Bama Central

Recruiting Rundown: 2026 Prospects React to Junior Day

Kalen DeBoer and his staff hosted a massive crop of 2026 recruits to Tuscaloosa last weekend as the Tide turns its attention from the 2025 class which wrapped up this week with National Signing Day.
Mason Woods|
2026 wide receiver Cederian Morgan alongside members of the Alabama coaching staff.
2026 wide receiver Cederian Morgan alongside members of the Alabama coaching staff. | Credit @Cederian_Morgan on X

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The Alabama Crimson Tide ended the 2025 recruiting cycle with one of the nation's top recruiting classes yet again, and officially turned its attention to the class of 2026 and beyond this week.

Alabama hosted a huge crop of junior prospects last weekend for its annual junior day, welcoming some of the best talent the class has to offer to Tuscaloosa.

Take a look at how many of those players reacted on social media.

2025 Junior Day Reactions

4-Star Safety Lasiah Jackson - Leesburg, Georgia

4-Star Athlete Brandon Arrington - Spring Valley, California

4-Star Offensive lineman Ekene Ogboko - Durham, North Carolina

4-Star Defensive lineman Emanuel Ruffin - Bessemer, Alabama

3-Star Offensive lineman Bear McWhorter - White, Georgia

4-Star Cornerback Zyan Gibson - Gadsden, Alabama (Alabama commit)

Defensive lineman Kamhariyan Johnson - Muscle Shoals, Alabama

4-Star Linebacker Cincere Johnson - Cleveland, Ohio

4-Star Edge Kevin Ford, Jr. - Duncanville, Texas

4-Star Offensive lineman Grant Wise - Milton, Florida

4-Star Edge Anthony Jones - Mobile, Alabama

In more 2026 recruiting news, Alabama made the cut for three players lists of final schools this week: 5-Star wide receiver Cederian Morgan, 5-Star tight end Kaiden Prothro and 5-Star athlete Brandon Arrington.

Morgan, an Alabama native who is ranked as the No. 3 wideout in the class, named the Crimson Tide among Auburn, Ohio State, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Clemson, Colorado, Miami and Oregon.

Standing at 6-foot-4, 210 lbs., Morgan looks to fit the mold of receiver that DeBoer likes dating back to his time at Washington with a room full of big bodied targets like Rome Odunze and Jay'Lynn Polk. This season, Morgan hauled in 70 passes for over 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Tide sent a swarm of coaches this week to visit with the elite target, and Morgan took to social media to share a photo from the day. DeBoer, Nick Sheridan, Mo Linguist, Courtney Morgan and Chris Kapilovic can all be seen in the picture.

Prothro, the No. 2 ranked tight end in the class, named Alabama in his top-five alongside Auburn, Georgia, Texas and Florida. He stands at 6-foot-6, 210 lbs. and is an elite receiving threat. As a junior he caught 56 receptions for 1,203 yards and 22 touchdowns and also compiled 25 total tackles and a fumble recovery on defense.

Prothro also told Chad Simmons of On3 this week that he will be taking a visit to Tuscaloosa on June 6th of this year.

Finally, Brandon Arrington, a 5-Star athlete prospect from Mount Miguel High School in Spring Valley, California, named the Crimson Tide in his top 12 schools. The list included Alabama, Penn State, Michigan, USC, Texas A&M, UCLA, LSU, Georgia, Oregon, Oklahoma, Florida State and Nebraska.

Arrington is the No. 1 athlete in the nation and has shown the ability to line up on both offense and defense. In three seasons of varsity football he has 48 receptions for 953 yards and eleven scores as well as 51 total tackles, three pass deflections and an interception.

Alabama sent several coaches on the road this week to visit with prospects around the southeast. DeBoer and Morgan stopped in Hialeah, Florida to see 4-Star safety and current Florida State commit Darryl Bell III.

That same duo, accompanied by Sheridan and Linguist, made another stop in the Sunshine state to see 5-Star running back Derek Cooper who is ranked as the No. 3 player in the state. He holds offers from over 30 division one programs, most of which are from the power four conferences.

The Tide also extended two offers this week to players within the 2026 class, both of which are offensive linemen.

Chris Booker, an unrated prospect from Hapeville Charter School in Atlanta, Georgia, took to social media to share news of his Alabama offer. The Tide is just the third SEC program to offer the 6-foot-4, 270 lb. lineman.

Next was fellow offensive lineman Micah Smith from Vero Beach, Florida. Rated as a 4-Star prospect by 247Sports, Smith is one of the top players at the position in the class, coming in at No. 5 for interior offensive linemen and No. 12 in the state.

Looking at more players that scheduled visits to Tuscaloosa this week, Alabama lined up 4-Star cornerback Caden Harris for a visit on June 20th. This will come after he makes stops at Vanderbilt, Georgia and Tennessee in the weeks leading up.

Trenton Henderson, another 4-Star defender in next year's class, told On3's Steve Wiltfong that he expects to be in Tuscaloosa on the weekend of June 6th for an official visit. He is ranked as the No. 11 player in the state of Florida and the No. 8 edge rusher in the nation, according to 247Sports.

Turning attention to both Alabama men's and women's basketball, Crimson Tide 2025 signee Amari Allen put on a show once again in a regular season game for the Ashwaubenon Jaguars and Talia Goodman of On3 reported that top 2026 prospect Jordyn Jackson released her final schools, which included Alabama.

Allen scored 30 points in a close loss to De Pere, outdueling Wisconsin commit Zach Kinziger on the stat sheet who scored 22.

Jordyn Jackson, who is rated as 4-Star prospect by On3, is the No. 5 small forward in the class of 2026. She released her top six schools this week, including Alabama among South Carolina, TCU, Maryland, Miami and Ohio State.

2025 Football Signees

  1. EDGE Justin Hill, 6-foot-3, 220 lbs. - Cincinnati, Ohio (Signed 12/04/2024)
  2. TE Marshall Pritchett, 6-foot-5, 211 lbs. - Rabun Gap, Georgia (Signed 12/04/2024)
  3. S Ivan Taylor, 6-foot, 174 lbs. - Winter Garden, Florida (Signed 12/04/2024)
  4. LB Darrell Johnson, 6-foot-1, 200 lbs. - Eastman, Georgia (Signed 12/04/2024)
  5. WR Lotzeir Brooks, 5-foot-9, 170 lbs. - Millville, New Jersey (Signed 12/04/2024)
  6. OT Micah DeBose, 6-foot-5, 215 lbs. - Mobile, Alabama (Signed 12/04/2024)
  7. DL London Simmons, 6-foot-3, 296 lbs. - Flowood, Mississippi (Signed 12/04/2024)
  8. LB Luke Metz, 6-foot-3, 220 lbs. - Hoschton, Georgia (Signed 12/04/2024)
  9. OT Mal Waldrep, 6-foot-5, 320 lbs. - Phenix City, Alabama (Signed 12/04/2024)
  10. DL Steve Mboumoua, 6-foot-4, 290 lbs. - Summit, Mississippi (Signed 12/04/2024)
  11. QB Keelon Russell, 6-foot-3, 175 lbs. - Duncanville, Texas (Signed 12/04/2024)
  12. CB Dijon Lee, 6-foot-4, 190 lbs. - Mission Viejo, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
  13. DL Kevonte Henry, 6-foot-4, 220 lbs. - Norwalk, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
  14. CB Chuck McDonald, 6-foot, 190 lbs. - Santa Ana, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
  15. K/P Alex Asparuhov, 6-foot-3, 190 lbs. - Fresno, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
  16. LB Abduall Sanders, Jr., 6-foot-1, 225 lbs. - Santa Ana, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
  17. OL Michael Carroll, 6-foot-6, 315 lbs. - Bradenton, Florida (Signed 12/04/2024)
  18. OT Jackson Lloyd, 6-foot-7, 290 lbs. - Carmel, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
  19. TE Kaleb Edwards, 6-foot-6, 240 lbs. - El Dorado Hills, California (Signed 12/04/2024)
  20. RB Akylin Dear, 6-foot-1, 200 lbs. - Quitman, Mississippi (Signed 12/04/2024)
  21. WR Derek Meadows, 6-foot-4, 20 lbs. - Las Vegas, Nevada (Signed 12/04/2024)

2026 Football Commits

  1. CB Zyan Gibson, 5-foot-11, 177lbs. - Gadsden, Alabama (Committed 12/24/2024)

2027 Football Commits

  1. ATH Alexander Ward, 6-foot-1, 170 lbs. - Marietta, Georgia (Committed 11/26/2024)
  2. EDGE Jabarrius Garror, 6-foot-2, 200 lbs. - Mobile, Alabama (Committed 07/31/2024)

Check out the Alabama football recruiting tracker for the latest of the 2025 class and more.

2025 Basketball Signees

  1. SF Amari Allen, 6-foot-7, 180 lbs. - Green Bay, Wisconsin (Signed 11/13/2024)
  2. SF London Jemison, 6-foot-8, 200 lbs. - Oakdale, Connecticut (Signed 11/18/2024)
  3. SG Davion Hannah, 6-foot-5, 180 lbs, - Brandon, Missouri (Signed 11/18/2024)

Check out the Alabama men's basketball recruiting tracker for the latest of the 2025 class and more.

Published
Mason Woods
MASON WOODS

Mason Woods is the lead recruiting writer for Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral, Vanderbilt Commodores on SI, Boston College Eagles on SI and Missouri Tigers on SI. The Alabama graduate has worked in sports media since 2020, beginning his career in radio production with Tide 100.9 FM in Tuscaloosa. Woods has produced a multitude of live programs and has even hosted his own shows as well. He’s regularly part of “The Joe Gaither Show” on weekdays and serves as host of the “All Things Bama Podcast.”

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