Five-star safety sounds off on transfer portal amid Alabama commitment

Recruiting has become more unpredictable than ever in college football with the transfer portal and NIL opportunities always enticing players to look for potentially greener pastures elsewhere.

Sure, it isn't hard to find examples of recruits flipping their commitments before the transfer portal era. The significant change, however, is a growing number of signees leaving programs in the midst of their first years, or players transferring multiple times during their careers.

New Ohio State starting quarterback Julian Sayin had just signed with Alabama in the 2023 class before transferring to the Buckeyes a month later. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava, now at UCLA, was still at Tennessee in April for spring practice before jumping ship.

Loyalty to a program is rare, but that is the sentiment that five-star class of 2026 safety Jireh Edwards is pushing as he maintains his commitment to Alabama and head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The St. Frances Academy (Maryland) star ranks as the nation's No. 2 safety and the No. 16 overall recruit in his class (Rivals industry). Edwards visited programs like Georgia and Oregon before pledging to the Crimson Tide on July 5.

Despite being pushed by Auburn and Texas A&M, Edwards appears to have no plans to entertain those offers to flip. He assured that his recruitment is "completely shut down" and that he "doesn't believe in the transfer portal" when speaking with Rivals' Marcus Benjamin.

“I love Alabama," Edwards said via Rivals. "Alabama is one of those schools. I feel like I’m going to be there for a long time. I don’t believe in the transfer portal. They’re heavy on communication with me. I talk with the coaches every day. I feel like we got a natty coming, especially when I get there.”

“My recruitment is completely shut down," Edwards said.

I’m HOME https://t.co/ivFUIh9449
— Jireh Edwards ✟ (@jaygolive1k) August 27, 2025

Only time will tell where Edwards' heart truly lies with the early national signing period (December) months away. For now, Alabama fans can rest with his latest update and may even catch a sighting of the five-star during the Tide's games against Tennessee and Vanderbilt.