Is Alabama football changing 2026 defensive line recruiting approach? What recent offers tell us
Alabama football stopped both 2026 Florida defensive lineman Brian Harris and 2026 Ohio defensive lineman Jamir Perez in their tracks.
Both Harris and Perez had official visits set, with commitment dates unscheduled but ideally coming before or in the early stages of their senior high school seasons.
Advertisement
To the Crimson Tide, that didn't matter. Both Harris and Perez see Alabama as a program that still holds the power to potentially change a recruitment, as the Crimson Tide tries to secure a larger defensive line class in 2026 to start developing that next wave of talent up front.
'Their name alone speaks for itself,' Harris told The Tuscaloosa News. 'The weight it holds is a big thing… Not even D-linemen. People in general that they produced over the decades, it speaks for itself. It speaks volumes. Everybody in the nation knows exactly what Bama is all about.'
Brian Harris: 'You can't go wrong' with Alabama football
On paper, Harris checks all the boxes for Alabama.
Advertisement
A 6-foot-4, 290-pound interior defensive lineman, Harris describes himself as versatile, physical and fast off the ball, saying there are 'not a lot of people like me.' It was enough for teams like Oklahoma, Auburn, Michigan, Penn State, West Virginia and South Carolina to extend offers to the No. 519 player in the country, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
Alabama was not too far behind, Harris said, first reaching out shortly after the Wolverines' mid-March offer. But the Crimson Tide moved quickly, securing Harris for an A-Day visit.
While in Tuscaloosa, Harris said Alabama defensive line coach Freddie Roach described the state of his room as 'pretty solid,' but one that is always looking for more talent, more talent like Harris.
Advertisement
Harris plans to take an Alabama official visit, a chance he couldn't pass up with a school that has always been on his board.
'You know that if you go to Alabama, you can't go wrong,' Harris said.
Alabama 'threw a wrench' into Jamir Perez recruitment
Perez may not be ranked in 247Sports' composite rankings. But he describes himself as a 'fun, dominant' defensive lineman who is a 'Reggie White type of player.'
Perez had plenty of doors open on the recruiting trail, from Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Iowa State and Cincinnati, to Ohio State, which recently offered the Cleveland-area defensive lineman. Alabama, Perez described, is 'a bigger blessing.'
'Alabama, that's Alabama, you know what I'm saying?' Perez said. 'It for sure threw a wrench in that I'm really getting there.'
Advertisement
Perez attends Glenville High School, the same program as 2026 four-star linebacker and major Alabama target Cincere Johnson, who told Perez that football culture is 'everything' with the Crimson Tide.
Perez is eyeing an official visit to Alabama, wanting to see Tuscaloosa for himself as he continues to build a relationship with a program he sees potentially as 'a top contender.'
Alabama football 2026 recruiting: Where Tide stands on defensive line
The Crimson Tide players and coaches continue working toward the season opener in practice Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Alabama defensive line coach Freddie Roach works his players.
Perez and Harris are not the first two defensive line targets Alabama has formalized in 2026.
Two of Alabama's first five commitments are pass rushers: Jamarion Matthews, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound defensive end who 'runs like (a) 4.8 40,' per Dylan Livingston, his former defensive coordinator at Sparkman High School in Harvest; and Kamhariyan Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end whose length, fast twitch and bend makes him 'different' for Muscle Shoals High School football coach Scot Basden.
Advertisement
Both are built like prototypical bandit defensive ends in Alabama's defensive scheme, a position that is set to lose its starter after the 2025 season in LT Overton, one that has potential behind Overton in Jordan Renaud, Keon Keeley, Kelby Collins and Fatutoa Henry, but nothing proven, and one that Alabama did not add to in the 2025 recruiting class.
On the defensive line as a whole, Alabama secured two interior prospects in the 2025 class: Steve Bolo Mboumoua after a season at Southwest Mississippi Community College, and London Simmons, a Mississippi three-star who will join the Crimson Tide in the summer.
The Alabama defensive line, especially at the bandit defensive end, is set to enter 2026 as an older unit, but one that could be without that breakthrough experience outside of players like James Smith, a projected starter next to Tim Keenan III in 2025, or, potentially, Renaud.
In 2026, what Alabama is looking to do is to start developing that next wave of young defensive linemen, targeting high-profile prospects like Mississippi four-star Nolan Wilson, Missouri four-star Titan Davis, Florida four-star Elijah Golden or Hoover defensive lineman Tyson Bacon, who recently ended his commitment to Tennessee.
Advertisement
Alabama's list could include players like Perez or Harris, who just secured the Crimson Tide's attention.
Whether it's Alabama or elsewhere, Harris said he already feels the weight of his commitment. Yes, development and production matters. Winning matters. But he's not only looking at the next three or four years. He's looking to the next 40.
'My decision, I'm going to have to wear this name on my back for the rest of my life,' Harris said. 'I'm going to tell my kids, 'This is where I went to school at.' That's the biggest thing: be proud of where I'm coming from.'
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: What recent 2026 DL offers mean for Alabama football recruiting
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Cal edges out MSU for commitment from 3-star Hawaiian OL Koloi Keli
Cal edges out MSU for commitment from 3-star Hawaiian OL Koloi Keli A Michigan State recruiting target has announced his commitment to an ACC school over the Spartans. Koloi Keli of Honolulu, Hawaii announced his commitment to the Cal Golden Bears on Sunday afternoon. The commitment came after Keli took official visits to both Michigan State and Cal, with the Golden Bears ultimately edging out the Spartans for the recruiting battle victory. Keli is a three-star interior offensive lineman in the 2026 class. He holds a recruiting rating of 86 on 247Sports. Keli ranks as the No. 85 interior offensive lineman in the class, according to 247Sports. He is also ranked as the No. 9 player from Hawaii in the class. Michigan State was one of more than 10 schools that offered Keli, according to 247Sports. He also held notable offers from Cal, Oregon, Hawaii, Arizona, SMU, UNLV, UTSA, Washington State and San Diego State. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Chicago Tribune
4 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Column: In the Showdown in Motown finale, the Chicago Cubs lose 4-0 to the Detroit Tigers
DETROIT — Some good-natured bantering occurred over the weekend between Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer and Detroit Tigers president Scott Harris, who worked his way up the ladder after joining the Cubs as director of baseball operations in 2012 under Hoyer and former president Theo Epstein. They helped the Cubs build a championship team together before Harris moved on to become the general manager of the San Francisco Giants and then president of the Tigers in September 2022. Harris was informed Sunday that the winner of the rubber game between the Cubs and Tigers would be awarded the 'Theo Cup,' a trophy that only exists in the imagination of a few media members looking to replicate the Vedder Cup, a newly recognized award named for Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder that goes to the winner of the San Diego Padres-Seattle Mariners series. 'The decisive game of the Theo Cup?' Harris said when apprised of what was at stake. 'Jed and I have talked, yes, but nothing worth sharing.' Cup or no cup, the Tigers wound up with a 4-0 win in the Showdown in Motown to take the interleague series. There was no champagne celebration afterward, but at least fans were treated to an interesting series between two of baseball's best teams, and some impromptu fireworks Sunday when Nico Hoerner was ejected by plate umpire Derek Thomas in the fifth inning for arguing a called third strike, followed by manager Craig Counsell's ejection after backing Hoerner. While the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry took center stage on the baseball calendar, Detroit was the place to be this weekend. The Cubs move on to Philadelphia to complete their three-city road trip, facing another top team, albeit one that lost eight of nine heading into Sunday. The Phillies took two of three from the Cubs in late April at Wrigley Field. Matthew Boyd will start in the opener, followed by Colin Rea and Ben Brown. Sunday's finale featured an intriguing matchup between Cubs rookie Cade Horton and Jack Flaherty, who returned to the Tigers after being dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline and winning a ring. Flaherty threw six shutout innings, allowing two hits, while Horton suffered his first career loss in his sixth appearance. Horton struggled in the first inning, putting the first two men on before giving up a two-out, two-run double to Spencer Torkelson. Flaherty didn't give up a hit until Pete Crow-Armstrong singled with two on and one out in the fourth, but Ian Happ was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Kerry Washington, and the Cubs failed to score when Michael Busch lined out to center with the bases loaded, ending the threat. The Tigers padded the lead on Riley Greene's two-run single off Horton in the fifth, while the Cubs couldn't muster up any offense against Flaherty. Expectations have grown considerably for the Cubs over the last several weeks, with the team off to its best start since 2016. The Cubs were considered a favorite for a division title all along, but few thought they could hang in the same area code as the megabucks Dodgers or New York Mets. The offensive explosion and improvement of the bullpen now has many Cubs fans thinking bigger things, which brings more attention to the team. 'I don't know that anything has changed from that perspective,' Counsell said in a conversation before Sunday's game. Expectations haven't changed despite having the league's best record? 'The expectations are just playing good baseball, doing our jobs the right way and continuing to do that on a daily basis,' he said. 'Those are the expectations.' That may be true, but certainly Cubs fans' expectations have risen, right? 'I'm telling you what we worry about,' Counsell replied. 'We just worry about the stuff we control every day and I think those standards in itself are something that's difficult to achieve every day. But it's what we've been working at since the beginning.' Counsell has downplayed the Tigers series because it's still June, and it may have meant more to Harris and Hoyer, two old friends with bragging rights at stake. Even before Sunday, there was a lot for Hoyer and Harris to talk about, from Tarik Skubal's dominance in the Tigers' 3-1 win on Friday, to five Cubs home runs Saturday in their 6-1 victory. Harris denied there was any trash-texting between him and Hoyer after their team's respective wins, and said the competition is friendly. 'I would characterize it as we're both very competitive, and we both want to win today,' Harris said. 'But after today, I really pull for those guys. There are just a lot of really good people over there and I want them to be successful. I know they will be successful because they're really talented and they built a really, really good baseball team. 'We share observations about each other's teams, because a lot of times those conversations are really constructive, and it's useful for someone like me to see the Tigers through an outsider's lens. And he's an outsider, and I imagine that's useful for him to understand the perspective of an outsider watching his team. So we often share observations. I find them useful. I don't know if he finds them useful.' Hoyer did not make the trip to Detroit, which Harris speculated was because Hoyer wanted to spend time with his family, not because he didn't buy into the importance of the Cubs-Tigers series. 'You're more bought into the Theo Cup than Jed is,' Harris said. Guilty as charged. Either way, the rematch of the Theo Cup would have to wait until October, and that's only if the two teams meet in the World Series. That's a long way off, and obviously a lot has to happen for both teams just to get there. But the way things have been going for the Cubs and Tigers the first two-plus months, it's no longer just a pipe dream.
Washington Post
4 hours ago
- Washington Post
Nolan Jones scores go-ahead run on throwing error in 7th, Guardians beat Astros 4-2
CLEVELAND — Nolan Jones scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error by pitcher Steven Okert in the seventh inning, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Houston Astros 4-2 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep. Steven Kwan followed with a sacrifice fly, plating Bo Naylor, as Okert (1-2) allowed two runs in his lone inning. Houston had tied the game at 2-all in the top of the seventh on Cam Smith's two-run double against Tanner Bibee.
