The biggest winners in each recruiting cycle aren't always the teams that land the most 5-stars. Especially in today's recruiting world. Finding value down the board and getting the most bang for your buck is vital.
Kalen DeBoer and Alabama have proven adept at that. 3-stars like Lotzeir Brooks and London Simmons made huge impacts as true freshmen a year ago. 3-star RB Trae'shawn Brown looks poised to carve out an immediate role this year.
Alabama's latest offer could be the next in line.
3-star WR Cedrick Simmons, an in-state product from Selma, received an offer from Alabama this week while camping with the Crimson Tide. Simmons quickly set up an official visit and will return to Tuscaloosa over the weekend of June 12th, per 247's Brett Greenberg:
Alabama official visit locked in for June 12-14 weekend, he tells @BSonnone
— Brett Greenberg (@BrettGreenberg_) June 4, 2026
Selma (Ala.) WR added offer on Monday.
“I grew up an Alabama fan. Probably the first football team I ever watched. Opportunity to play in my home state, that’s feels great.”
Full @Bama_247 interview👇 https://t.co/q7kTOplMTR
Cedrick Simmons' production far outweighs his recruiting ranking
If you just looked at his junior stats, you might be shocked to see that Simmons is rated as a 3-star recruit and the No. 855 overall player in the 247 composite for the 2027 class. You'd be hard-pressed to find many receivers across the country who were more productive than him.
Simmons put up 2192 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns last season. Those are insane numbers. The obvious caveat is that Southside Selma is 2A football in Alabama, but that level of domination is eye-catching, regardless of classification.
The concern with Simmons is his size at a listed 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, but those are nearly identical measurements (5-foot-9, 193 pounds) to what Lotzeir Brooks was listed at coming out of high school. He, too, was an undervalued recruit coming out of New Jersey before earning a starting role as a freshman for the Crimson Tide and playing a pivotal role in Alabama's CFP road win over Oklahoma in December.
Simmons having grown up an Alabama fan works in DeBoer's favor in this recruitment. Alabama is the fifth Power Four program to offer him, joining Auburn, Purdue, North Carolina, and West Virginia. He already took an official visit to see the Boilermakers last weekend, and has a trip scheduled to Auburn the week after he takes his official to Alabama.
Simmons is the perfect kind of upside swing in this class that would be a nice complement to the higher-end prospects the Crimson Tide is pursuing in Monshun Sales, Xavier Sabb, and Osani Gayles. He's cost-effective and might just end up being a diamond in the rough that makes a quicker-than-expected impact wherever he ends up choosing to play college football.
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