Excitement and buzz has been replaced by frustration and anxiety for Alabama football fans regarding the 2026 recruiting class.
Kalen DeBoer and company have built plenty of positive momentum on the trail, but that momentum thus far has only turned into six commitments. The massive summer recruiting run that was predicted has yet to come to fruition. Alabama is nearly through with three of its four official visit weekends for the summer, and only one player has joined the class: 4-star OT Sam Utu, who committed to Alabama last Monday.
Predictions have come in for Alabama to land 5-star safety Jireh Edwards and 3-star WR Brian Williams Jr., but predictions are not commitments. This summer has been one gigantic tease so far.
The teasing reached a fever-pitch on Thursday, when On3's Hayes Fawcett - the guy who usually breaks the news of commitments - teased three impending commitments on the horizon for the Crimson Tide with the below post:
🐘x3 pic.twitter.com/VuUplwm1j4
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 12, 2025
Fawcett has been known to tease commitment announcements, sometimes too early. But a look at his timeline, Alabama seems to be the only one he teased three days ago that still hasn't landed a single commitment from that tease.
Something has to be on the horizon, however, because shortly after the Fawcett post on Thursday came a "bat signal" from GM Courtney Morgan
🐘
— Courtney Morgan (@PlayerProMorgan) June 12, 2025
Posts like that from Morgan typically mean a commitment is imminent. It means that someone - perhaps Edwards - committed to Alabama privately and has yet to make their commitment known publicly. Fawcett gets the information early because he makes the graphics.
As things currently stand, Alabama only has six commitments in the 2026 class, ranking them 53rd overall in the 247 Composite rankings. The quality of the small class is good - no team has a higher average overall recruit rating than Alabama does, but they need some quantity soon.
The summer recruiting run is coming for Alabama, even if it doesn't feel like it
It's only a matter of time before the dam breaks for Alabama. Things have gone slowly thus far, but the Tide remains in a strong position for numerous elite prospects who have set decision dates. Edwards hasn't committed yet, but he did cancel his remaining visits to Oregon and Texas A&M ahead of his planned July 5th announcement. That decision came on the heels of his official visit to Alabama, which further signals that he's likely to land in this class.
Next weekend is the biggest recruiting weekend of the summer for the Alabama staff. The official visitor list is headlined by three in-state 5-stars: WR Cederian Morgan, RB Ezavier Crowell, and EDGE Anthony "Tank" Jones. Alabama sits in a good spot for all three, and DeBoer and company will no doubt be pitching the three on playing together in Tuscaloosa and being part of a historic in-state class.
Patience is the name of the game in recruiting. Alabama fans are certainly getting a lesson in patience this summer. It's all going to pay off, just not soon enough for most of us.