SEC Spotlight: Programs on a roll in recruiting
THIS SERIES: Big Ten programs on a recruiting hot streak
MORE SEC: 2026 conference recruiting rankings
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
Alabama began stockpiling blue-chip pieces in its 2026 recruiting class on Christmas Eve – edging out Auburn and Tennessee for top-100 cornerback Zyan Gibson out of Gadsden (Ala.) High.
The Crimson Tide have been rolling ever since, adding verbals from four-star interior offensive lineman Chris Brooker and locking in four-star edge defender Jamarion Matthews, an in-state target who will play his senior season alongside another priority target Xavier Griffin at Gainesville (Ga.) High.
MORE: Alabama's 2026 commitment list
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ALABAMA FANS AT TIDEILLUSTRATED.COM
Sam Pittman and the Hogs already hold a top-20 class in the 2026 Rivals Team Rankings and are continuing to pick up steam as the offseason progresses. Since the turn of the new year, the Razorbacks have locked in commitments from stout interior defensive lineman Ari Slocum and talented defensive back Jalon Copeland.
MORE: Arkansas' 2026 commitment list
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ARKANSAS FANS AT HAWGBEAT.COM
The Dawgs are just beginning to find their rhythm on the recruiting trail for the 2026 cycle. Kirby Smart has added two new four-star commitments since the start of the new year, including in-state four-star receiver Brady Marchese, who reached 22.3 MPH in GPS tracking last fall as a junior at Cartersville (Ga.) High.
Georgia also locked in Rivals250 safety Zech Fort and is sitting with the No. 13 class in the Rivals Team Rankings.
MORE: Georgia's 2026 commitment list
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH GEORGIA FANS AT UGASPORTS.COM
Rivals.com
Jeff Lebby hit the ground running to kick off this 2026 class and already has the engine humming in Starkville. Mississippi State has added a trio of verbal commitments since February, including four-star in-state offensive tackle Emanuel Tucker and four-star interior offensive lineman Jakobe Green out of the Florida Panhandle.
The Bulldogs hold a top-15 class in the 2026 Rivals Team Rankings midway through the spring.
MORE: Mississippi State's 2026 commitment list
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH MISSISSIPPI STATE FANS AT BULLDOGBLITZ.COM
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Alabama football is no longer 'a Jalen Milroe offense.' What Ryan Grubb means
Ryan Grubb saw progress from all three of Alabama football's scholarship quarterbacks in the Crimson Tide's second scrimmage. All three, he said, made clean and accurate throws, pushing the ball downfield when they could and being smart with their check-down opportunities. To Grubb, it was three quarterbacks running his Alabama offense, one he expects to look a little different than last season. "We're not necessarily a Jalen Milroe offense right now," Grubb said. "Jalen was, obviously, a super talented runner, and that was probably a part of the game plan every week, which was smart last year by the offensive staff." Grubb did not doubt in Alabama starting quarterback Ty Simpson's ability to run the football. Simpson has averaged 5.9 yards on 22 rush attempts with three rushing touchdowns in three collegiate seasons. Grubb described Michael Penix Jr. as a "good runner," one Washington didn't utilize until later because "it's a long season." Grubb needs his quarterback to focus elsewhere. "You're better off with your starter being able to throw the football in this offense than run it," Grubb said. "We'll certainly look for those opportunities because Ty is a good runner. We'll make sure we have things for him. But taking care of him, making sure he's upright is important." Alabama football opens the 2025 season against Florida State Aug. 30. Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Ryan Grubb describes Alabama football as no longer a 'Jalen Milroe offense'
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How is Alabama football preparing for Florida State? Artificial crowd noise
Before Alabama football left the practice field Tuesday, Aug. 19, the Crimson Tide went through "one of the hardest things we have ever done," left tackle Kadyn Proctor said. The Alabama offense installed a 16-play "long drive" buried under artificial crowd noise hoping to replicate what the Crimson Tide will see at Florida State Aug. 30. "Sixteen plays straight," Proctor said. "Don't matter if you score on five. Bring it all the way back down the field. Go 11 more. That's how it goes." To Proctor, it tested his mental capacity. It forced him, and the rest of the Alabama offense, to "pay attention" and focus. "What's it going to be like on game day where you got 100,000 people doing that 24/7?" Proctor asked. Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said there's "a lot to improve on" as the offense adapts to crowd noise, whether artificial or otherwise. "Any time you start getting that in where you are running plays and using motions and all those things, there's some bumps on it," Grubb said. "I thought they did better as they got used to it in practice, and we'll continue to work it. That's obviously something we'll have to get ready for." As a wide receiver, Germie Bernard said, with crowd noise blaring, he has to "look into the details:" the signals, the down and distance, the time and whatever else is happening on the field But does that practice noise replicate what Alabama plans to see at Doak Campbell Stadium Aug. 30? "No," Proctor said. "It gets you rattled a little bit in practice. But the game environment, that's something different. You can't even compare, not at all." Alabama football opens the 2025 season at Florida State Aug. 30. Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@ or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Alabama football uses artificial crowd noise as Florida State prep
New York Times
14 minutes ago
- New York Times
Judging Auburn's seven new title claims, plus a CFB predictions survey for you
Until Saturday Newsletter 🏈 | This is The Athletic's college football newsletter. Sign up here to receive Until Saturday directly in your inbox. Today in college football news, it's Week 0. I'm excited to begin my 16th season of covering college football, and I have a survey for you below. Get your Week 0 faces on. As tends to happen every few years in a sport whose national title methods have evolved willy-nilly for over a century now, another team has journeyed into the wilderness for contemplation and returned with retroactive national title claims. Going forward, Auburn is adding 1910, 1913, 1914, 1958, 1983, 1993 and 2004 to its established 1957 and 2010 claims. Pause for laugh track. Now that the giggles are out of our systems, I think this is generally within standard CFB guidelines, for several reasons. Still, that doesn't mean each of Auburn's particular claims is equally tolerable. Let's sprint through them: Out of Auburn's seven new title claims, there we have four I feel totally fine with, one I'm shrugging at and two I'm booing out of court. Not that it matters to anyone, because the banners will wave all the same. 1953 Notre Dame, 2006 Boise State and 2008 Utah, you're up next, right? 🕵️♀️ Your FAQs about Michigan's NCAA punishments from last week, answered. 🌲 This story on Andrew Luck, the Stanford GM, is one of the best CFB articles of the offseason. 📰 News: ❓ Refresh! Take the 20-question quiz on what happened in CFB last year. I got all 20 right, qualifying me to continue writing this newsletter, though there's an Ohio State question I had to really ponder. This morning, four (!) days ahead of kickoff, The Athletic posted a pile of season predictions by our CFB writers and editors. Let's beeline directly to them. Here were our consensus picks, and in the bullets, I'll explain the picks I contributed: Who will win the national title? Texas, says the group. Who will lose in the national title game? Clemson. Who will win the Heisman? Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith. Power-conference (and best Group of 5-ish) champs: Clemson, Arizona State, Penn State, Texas and Boise State. Playoff at-larges: Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame, LSU, Oregon, Alabama and Miami. More here in the full predictions roundup. I have seven questions for you in a reader survey, including requests for your predictions on the CFP winner, the top-10 team that will flop the hardest, the Bill Belichick outcome you crave most and — most critically — your pick for Pop-Tarts Bowl champ. Step right up, and I'll share the results on Friday. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
