Minkah Fitzpatrick won two national titles during his three-year career playing for Nick Saban at Alabama before the two-time All-American became a first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2018. However, those family ties to Tuscaloosa weren’t strong enough to sway his younger brother, four-star cornerback Justice Fitzpatrick, to join the Crimson Tide.
On Tuesday night, Justice, who had narrowed his recruitment down to Georgia, Florida, Miami (FL), Ohio State, and Texas, chose the Bulldogs, committing to play for Kirby Smart, who was the defensive coordinator at Alabama for Fitzpatrick’s freshman year in 2015 before leaving to become the head coach in Athens.
Four-star defensive back Justice Fitzpatrick commits to Georgia
Justice received an offer from Kalen DeBoer’s staff back in June of 2024, but his recruitment did not appear to heat up as the Crimson Tide failed to crack his finalists. After assembling the No. 3 class in the country in 2025, Alabama is off to a slow start to the 2026 recruitment cycle with just five commitments and a class ranked outside the top 40 nationally.
Fitzpatrick’s commitment signals that the family ties to Nick Saban’s Alabama may not be as strong with DeBoer at the helm. If Saban were still coaching in Tuscaloosa, it would have been interesting to see him go head-to-head with Smart over the younger brother of a player they both helped develop into an NFL superstar.
Since leaving Alabama for the NFL, Minkah Fitzpatrick has been named a First-Team All-Pro three times with the Pittsburgh Steelers, after he was traded from Miami during his second professional season. Minkah is entering his age-29 season in 2025 as a five-time Pro Bowler.
While missing out on Justice stings Alabama, cornerback is the one position of strength in the current 2026 class. Of the five commits, the two highest-rated players are both corners, five-star Jordan Edmonds and four-star Zyan Gibson. Gibson will be on “flip watch” as he heads to Ole Miss for an official visit this upcoming weekend. Still, as long as Edmonds, the top-rated corner in the country, is in the fold, DeBoer should feel comfortable about the long-term strength of a position that was a weakness in Year 1 of his tenure.