Kalen DeBoer's complete in-state turnaround for the 2026 recruiting class is almost complete. Following last year's whiffs inside the state of Alabama, DeBoer and company vowed not to let it happen again.
Alabama still signed an elite recruiting class in the 2025 cycle, but Auburn was able to hang its hat on the fact that it signed eight of the Top 10 players in the state of Alabama. The Crimson Tide signed zero and just two total prospects from the state.
DeBoer and GM Courtney Morgan spent the past year building relationships with the movers and shakers in the state, and that relationship-building has paid off. Currently, Alabama holds commitments from three of the top four players in the state of Alabama, according to the 247 composite rankings.
The No. 1 player in the state, WR Cederian Morgan, committed to the Crimson Tide on Wednesday. He joined a class that already included RB Ezavier Crowell (No. 3) and CB Zyan Gibson (No. 4).
Of Alabama's 17 commitments for the 2026 cycle, five are from in-state prospects, which already exceeds last season's haul. That number grows to seven if you include Xavier Griffin and Jamarion Matthews, two players originally from the state of Alabama who transferred to high schools in Georgia over the last few years.
Alabama holds the No. 6-ranked recruiting class in the composite, a standing that will continue to improve this week. The Tide is the favorite to land 4-star DL Nolan Wilson (July 4th) and 5-star safety Jireh Edwards (July 5th).
But for their hopes of a clean sweep of the top four prospects in the state for 2026, one recruit remains and is as important as any prospect left on the board.
Landing 5-star EDGE Anthony 'Tank' Jones would complete a dominante in-state cycle
The No. 2-ranked recruit in the state for the 2026 cycle is 5-star EDGE Anthony 'Tank' Jones from Mobile, Alabama. Jones was in Tuscaloosa for an official visit over the weekend of June 20th, alongside Crowell and Morgan. Talk of them all playing together was undoubtedly brought up.
Following Morgan's commitment on Wednesday, you can bet that talk has now increased as those two apply more pressure on Jones to stay home.
Jones' recruitment remains up in the air. He does not have a commitment date set, though most experts have stated their belief that he will make an announcement sometime in July or August. The expectation is that he will commit before the start of his senior season.
For a while, it looked like Jones' recruitment was going to come down to Alabama or Auburn. It now looks like the Tigers are well behind, and while some believe the Crimson Tide holds a slim lead, both Texas A&M and Oregon have made significant pushes to pull him out of state.
There's still recruiting left to be done for Jones. If DeBoer can pull it off and ultimately land the elite talent from Mobile, it will cap a totally dominant in-state cycle, further cementing his ability to recruit with the best of the best in college football.