Two Under-the-Radar Breakout Candidates for Alabama Football in 2026

CBS Sports college football writers Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer recently published post-spring intel for several SEC teams, including the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. Alabama's defense will feature several familiar faces in the secondary, with four returning starters on the back end of Kane Wommack's defense. Part-time starter Red Morgan posted 25 tackles last year for the Crimson Tide, appearing in all 15 games on Alabama's schedule last season.

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Morgan split starting reps with departed senior DaShawn Jones, who signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent. Morgan rotated at Alabama's Husky defensive back position in 2025, posting 26 tackles, three tackles for loss, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble in his sophomore season in Tuscaloosa. Morgan originally committed to Alabama as a four-star defensive back out of Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama.

"He was a dominant player this spring," Zenitz and Hummer said a source told them of Morgan.

"He's always had the ability, but he's now been more consistent and is now doing it all the time. He's a baller," another source said to CBS Sports.

As a freshman in 2024, Morgan appeared in 12 of the Crimson Tide's 13 contests, with eight tackles, one tackle for loss, and one pass breakup. Morgan was a key contributor to a Crimson Tide secondary that struggled with injuries in 2024.

While returning production is key to success on defense, infusing the roster with talent from the transfer portal can also be vital, and that's what Alabama did with USC transfer defensive lineman Devan Thompkins.

"Thompkins made an immediate impression during Alabama's spring practice run, instantly emerging as one of the Crimson Tide's top players on the defense," Zenitz and Hummer wrote.

A source told CBS Sports that they could see Thompkins playing himself into being a first-round pick. "He's dependable as a human being. He's a pro. He came here, and he got bigger and stronger, and he's the most disruptive interior three-technique to five-technique guys that I've been around in a long time," the source told Zenitz and Hummer.

Before transferring to Alabama, Thompkins spent four seasons with the USC Trojans, competing in 28 games and playing in 12 games as a redshirt junior. In 2025, he had his best season yet, posting 31 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.