Another day, another elite prospect projected to end up in Alabama's 2026 recruiting class.
Rivals recruiting director Adam Gorney has already logged predictions for the Crimson Tide to land elite in-state prospects Ezavier Crowell (RB) and Cederian Morgan (WR). Now, Gorney has made a prediction for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama to land 5-star safety Jireh Edwards:
Edwards will take an official visit to Alabama this weekend, his second trip to Tuscaloosa. Edwards took an unofficial to Alabama back in March.
Edwards is a native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and ranked as a consensus 5-star prospect in the industry composite rankings.
Edwards is in the middle of his official visit schedule. He has already taken officials to Georgia and Auburn. He'll see Alabama this weekend, and then take trips to Texas A&M and Oregon the following weekends. Edwards is slated to make his final decision on July 5th.
Gorney's prediction comes out of nowhere for Alabama fans. The On3 RPM favors Auburn and Oregon at the moment, and most have assumed the Crimson Tide has work to do to position themselves at the top of Edwards' board.
With a visit coming this weekend, Gorney obviously expects Alabama to make a big impression.
Alabama is putting together an insane DB class for 2026
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but Alabama is putting together a monster DB class for 2026. They landed some elite DBs in the 2025 class, too, headlined by 5-star CB Dijon Lee and 4-star safety Ivan Taylor.
Alabama already holds commitments from 5-star CB Jorden Edmonds and 4-star CB Zyan Gibson.
Tide DB coach Maurice Linguist has proven to be an elite recruiter, and his ability as a talent developer is beginning to become well-known. The job he did with Alabama's young and inexperienced corners last season was noteworthy. What looked like a legitimate weakness from last season's defense turned into a strength.
Along with Edwards, Alabama has made a major push for 5-star safety Jett Washington, who just visited Tuscaloosa this past weekend. The Tide has positioned itself well for both, but it could be an either/or for the two elite prospects, as both will be looking for a quick path to the field.
Alabama fans are used to an elite defensive back room. Nick Saban recruited and developed plenty of high-end talent in the defensive backfield. That's something that has not changed under DeBoer and the new coaching staff so far.
The Crimson Tide should have one of the best secondaries in the country in 2025. Alabama returned both starting corners and two safeties with starting experience. Alabama added some depth in the Transfer Portal and via this last recruiting class.
Linguist and DC Kane Wommack have shown a tendency to give early playing time to young players, a fact that will only help on the recruiting trail.