Alabama is not in dire need of cornerbacks in the 2027 recruiting class after landing two elite options in the 2026 cycle in 5-star Jorden Edmonds and 4-star Zyan Gibson, not to mention 2025 5-star Dijon Lee, who is a rising sophomore this year. Maurice Linguist has that position group in good hands.
But the Crimson Tide has remained in pursuit of some of the top players in the country at the position anyway, in an effort to be greedy, which is a necessity in recruiting in the SEC.
One of Alabama's top targets has been 4-star Oklahoma native Gabriel Osborne, the No. 6 CB in the 2027 class per the composite rankings. Osborne was set to make a trip to Tuscaloosa this coming weekend for his official visit. It does not appear that the trip will be happening now.
Coming off his official visit to see the home state Sooners over the weekend, Osborne announced his commitment to Oklahoma on Monday:
BREAKING: Elite 2027 CB Gabriel Osborne Jr. has Committed to Oklahoma, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 1, 2026
The 6’2 190 CB chose the Sooners over Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, & Miami
He’s ranked as a Top 30 Recruit in the 2027 Rivals300
“Mama, I’m Staying Home.”https://t.co/siEYBRVNq9 pic.twitter.com/pFYKcVRaQL
4-star CB Gabriel Osborne Jr., an Alabama target, commits to Oklahoma
It's not a major surprise that Osborne would choose to play home for one of the top defensive minds in football in Brent Venables, but it's a bit disappointing nonetheless that Kalen DeBoer and his staff won't get the opportunity to host him for a visit.
Venables knew how dangerous a potential trip to Tuscaloosa would be for his program's chances of keeping Osborne home, and he clearly worked to make sure this commitment was secured before that could happen. Alabama has done excellent work hosting official visits during the DeBoer era and landed a commitment over the weekend from 4-star RB Nigel Newkirk with two other potential commitments (at least) on the horizon.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Osborne trimmed his list to five schools, with Alabama making the cut alongside Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan, and Miami. He planned on taking visits to all five, but his first visit of the summer was enough for him to make his decision and stay home.
It's a disappointing miss, but it's hard to fault a kid for wanting to stay close to home. His recruitment was always going to be an uphill battle for DeBoer and Linguist.
The Crimson Tide remains in pursuit of a couple of top corners on its board, though. 5-star Hayden Stepp, the top target for Alabama at the position, took his official visit to Tuscaloosa over the weekend, and the Tide made a move in his recruitment, though it will still have to fend off Oregon to land the Las Vegas native.
There's also 3-star CB Darrius White, for whom Alabama has set the pace. White was also in town over the weekend for his visit, and it would not be a surprise if he shuts things down sooner rather than later.
Nobody has recruited defensive backs in the last few cycles like Linguist and Alabama. Osborne would have been a nice addition for the Crimson Tide, but his decision is no reason to panic.
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