Yhonzae Pierre to return to Alabama football in 2026: What it means
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Another key piece of the Alabama football defense is returning in 2026.
Alabama linebacker Yhonzae Pierre will return to the Crimson Tide in 2026 with two seasons remaining of collegiate eligibility.
Pierre follows Alabama safety Bray Hubbard, who announced his return Monday, Jan. 12.
Alabama has lost three players with collegiate eligibility to the NFL draft: offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, center Parker Brailsford and quarterback Ty Simpson.
Yhonzae Pierre’s Alabama football journey
Expectations were high for Pierre coming to Alabama.
A five-star in the 2023 recruiting class and the top recruit in the state of Alabama per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Pierre did not play as a true freshman. He played 92 snaps on defense in 2024 per Pro Football Focus, recording six tackles, a pass deflection and 0.5 tackles-for-loss.
But over the course of 2025, Pierre took over the role as Alabama’s premier pass rusher, becoming the first Crimson Tide player with double-digit tackles-for-loss in the Kalen DeBoer era, leading the team with 14.5 — sixth-best in the SEC. Pierre also added eight sacks, which was tied with Arkansas defensive lineman Quincy Rhodes Jr. as the sixth-best in the SEC.
“He just keeps getting better and better,” Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said of Pierre in September.
Pierre also added 52 tackles, a pass deflection and three forced fumbles for the Crimson Tide in 2025.
What Yhonzae Pierre return means for Alabama football
Alabama has a building block of a pass rush that has its share of question marks heading into 2026.
Pierre has the Wolf outside linebacker position on lock, one that took a hit on depth with Noah Carter and Qua Russaw both electing to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Justin Hill is also expected to return to the Crimson Tide in 2026.
Outside of Pierre, Alabama is losing eight of its 12 players who recorded at least one sack in 2025. The Crimson Tide will start a new Bandit defensive end in 2026 with LT Overton out of collegiate eligibility along with two new starters on the interior of the defensive line with Tim Keenan III out of eligibility and James Smith entering the portal.
Pierre gives Alabama a building block for a pass rush that is improving, finishing in the bottom half in the SEC in both tackles-for-loss and sacks in 2024 and moving up into the top six in both in 2025.
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: Yhonzae Pierre to return to Alabama football in 2026
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