson06 is looking good down at Manning Passing Academy! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/eQ58OYPKlR
— QB Country Nashville (@QBC_Nashville) June 29, 2025
In between that, Simpson offered a few revealing quotes. One of which is below:
“I’m not gonna sit here and say it wasn’t hard, because there were some days where I felt like God wasn’t on my side and I didn’t really understand his plan,” said Simpson.
“But I prayed about it, and at the end of the day, there wasn’t anywhere else where I wanted to play. I felt that God had put me in Tuscaloosa for a reason. I always felt like I could accomplish everything that I could, still to this day, with winning a national championship and being a first-round pick there at the University of Alabama."
Collin Sexton traded to the Hornets
In basketball news, former Alabama star guard Collin Sexton is on the move. On Sunday, he was traded from the Utah Jazz long with a future second-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic.
Sexton will be entering his eighth NBA season next year, and now for his third team. He was originally drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the eighth overall pick in 2018 before ultimately being traded to the Jazz in 2022 as part of the compensation that sent Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland.
Sexton will now team with another former Alabama star, joining Brandon Miller in Charlotte.