Alabama lands CB Jorden Edmonds, Crimson Tide's first 5-star commitment in 2026 class

New York Times

26-03-2025

Alabama football landed its first five-star commitment in the 2026 class when defensive back Jorden Edmonds announced his commitment Wednesday to the Crimson Tide. Edmonds, the No. 27 player nationally according to the 247Sports Composite, is the No. 1-ranked cornerback in the country and becomes Alabama's second defensive back commit, joining four-star Zyan Gibson.
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Edmonds — a 6-foot-2, 175-pound prospect — hails from Marietta, Ga., and is a major recruiting win for Alabama, which landed him amid offers from nearly every high-caliber program in college football. With his commitment, Alabama has four commitments in the 2026 class, which was ranked 39th nationally before his commitment.
Defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist led the way in Edmonds' recruitment. With another blue chip prospect to a defensive back group, Alabama has continued to rebuild after Nick Saban's retirement, which saw a mass exodus of players as Saban personally coached that position group. From the last recruiting cycle to this one, Alabama has signed/landed the verbal commitment of five defensive backs — all ranked inside the top 100 players nationally.
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Edmonds is a two-way star for Sprayberry High, doubling as the team's top cornerback (35 tackles, three pass deflections) and leading wide receiver (35 catches, 670 yards, four touchdowns) last season. The ball skills part of Edmonds' game is significant given the new identity of Alabama's defense.
The new scheme implemented by coordinator Kane Wommack emphasizes zone coverage through eyes on the quarterback and making plays on the ball. Alabama finished fifth nationally in takeaways last season (28). Edmonds' height, which has been verified as 6-feet-2 1/2 inches by recruiting services, and his ball skills displayed by playing both sides are the type of combination that schools covet, and should fit nicely in Alabama's defense.
Furthermore, Edmonds' body type is becoming increasingly popular in Alabama's recruiting focus. The current team features Domani Jackson — a 6-foot-1, 195-pound corner — as its leading starter. In the 2025 recruiting class, Alabama signed five-star Dijon Lee, a 6-foot-4 prospect and four-star Chuck McDonald, another 6-foot-1, near-200-pound prospect. Adding Edmonds signifies Alabama's focus on longer, rangier cornerbacks that can leverage their size to make an impact in multiple ways.
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At the moment, Alabama is only carrying five cornerbacks entering the 2025 season and will lose Jackson to graduation this winter. As a result, cornerback will continue to be a position of focus for Alabama during the 2026 cycle. But adding Edmonds, the No. 1 ranked CB, to pair with Gibson, the No. 4 CB, one year after adding Lee and McDonald — the Nos. 2 and 7-ranked CBs respectively in the 2025 class — and five-star Zabien Brown before them in the 2024 class is about as strong of a data point as any that the trajectory of Alabama's secondary is trending upwards.