While the 2028 class is the furthest thing from the minds of Alabama fans at this point with the slow and disappointing start to the 2027 cycle, Kalen DeBoer and his staff quietly picked up a really good player on Friday.
In the middle of its final official visit weekend of the summer, as the Crimson Tide looks to grab some momentum in a 2027 class that is lagging behind the competition, Alabama landed a commitment from 4-star 2028 CB Braylen Gibbs from Knoxville. Gibbs committed to Vanderbilt back in December, but flipped to Alabama on Friday:
BREAKING: Four-Star CB Braylen Gibbs has Flipped his Commitment from Vanderbilt to Alabama, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 19, 2026
The 6’2 175 CB had been Committed to the Commodores since December
“Let’s get to it, Roll Tide🐘”https://t.co/4ZkYjCa5Vr pic.twitter.com/LZsaLPSXkp
4-star CB Braylen Gibbs flips his commitment from Vanderbilt to Alabama
The credit for this recruitment and subsequent commitment goes directly to Maurice Linguist, the Tide's DB coach. Linguist did excellent work building a relationship with Gibbs, who took two trips to Tuscaloosa since April and developed a bond with Linguist.
That's not a surprise, considering there aren't many (any) coaches in college football who have recruited the DB positions better than Linguist in recent cycles. He's increased the talent level in the defensive backfield for the Crimson Tide since he took over the job. His track record of development and getting young players ready to play early speaks for itself.
In back-to-back seasons, Alabama has had a freshman cornerback earn a prominent role in the secondary. Zabien Brown was a day-one starter as a true freshman in 2024, quickly acquitting himself nicely. Dijon Lee didn't start immediately in 2025, but he took over the starting job opposite Brown during the season. Both return to form one of the best CB duos in college football in 2026.
5-star freshman Jorden Edmonds will look to carve out a similar path to early playing time as a freshman.
Gibbs becomes Alabama's third commitment in the 2028 class, joining QB Charles Scott Jr. and LB Dustin Henry. It will be interesting to see if they stick. There's a long time between now and the early signing period of 2028 (December of next year).
With early commitments, finances are rarely discussed, so these players are committing early with no understanding of what they are going to ultimately be offered by Alabama or other schools. That can obviously lead to changes of heart as time moves on.
For now, Gibbs looks the part of a Linguist corner. He's already over 6-foot-2 as a rising high school junior, providing the tall, rangy type of CB that Alabama has proven to covet in recent classes.
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