Where the top 2026 high school football recruits in Alabama signed this cycle
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With the completion of the state championships earlier this month, the 2025 season for Alabama high school football is wrapped up.
And to no one’s surprise, the Yellowhammer State was again loaded with talent in the senior class. This year’s crop featured a pair of five-stars and 16 blue-chip signees in total, as well as more than a dozen other players who signed to play FBS football next year.
With that, Rivals is breaking down where the top recruits in the state are headed:
1. RB Ezavier Crowell – Alabama
High School: Jackson
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 18 NATL.
Recently reclassified from 2027, Crowell has been one of the state’s best backs over the past two years as an underclassman. As a sophomore last fall at Jackson, Crowell tallied 168 carries and ran for 1,964 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also had 258 receiving yards and a pair of scores. He followed that up with an incredible senior season after he reclassified.
Across 14 games, he rushed 209 times for 2,632 yards (12.6 YPC) and a whopping 35 touchdowns as Jackson won the Class 4A state title.
2. EDGE Anthony Jones – Oregon
High School: St. Paul’s Episcopal
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 32 NATL.
After starting his high school career split between receiver and linebacker, Jones has grown into one of the nation’s most feared pass-rushers at the high school level. In his junior season alone, he notched 75 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 20 quarterback hurries and a pair of forced fumbles.
Full stats for his senior season were not available.
3. WR Cederian Morgan – Alabama
High School: Benjamin Russell
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 44 NATL.
Standing at 6’5 and over 200 pounds, Morgan is a nightmare for opposing defenders to try and cover. As a junior, he hauled in 70 passes for 1,162 yards and 14 scores. He’s also a standout in track and field, hitting 6’4 in the high jump as a sophomore. Good luck coming down with a jump ball against him.
Despite often facing double-teams and bracketed coverage as a senior, he pulled down 82 catches for 1,419 yards and 16 touchdowns.
4. CB Zyan Gibson – Alabama
High School: Gadsden City
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 65 NATL.
The 6-foot, 175-pound Gibson is a lightning bolt, registering a 10.85 100-meter dash time as a sophomore. As one of the state’s lockdown corners, he doesn’t see a ton of passes thrown his way. But he was a key factor on both sides of the ball — as a defensive back and receiver — in Gadsden City’s 6-4 finish last year.
Stats for only seven games in his senior season are available, with Gibson being credited for seven tackles and an interception. He is also a three-time state qualifier in the 100-meter dash and took third-place as a junior.
5. LB Jaquez Wilkes – Auburn
High School: Wadley
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 104 NATL.
Wilkes has been on the scene since he was an eighth grader, where he notched more than 60 tackles and nine sacks playing up to the high school level. He moved over to linebacker the next three years, and also doubles as one of the state’s best running backs. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he amassed more than 3,500 yards and 35 touchdowns. As a junior, he followed that up with 2,582 yards and 37 scores, to go along with 117 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions.
Defensive stats aren’t available for his senior season, but on the offensive side, he tallied 92 carries, 1,127 yards (12.3 YPC) and 21 touchdowns.
6. QB Landon Duckworth – South Carolina
High School: Jackson
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 61
Teaming up with Crowell, Duckworth gives Jackson High one of the most lethal run-pass duos not only in the state, but nationally as well. He broke out as a junior last fall, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 39 touchdowns, while adding almost 700 rushing yards and 12 more scores.
With the emergence of Crowell, Jackson was les reliant on Duckworth throwing the ball as a senior. He completed 137 of 217 attempts (63%), while throwing for 2,243 yards and 21 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
7. WR Corey Barber – LSU
High School: Clay-Chalkville (Pinson, AL)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 167 NATL.
Barber was a longtime Ole Miss commit who flipped to the Tigers after the hiring of Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin. As a senior, he totaled 68 receptions for 1,130 yards and 14 touchdowns. That followed a junior season at Spain Park (Ala.) where he caught 74 passes for 1,429 yards and 18 touchdowns.
8. SAF Dylan Purter – Florida
High School: Booker T Washington (Tuskegee, AL)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 181
Purter has been one of the state’s most productive defensive backs for three years now, totaling 148 tackles, three sacks, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions across his junior and senior seasons. He followed that as a junior with standout performances on both sides of the ball; offensively, he totaled 518 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 81 carries.
And on defense, he stuffed the stat sheet with 60 tackles and six tackles for loss.
9. WR Keeyun Chapman – North Carolina
High School: Jackson
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 201
Playing alongside fellow top prospects Crowell and Duckworth, Chapman has established himself as one of the state’s top big-play receiving threats. As a junior, he caught 51 passes for over 1,300 yards and 17 scores last season.
He was limited by injury as a senior, posting 15 receptions for 278 yards and two touchdowns in six games.
10. EDGE Hezekiah Harris – Tennessee
High School: Jemison
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 205
Harris is a multi-sport standout as well, dominating on both the hardwood and the gridiron. Playing primarily defensive end for Jemison last fall, he notched 14 sacks and 20 tackles for loss while living in opposing backfields. He flipped his commitment to the Vols from Auburn in September, giving new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles a key young piece to work with.
Other Alabama blue-chip recruits signed and where they signed
11. DL Emanuel Ruffin – Ohio State
12. DL Vodney Cleveland – North Carolina
13. LB Shadarius Toodle – Auburn
14. WR Marquez Daniel – Florida
15. DL Kamhariyan Johnson – Alabama
16. LB JJ Bush – Missouri
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