Alabama secured its fourth five-star prospect in the 2026 football recruiting class over the July 4th weekend when blue-chip safety Jireh Edwards announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide’s elite class.
Edwards, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound defensive back from Baltimore, picked Alabama over finalists Georgia, Auburn, Oregon, and Texas A&M.
In the process, Kalen DeBoer and his coaching staff secured the commitment of one of the nation’s most highly-acclaimed defensive players in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
And once again improved Alabama’s stature in the national team recruiting rankings.
Alabama moved into the top-five in two of the key expert rankings, climbing to the No. 4 position on the 247Sports Recruit Team Rankings and into the No. 5 spot in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
That improvement came after the Crimson Tide inched into the top-10 over the last week when they signed five-star wide receiver prospect Cederian Morgan.
It represents a marked upgrade for Alabama in such a short time, after the school was hovering around the top-40 of the national recruiting rankings around the start of the summer dead period for recruiting.
Edwards’ pledge is the latest in a tidal wave of recruits to pick Alabama, becoming the 13th prospect to pick the Tide since June 9 and the third five-star player in that time.
Edwards is considered the No. 2 ranked safety in the country when taking an average of the four national recruiting services.
That average also rates Edwards as the No. 3 player from the state of Maryland and the No. 19 overall prospect irrespective of position in the nation.
USC remains the consensus No. 1 team across the various recruiting rankings, a position it has held most of the cycle, while Georgia is the perceived No. 2 team in the nation.
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Rankings via 247Sports Composite
1. Xavier Griffin, 5-star, No. 1 ranked linebacker
2. Cederian Morgan, 5-star, No. 2 ranked wide receiver
3. Jorden Edmonds, 5-star, No. 1 ranked cornerback
4. Jireh Edwards, 5-star, No. 3 ranked safety
5. Zyan Gibson, 4-star, No. 5 ranked athlete
6. Mack Sutter, 4-star, No. 7 ranked tight end
7. Ezavier Crowell, 4-star, No. 4 ranked running back
8. Nolan Wilson, 4-star, No. 15 ranked defensive lineman
9. Sam Utu, 4-star, No. 7 ranked offensive tackle
10. Jamarion Matthews, 4-star, No. 17 ranked edge rusher
11. Jett Thomalia, 4-star, No. 15 ranked quarterback
12. Chris Booker, 4-star, No. 16 ranked offensive guard
13. Kamhariyan Johnson, 3-star, No. 45 ranked edge rusher
14. JJ Finch, 3-star, No. 83 ranked defensive lineman
15. Rihyael Kelley, 3-star, No. 81 ranked safety
16. Brian Williams, 3-star, No. 163 ranked wide receiver
17. Zay Hall, 3-star, No. 118 ranked linebacker
18. Javari Barnett, 3-star, No. 98 ranked running back
19. Owen Cabell, 3-star, No. 226 ranked wide receiver
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