Alabama’s 2026 recruiting class landed one other important late-June recruiting increase Saturday when four-star defender Xavier Griffin, ESPN’s No. 3 exterior linebacker, introduced his dedication to the Crimson Tide over Florida State, Ohio State and Texas.
Griffin, a flexible, 6-foot-4, 205-pound prospect from Gainesville, Georgia, is the No. 30 general recruit within the 2026 ESPN 300. A former longtime USC commit, Griffin took official visits with every of his finalists in June. He now stands because the top-ranked prospect amongst 14 commits in Alabama’s incoming class, becoming a member of days after this system secured prime 300 pledges from working again Ezavier Crowell (No. 31 general) and tight finish Mack Sutter (No. 138) on Thursday night time.
Griffin instructed ESPN that the Crimson Tide’s pedigree and imaginative and prescient laid out by Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and out of doors linebackers coach Christian Robinson have been driving components in his determination.
“Rising up, simply seeing them, all of the draft picks and stuff that they’ve had — all the blokes they’ve put within the league — it speaks for itself,” Griffin mentioned. “They’ve historical past and so they’re actually clear about what they’re attempting to construct with this new workers.”
A bodily defender able to dropping into protection, Griffin has cemented his standing as one the nation’s prime linebackers at Gainesville (Georgia) Excessive Faculty, the place he is recorded 97 whole tackles and 21 sacks throughout his sophomore and junior seasons.
He initially dedicated to USC final July and remained one of many Trojans’ prime prospects over subsequent 10 months earlier than Griffin pulled his pledge from this system on Might 14. Sources instructed ESPN on the time that Griffin’s decommitment stemmed from his intention to schedule official visits with packages this spring, bucking towards USC’s coverage towards dedicated gamers taking official journeys to different campuses.
Upon reopening his recruitment, Griffin locked in official visits with Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and Texas for this month, closing with a visit to the Crimson Tide from June 20-22. Regardless of his prolonged USC pledge, Griffin instructed ESPN that no program recruited him extra actively than Alabama throughout the final two years, led by Robinson, this system’s second-year assistant.
“He is been probably the most per me all through my complete course of,” Griffin mentioned. “He is only a actually, actually good man.”
The very best-ranked of seven ESPN 300 pledges certain for Alabama in 2026, Griffin now leads an more and more gifted Crimson Tide gifted defensive class forming within the present cycle.
Alongside Griffin, Alabama additionally holds commitments from prime 10 cornerbacks Jorden Edmonds (No. 38 general) and Zyan Gibson (No. 65) in 2026. Defensive finish Jamarion Matthews, Griffin’s teammate at Gainesville Excessive Faculty and ESPN’s No. 92 general recruit, has been pledged to the Crimson Tide since February, and Alabama’s newest defensive class might get even deeper over the following month as precedence targets together with prime 60 prospects Jireh Edwards, Anthony Jones and Nolan Wilson method the ultimate levels of their respective recruiting processes.