An update on all the news and notes for the Alabama Crimson Tide so far this week.
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama trending for under-the-radar WR
Lake Mary 3-star WR Brian Williams is trending toward the Crimson Tide following his official visit this past weekend. Williams is an under-the-radar prospect, but he is great in size (6-foot-4) and has an impressive offer list that includes Florida, Notre Dame, Penn State, Auburn, and Florida State.
Alabama picked up a prediction to land Williams this week and now has a sizable lead in the On3 RPM. He could be the next domino to fall as the summer reign heats up.
Alabama is out in front for 5-star Jireh Edwards
Fresh off his official visit this past weekend, Alabama has reportedly made a big move in the recruitment of 5-star safety Jireh Edwards from Maryland. According to On3's Steve Wiltfong, the Crimson Tide has surged past Georgia and Oregon for the coveted blue-chip prospect.
Wiltfong also mentioned Alabama being in a good spot for 5-star safety Jett Washington, meaning the Crimson Tide could ultimately sign the No. 2 and No. 3 safety prospects in the country. Add them with 5-star CB Jorden Edmonds and 4-star corner Zyan Gibson, and Alabama could be stacking together a ridiculous class of defensive backs.
Alabama commit taking another visit elsewhere
Speaking of Zyan Gibson, the 4-star corner from Gadsden has scheduled another official visit to an SEC rival a week after visiting Ole Miss. Gibson will take an official to Tennessee this weekend.
Gibson has been committed to Alabama since December. He was the first commitment for DeBoer and company in the 2026 class. He said the right things coming out of his visit to Oxford last weekend, and while there's no need to panic at this point, it's always a little worrisome when your commitments are off visiting other schools.
Tennessee will obviously throw out the red carpet for Gibson. Working in Alabama's favor is that the in-state corner is scheduled to be in Tuscaloosa for an official visit starting on June 20th.
Nate Oats hosting a massive visitor on Tuesday
One of the top basketball players in the 2026 class was on campus on Tuesday, visiting Nate Oats and watching Tide practice. 5-star SG Caleb Holt, originally from Buckhorn, was in town yesterday.
Holt transferred to Grayson High School in Georgia last year and will now transfer again to Prolific Prep in Florida for his senior season. Holt is the top target for Oats and Alabama in the 2026 cycle, and they will be pulling out all the stops to try and reel him in.
Him taking a random, mid-week summer visit to Alabama is a good sign. There will be plenty of competition for his services, but the Crimson Tide should be in it until the very end.
College basketball bringing in coaches challenges
On Tuesday, a pretty substantial rule change was made in college basketball. Starting this coming season, coaches' challenges will be instituted. Just like the NBA, coaches will have a challenge they can use at any time during the game as long as they still have a timeout. If their challenge is successful, they will retain one more challenge to be used throughout the game. If it is unsuccessful, they won't be able to challenge again.
Perhaps the biggest part of this rule change is the late-game out-of-bounds call nightmares appear to be over. There will no longer be a dozen reviews in the last minute to determine whose ball it is, barring a coach's challenge. That should allow end-of-game situations to go quicker, but it will also undoubtedly lead to incorrect calls deciding games, too.
College basketball refs are about as incompetent as it gets. I suppose you have to take the good with the bad and enjoy the last two minutes of games no longer taking 30 minutes to complete. But the meltdown the first time one of those calls costs a team a game will be epic.