Alabama Preparing to Host Four 5-Star Prospects This Weekend

The Crimson Tide has been active since the dead period ended on May 28. Recently, Alabama hosted an impressive lineup of elite prospects from the 2026 class, with nine top-150 recruits visiting this past weekend. Among the notable visitors were five-star safety Jett Washington, class of 2026's No. 5 wide receiver Boobie Feaster, and Cincere Johnson and Brayden Rouse, the No. 4 and No. 7 linebackers in the class.

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Alabama is ramping up its efforts as the Tide prepares to host four five-star recruits on campus this weekend. This is an increase from last weekend, which saw only one five-star prospect. Let's take a closer look at the three five-star prospects scheduled to be in Tuscaloosa this weekend.

Jorden Edmonds, a five-star cornerback committed to the Crimson Tide on March 26th, is currently ranked as the No. 2 cornerback in his class. He will be taking his first official visit to the Capstone, where he will continue to assist Kalen DeBoer and the rest of the coaching staff in building this recruiting class.

Jireh Edwards is a five-star safety from St. Francis Academy in Maryland. He will be one of three five-star recruits visiting the University of Alabama this weekend for his first official visit with the Crimson Tide. According to On3, Edwards is ranked as the No. 2 safety, No. 3 player from Maryland, and No. 20 overall prospect in the 2026 class. On May 28, he announced his top six schools: Alabama, Auburn, Oregon, Texas A&M, Georgia, and Florida. Edwards was in Alabama last weekend to take an official visit to Auburn.

Xavier Griffin is a linebacker from Gainsville in Georgia who is another five-star who will be in town this weekend on an official visit with the former USC commit who recently announced his top four schools, which include Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, and Florida State back on May 28 with Griffin’s commitment date set for the end of this month on June 29. The Georgia native is the No.1 linebacker, the No.1 recruit out of Georgia, and the No.8 overall prospect in the 2026 class, according to 247 Sports. This will be Griffin’s first visit to Tuscaloosa since June last year.

Kaiden Prothro is a five-star tight end from Bowdon, Georgia, and he will be the third five-star recruit visiting Alabama’s campus this weekend. Prothro has become a priority target for the Tide following Mark Bowman's commitment to USC on Saturday. Recently, Prothro won the MVP award at the Rivals Camp series in Atlanta on May 18. He is ranked as the No. 3 tight end, the No. 4 player from Georgia, and the No. 30 overall prospect in the 2026 class, according to On3. The Georgia native has five finalists: Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Texas, and Florida, all competing closely for his commitment. Prothro told Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman, “These schools have been coming down to see me, showing me love, and making sure I know I'm a priority for them.”

This weekend, 11 prospects will be on campus, including seven four-star recruits, one three-star recruit, and three five-star recruits. Alabama will host several priority targets, including three commits from its 2026 class: five-star cornerback Edmonds, four-star defensive lineman Kamhariyan Johnson, and four-star edge rusher Jamarion Matthews.

The Crimson Tide has several priority targets scheduled to visit campus this weekend, including four-star running back prospect Derrek Cooper from Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Fort Lauderdale. Cooper last visited Tuscaloosa on October 26, 2024, during the Crimson Tide's 34-0 victory over Missouri. This four-star recruit also visited Auburn and Miami in May. In addition to his visit to Alabama this weekend, Cooper has three more official visits planned for this month: Georgia on June 13, Florida State on June 15, and Ohio State on June 20.

Alabama's two committed defensive linemen, Johnson and Matthews, are working to recruit four-star edge rusher Khamari Brooks, who will visit the campus this upcoming weekend. Brooks is ranked as a top-150 prospect in the 2026 class.

According to On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), Georgia is the leading contender for Brooks after the four-star prospect visited Athens for an official visit last weekend, with the Bulldogs boasting a 53% chance of signing the instate prospect. In comparison, Alabama has a 25% chance of landing him.

The Crimson Tide has a priority interior offensive lineman target scheduled to be on campus this weekend, with four-star Samuelu Utu expected to be on campus this weekend for his first official visit to Tuscaloosa. This will be Utu’s second visit to the Capstone, with his first one being back on March 22 during spring practice. The four-star interior lineman is currently ranked as the No.14 interior offensive lineman, the No.22 player out of California, and the No. 211th overall prospect in the 2026 class. Following Utu’s spring visit to Tuscaloosa, the 6-foot-5 295 295-pound Interior lineman spoke highly of the culture and winning mentality that the program possesses when asked what stood out about Alabama, with Utu telling Touchdown Alabama, “Their winning mentality and their development with them putting players in the NFL.”

Last but not least, the Crimson Tide will host a 2026 quarterback prospect for the second consecutive weekend. This time, they will welcome Matt Ponatoski, a four-star player from Archbishop Moeller in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ponatoski is ranked as the No. 20 quarterback, the No. 13 player in Ohio, and the No. 284 overall prospect in the 2026 class, according to On3.

Last weekend, Alabama hosted four-star quarterback Jett Thomalla from Omaha, Nebraska. This weekend will be Ponatoski, who is considered a strong quarterback prospect, having won Ohio's Gatorade Player of the Year award for football and baseball this past season. He set a school record by throwing for 4,217 passing yards and breaking another record with 57 passing touchdowns. Remarkably, he only threw three interceptions and completed 70% of his passes during his junior season at Archbishop Moeller. Alabama is currently seeking its first quarterback commitment for the upcoming recruiting class, with Ponatoski down to his top four schools, which include Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Oregon. The Crimson Tide could be close to securing a commitment from the four-star two-sport athlete.

Here is a complete list of visitors expected to be on campus this weekend, according to On3.

• Five-Star Safety: Jireh Edwards
• Five-Star Cornerback: Jorden Edmonds (Alabama Commit)
• Five-Star Linebacker: Xavier Griffin
• Five-Star Tight End: Kaiden Prothro
• No. 3 Running Back: Derrek Cooper
• Four-Star Edge Rusher: Jaquez Wilkes
• Four-Star Edge Rusher: Jamarion Matthews (Alabama Commit)
• Four-Star Edge Rusher: Kamari Brooks
• Four-Star Interior Offensive Lineman: Samuelu Utu
• Four-Star Quarterback: Matt Ponatoski
• Four-Star Defensive Lineman: Kamhariyan Johnson (Alabama Commit)
• Three-Star Wide Receiver: Brian Williams

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