For much of the official visit season, Alabama had just six total commits in its 2026 recruiting class; now the Tide have three five-stars, not even a month later. Kalen DeBoer and general manager Courtney Morgan are on a heater, and it could get even better on Wednesday.
Alabama snagged six commitments last week alone to surge into the top 10 of the national rankings with a 14-player class, and five-stars Ezavier Crowell and Xavier Griffin were the cherries on top (yep, there was more than one). Griffin is the 27th overall player in the country according to 247Sports Composite Rankings, but an even more coveted recruit is scheduled to make his announcement midweek, so DeBoer and his staff don’t have much time to celebrate.
5-star WR Cederian Morgan scheduled to commit on Wednesday
Cederian Morgan has cut down his list of finalists to Alabama, Auburn, Colorado, Georgia, and Florida. The Alexander City, Alabama, product is the top-rated player in the state and the No. 2 wide receiver in the country behind Tristen Keys, who will be coming to Tuscaloosa for an official visit during the regular season. He is the obvious next target for the Tide after landing Griffin, and could be the heir to Ryan Williams as Alabama’s elite young wide receiver.
Morgan was a part of Alabama’s final official visit weekend of the summer, heading to Campus on June 19 after trips to LSU and Auburn. He also took official visits to Boulder, Athens, and Gainesville, so it’s hard to see who has the upper hand in this recruiting battle. Though most experts expect it to come down to Alabama or Auburn.
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze has been very successful recruiting wide receivers to The Plains since taking over in 2023. His first class as the head coach of the Tigers featured five-star Cam Coleman, along with four-stars Perry Thompson and Malcolm Simmons. That group of young pass-catchers is paying dividends, but without an answer at the quarterback position, Freeze has not been able to elevate the program to SEC contention and now faces a healthy dose of hot seat conversation heading into the year.
The uncertainty surrounding Freeze’s future has undoubtedly affected Auburn’s recruiting in the 2026 cycle, with just seven commits and the 80th-ranked class. Now, DeBoer could be under pressure of his own if he fails to lead the Tide to the College Football Playoff this season, but so far, blue-chip recruits haven’t been concerned, and once you have them committed to your program, those elite-level high school players are sometimes the best recruiters.
So, not only should DeBoer and Courtney Morgan be calling Cederian Morgan non-stop leading up to his Wednesday commitment, but they should make sure he’s noticed that his fellow 2026 prospects believe in their program a bit more than they believe in Auburn’s.