Tide Offers 2026 LB From Tuscaloosa on Wednesday

The Crimson Tide's 2025 class was outstanding. According to On3's Team Recruiting Rankings, the Tide signed its highest-rated player in school history (Keelon Russell) and finished the cycle with the third-ranked class in the nation and second in the SEC, according to On3. Last year’s recruiting class lacked elite local talent, with the Tide not signing a single top-10 player from the state.

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That has not been the case for the Tide’s 2026 class, with Alabama already signing the No.5 prospect out of the state of Alabama in four-star cornerback Zyan Gibson from Gadsden, who committed back on Christmas Eve. They are currently trending to land the No.1 and No.3 players out of Alabama, with five-star wide receiver Cederian Morgan out of Benjamin Russel and five-star running back Ezavier Crowell from Jackson, Alabama, according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Alabama offered its first prospect from its hometown in the 2026 class, extending an offer to three-star linebacker Zay Hall from Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa. On Wednesday, Hall announced on his X profile, “I’m blessed to receive an offer from the University of Alabama!”

Hall left a strong impression on the Crimson Tide during a 7-on-7 camp, where he recorded a remarkable 4.5-second 40-yard dash, according to Andrew Bone from On3. In rankings from On3, Hall is recognized as the 125th linebacker, the 47th prospect from Alabama, and the 1,368th overall recruit in the 2026 class.

Alabama and Virginia Tech are the only two Power Five schools to offer the three-star linebacker, with him making a trip up to Blacksburg for his first official visit last weekend. Hall was in town for the Tide’s A-Day back in April, with Hall telling On3’s Blake Byler, “I’ve been up there plenty of times, and I always try to take something new that amazes me or give me something good to think about.”

Following the Tide's offer to the talented local linebacker, Hall told Touchdown Alabama, “This offer means a lot.” He added, “I think Alabama is one of the best programs ever. There’s nothing they are lacking.” This has positioned the Tide ahead in his recruitment, with Hall also stating, “It has a big impact on my recruitment.”

Alabama plans to bring Hall on campus for an official visit in the upcoming month, with him being right down the street. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker could be a massive get for the Tide with them keeping local talent instate and adding a linebacker with very high upside to a room that will be relatively young after this upcoming season with the Tide having three fifth year seniors in that position room (Deontae Lawson, Justin Jefferson, and Nikhai-Hill Green) that will be out of eligibility at the end of this upcoming season.

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