Alabama’s slow start to the 2026 recruiting cycle is already forgotten as the Tide have climbed into the top 10 nationally with 14 commits after landing five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin on Sunday. Amid the recent recruiting frenzy, another piece of positive news has flown a bit under the radar.
Jamarion Matthews was one of Alabama’s earliest 2026 commits, joining the fray on February 21, 2025. The 6-foot-2 four-star edge rusher is a top 100 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite Rankings and the 11th highest-ranked player in Georgia. He’s been a crucial piece of DeBoer’s second Alabama recruiting class throughout the entire process, and on Saturday, he announced on social media that he’s shutting down his recruitment.
First things first I wanna give thanks to the Man Above for the opportunities and the doors he has opened and closed for me, I also want to thank my beautiful mother, being a single parent raising two young men ain’t easy and i’m very thankful to have her as a mother. Well that… pic.twitter.com/54hrmUfROY
— Jamarion “Juice” Matthews (@marion_matt26) June 28, 2025
Jamarion Matthews officially shuts down recruitment, remains committed to Tide
More than ever in the modern NIL and transfer portal era, college programs cannot get caught counting their chickens before they hatch. A commitment oftentimes doesn’t feel official until the player sets foot on campus. Even after signing day, players can still get out of their deals, or, as former Alabama quarterback recruit Julian Sayin did, enter the transfer portal before even taking part in a season.
So, maybe even more so than an initial commitment, a player announcing that they’ve shut down their recruitment is massive news. There is still plenty of time for things to change, but if Matthews is no longer talking to any other schools about NIL or revenue-sharing deals, then he’s almost certainly going to become a member of the Crimson Tide for the 2026 season, and that’s hugely important for the program.
Alabama has talent at edge rusher, because Alabama is Alabama, and it has talented players at every position. However, edge wasn’t a major priority in the Tide’s 2025 recruiting class, with four-star Justin Hill as the only true edge rusher joining the program. DeBoer has acquired more depth in the 2026 group, but that depends on how the program ultimately deploys its latest addition.
Matthews is Alabama’s highest-rated edge rusher, but that’s only if Griffin plays off-ball linebacker at the next level. Griffin has versatility, but will need to add weight to his 6-foot-3 frame to survive on the edge full-time in the SEC. At 6-foot-2, 240, Matthews has the size to play the position right now. And most importantly, after shutting down his recruitment, he’ll – almost certainly – be playing it in Tuscaloosa.