The Alabama Crimson Tide under Kalen DeBoer is on a roll. Many thought that the recruiting would regress under Kalen DeBoer, and that he would fail to achieve the same standards that Nick Saban did. Cut short to the 2026 recruiting class, and you will find DeBoer smiling silently, with a carefree look. Why? The man has already landed four, 5-star players, and despite that, went on to get a fifth one.
So far, Kalen DeBoer had landed Cederian Morgan, who committed on July 2, and other 5-stars like Ezavier Crowell, Jordan Edmonds, and Xavier Griffin. But now the head coach has landed the number 2 safety in the country, Jireh Edwards, making five 5-star recruits already in his class. But his commitment wasn’t easy, and it took a little effort from one of Alabama’s incoming transfers last year.
On March 20 this year, Jireh Edwards came to visit Alabama when their spring practices were on. At that time, Edwards was already a highly touted recruit, and more than 40 programs had handed him their offers. But on that March 20 spring practice visit, he posed for a picture with Alabama’s Kameron Howard, who came from Charlotte on a transfer. And the visit became the highlight, and Howard’s connection was more than just the photo.
Kameron Howard was a safety at St. Frances Academy in Fort Washington, Maryland, which is the same academy where Edwards was enrolled. Naturally, there would have been a prior bond between the two, having played together on the same teams, which probably worked in Alabama’s favor. Of course, Kalen DeBoer’s recruiting is still top-notch, and he played his part, but who can refuse a little helping hand, right?
2026 No. 3 S Jireh Edwards out of at Alabama for spring practice No. 5 on Thursday.
Here is the 6-foot2, 205-pounder with fellow St. Frances (MD) Academy standout & current Crimson Tide DB Kameron Howard
@CoachCammm Instagram pic.twitter.com/5jFrfGtKRB
— Brett Greenberg (@BrettGreenberg_) March 20, 2025
“I’m going to make a name for myself in that Crimson n White!! Blitz Bama Blitz.” said Jireh Edwards to Hayes Fawcett after his commitment, and made his loyalty clear with the statement. As for his talent? The guy is a walking replica of Malaki Starks, having won MaxPreps Junior All-American Honors. Moreover, his performances last year were quite incredible as he notched up a whopping 92 tackles, including 6 PBUs and 3 FFs. That said, what’s the new mantra of Kalen DeBoer’s recruiting?
The secret sauce of Kalen DeBoer’s revamped recruiting
Not many would have thought that after going 9-4 last season, Kalen DeBoer would turn the tide so strongly that a whopping five 5-stars would land at Alabama. However, this turn in the tide can also be attributed to his focus on in-state recruiting, hosting recruits, and invoking the culture tag for the team.
For instance, when Bama hosted Anthony Jones for official visits on June 20. He didn’t invite him alone, but also paired him up with Crowell and Morgan, showcasing the same Alabama that Saban projected. Moreover, the recruiting prowess of DeBoer’s class can also be attributed to JaMarcus Shephard‘s recruitment was even praised by Morgan as he leveraged the personal relationship and landed Morgan.
All in all, with Jireh Edwards coming in, the class does look quite well-polished. It’s already ranked 4th nationally with 19 total commits. However, it will be interesting to see if Kalen DeBoer ends with 5 or more than five stars after the national signing day. Since landing commitment is one thing, but making them stay for 7-8 months more? It becomes a herculean challenge, especially with NIL and revenue-sharing deals in the picture.
The post Fresh Jireh Edwards Intel Names Mastermind Behind Alabama’s Quintuple 5-Star Sweep—And It’s Not Nick Saban appeared first on EssentiallySports.