Alabama wins another major recruiting battle by landing 4-star DL over Miami

Kalen DeBoer and Alabama's heater on the recruiting trail has continued on Friday with the commitment of 4-star DL Nolan Wilson, the No. 58 overall player in the country according to the 247 composite.

Wilson had offers pretty much everywhere, but in the end, the Crimson Tide had to hold off a late surge from Miami to bring in the Picayune, MS native. The Hurricanes will undoubtedly continue to recruit Wilson as they hope to flip him between now and signing day.

Alabama won this battle because of their early evaluation of Wilson. The now elite DL prospect was little known just nine months ago. An offer by Alabama in October changed everything. It was his first FBS offer, a fact that Wilson never forgot as his recruitment picked up steam and everyone else got involved.

One of the most impressive parts of DeBoer's staff is their ability to evaluate prospects early and jump on them before they blow up. Wilson is just the latest example of that. Guys like Keelon Russell and Lotzeir Brooks were examples of that in the 2025 class. Chris Booker and now Wilson are the best examples in the 2026 class.

Wilson took official visits to Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Miami (FL). Alabama has long been seen as the leader, but his visit to Coral Gables on the final visit weekend of the summer made a big impression and the Hurricanes were very much in it.

Wilson's commitment continues Alabama's insane recruiting run

Wilson becomes Alabama's 18th commitment in the 2026 class, and their 13th since the beginning of June. Alabama came into the summer with only five commitments, and rival fan bases foolishly used that as evidence of the Tide's downfall.

Now, Alabama has moved into the Top 5 of the recruiting rankings. Wilson becomes Alabama's eighth Top 100 commitment in this class. In the last eight days alone, Alabama has landed: 5-star RB Ezavier Crowell, 4-star TE Mack Sutter, 5-star LB Xavier Griffin, 5-star WR Cederian Morgan, and now 4-star DL Nolan Wilson. Five blue-chip commitments in eight days is pretty good for a head coach who can't recruit, don't you think?

Alabama's run isn't likely finished yet, either. The Tide is widely expected to land 5-star safety Jireh Edwards tomorrow. On Thursday, DeBoer and company learned they were in the top three along with Texas A&M and Oregon for 5-star EDGE Anthony 'Tank' Jones.

Wilson is the fourth DL commitment in the Tide's class, joining 4-stars Jamarion Matthews and Kamhariyan Johnson, along with 3-star JJ Finch. Wilson is the highest-rated of that crop to date, and if Alabama can ultimately reel in Jones, this would arguably be the best DL class in the country.