Get ready for some new faces in some new places! In Billy Tucker's latest for ESPN.com, he highlighted the top 100 newcomers for the 2026 college football season. Whether it be a true freshman joining the college ranks or players on the move via the transfer portal, he has got you covered. As expected, Alabama had its fair share of additions and departures in Tucker's rankings.
Here are the four former Alabama players of note who have all decided to go play somewhere else.
- No. 12: Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Isaiah Horton
- No. 47: Ohio State Buckeyes defensive tackle James Smith
- No. 65: Ohio State Buckeyes edge rusher Qua Russaw
- No. 70: Texas A&M Aggies offensive tackle Wilkin Formby
To counterbalance this, here are the four players who are coming aboard to make an Alabama impact.
- No. 40: Alabama Crimson Tide running back EJ Crowell (True Freshman)
- No. 43: Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Caleb Woodson (Virginia Tech Hokies)
- No. 64: Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Terrance Green (Oregon Ducks)
- No. 75: Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Devan Thompkins (USC Trojans)
As you can see, these players' rankings largely cancel each other out in some capacities... James Smith (No. 47), going to Ohio State along with Qua Russaw (No. 65), is effectively countered with Caleb Woodson (No. 43) coming over from Virginia Tech and Terrance Green (No. 64) leaving Oregon for Tuscaloosa. Wilkin Formby (No. 70) to Texas A&M is offset by Devan Thompkins (No 75) leaving USC.
And there is the discrepancy between the two highest-ranked players in these respective groupings...
Outgoing Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Horton may be a tad too high at No. 12, but Texas A&M will surely take him. As far as what Kalen DeBoer has to counterbalance this with, how about five-star running back EJ Crowell out of Jackson, Alabama? People are starting to rave about him, including ESPN's Paul Finebaum. Maybe Alabama can finally have the ground game that it has been looking for?
EJ Crowell is the greatest player of intrigue joining Alabama this season
According to the 247Sports Composite, Crowell was the No. 1 player from Alabama, the No. 2 running back in the country, and the No. 15 overall player nationally for the 2026 recruiting cycle. Crowell committed to Alabama on June 26, 2025, before signing with the Crimson Tide on Dec. 3, 2025, and then enrolling at the University of Alabama on Jan. 7, 2026. He is poised to make some noise already.
While Josh Pate was super critical of Alabama's rushing attack from a season ago under Kalen DeBoer's watch, he did offer the idea of using the run-pass option to their advantage. The fact that either Austin Mack or Keelon Russell is more equipped to tuck it and run than Ty Simpson should be a huge positive for the Crimson Tide. Frankly, so too could be Crowell as Alabama's new featured back.
Read more: Alabama target committing to Auburn brings Kalen DeBoer's RB class further into focus
Even if Crowell is all that and a bag of chips for the Crimson Tide as a true freshman, DeBoer is going to need his entire team to buy into the notion of how important the ground game is. One could argue that offensive line play is this team's biggest weakness coming in. Horton might be off to Texas A&M, but he is playing in the same offense with a run-first quarterback in Marcel Reed with the Aggies now.
Horton may do better on his new team, but Crowell can make a bigger impact right away at Alabama.
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