The four most important Alabama football players to retain for 2026 season
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Alabama football could face massive changes for its 2026 roster.
The NCAA transfer portal is open, and NFL draft decisions are being made. But four players who are draft eligible rise above the rest in terms of who the Crimson Tide need to retain ahead of the 2026 season.
Here are the four players Alabama needs to keep for 2026:
SAF Bray Hubbard
If there was a true quarterback of the Alabama defense in 2025, it was Bray Hubbard.
A safety in name, Hubbard roamed the defensive backfield, playing everywhere from the free safety to the box as a makeshift linebacker. And with it came production, finishing with an SEC-leading four interceptions along with 79 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, two sacks, six pass deflections and three forced fumbles.
Just finishing his junior season, Hubbard, a second-team All-American, is NFL draft eligible, and will be a valuable and versatile piece at the next level. But the Crimson Tide’s defensive success hinges on a piece like Hubbard, someone who can do it all and represent the physical and ball-hawking mentality the defense represents. Alabama needs Hubbard back in 2026.
C Parker Brailsford
Alabama will likely have to fill gaps on the left side of its offensive line in 2026. But the Crimson Tide is hoping that its center will be back.
A third-team All-SEC team member, Parker Brailsford allowed 14 pressures and one sack for the Crimson Tide in 905 snaps, missing only one game against Eastern Illinois despite a lingering high ankle sprain.
On paper, Alabama seems to have a lot of offensive line questions with only Michael Carroll secured at tackle Brailsford’s return would give Alabama all the more stability as it tries to plug the holes on the left side.
SAF Keon Sabb
Part of a tandem that considers themselves the best safeties in college football, Keon Sabb only got better in 2025, recording career highs in tackles (54), tackles-for-loss (2.5) and sacks (1). He also continued his streak of three seasons with at least one interception and added three pass deflections.
Sabb and Hubbard were the only two defensive players with more than 800 snaps in 2026. And if both return in 2026, even with players like Ivan Taylor and five-star freshman Jireh Edwards behind them, Alabama has its significant building block for its defense.
LB Yhonzae Pierre
Yhonzae Pierre gave Alabama’s defense something it hadn’t had in years: a formidable pass rusher.
His 14.5 tackles-for-loss and eight sacks were the most by a Crimson Tide defender since Dallas Turner in 2023. And Pierre did so with 616 snaps, per PFF.
Pierre gives Alabama stability in the pass rush. And with a full offseason to prepare to be that sack machine out wide, who knows what Pierre could bring to the Alabama defense in 2026.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Four most important Alabama football players to retain for 2026
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