If you went to sleep at a normal time on Sunday night, you probably missed a wild recruiting saga and are waking up Monday morning without any knowledge that, for a brief moment, Alabama lost its longest-standing commitment from the 2026 recruiting class.
Shortly after 10pm, On3's Hayes Fawcett shared a post that 4-star CB Zyan Gibson, who has been committed to Alabama for nearly a year, had decommitted from the Crimson Tide and was reopening his recruitment just a few days before Early Signing Day.
BREAKING: Four-Star CB Zyan Gibson has Decommitted from Alabama, he tells me for @rivals⁰⁰The 6’0 185 CB from Gadsden, AL had been Committed to the Crimson Tide since December 2024
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 1, 2025
He’s ranked as a Top 65 Recruit in the ’26 Class (per Rivals Industry)⁰https://t.co/6YCh1DkPGC pic.twitter.com/H3WVDISJuy
It was odd timing considering Gibson had not visited anywhere else during the fall, consistently stating he was locked in with Alabama, and earlier on Sunday, announcing his intent to sign with the Crimson Tide on Wednesday.
Gibson's decommitment caused a stir in the recruiting world. The Gadsden, Alabama native is one of the top overall commitments in the Tide's 2026 recruiting class. Gibson ranks as the No. 56 overall player and the No. 5 CB in this cycle, per the 247 composite. Along with 5-star Jorden Edmonds, Gibson is one of two of the five-best corners currently committed to Alabama.
Gibson's decommitment didn't last long. Just over an hour later, the blue-chip cornerback shared a spot on his X page stating that he was sticking with Alabama, and the decommitment announcement was the result of a "miscommunication."
Earlier today, a post was shared about my decommitment. I want to clarify that this message was the result of a miscommunication. I’m standing by my pledge I made to Bama. I will be signing with Bama on Dec. 3rd. At this point I will not be doing any interviews. Roll Tide!!
— Zyan “z7evenn” Gibson (@ZyanGibson) December 1, 2025
Zyan Gibson to sign with Alabama football despite brief decommitment
Recruiting is never boring, even in this era. It's not immediately known what happened on Sunday night that led to Gibson briefly backing off his long-standing pledge to the Crimson Tide. Did someone come through with a major NIL offer in the 11th hour with signing day approaching? That happens a lot this time of the year as programs scramble to finalize their recruiting classes.
Whatever it was, Kalen DeBoer and company were able to work out whatever concern Gibson had that caused him to decommit within an hour of it happening. It was one of the fastest decommitments and re-commitments I've ever seen.
It's clear that Tuscaloosa is where Gibson wants to be. He grew up a fan. His profile picture on his X account is him as a little kid in a Bama jersey at Bryant-Denny Stadium. But the money that gets thrown around in recruiting nowadays can be tough to ignore.
Gibson gave Alabama fans a scare on Sunday night, but all's well that ends well with the 4-star corner quickly walking back his decision.