Alabama football’s defensive back coach, Maurice Linguist is standing out as a recruiter during the early parts of the 2026 recruiting cycle.
The Crimson Tide have picked up commitments from two of the nation’s best 2026 defensive back prospects with pledges from Zyan Gibson and Jorden Edmonds. Linguist played a significant role in the Tide landing both.
Kalen DeBoer was asked about what makes Linguist a good recruiter at his latest press conference.
“In the recruiting process, I just think he’s attractive for a parent, for their son to want to come here and be coached because they’re cared for, they’re loved, they’re taught at an extremely high level,” DeBoer said. “He does just such a great job in all those ways, his personality mixed with ability and the want to. He’s a guy with a lot of drive. He’s got a high expectation, so he gets after him. But it’s some tough love that he brings, and they appreciate that because they want the same thing as he does.”
Moments after Gibson announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide his family had Linguist on FaceTime, and smiles were all around. Linguist’s efforts at building a relationship with the four-star’s family played a significant role in the decision.
“He grew up an Alabama fan, and the new staff they have with Coach DeBoer, we just built a great relationship with, GM Courtney Morgan also Coach Mo, (Maurice Linguist) the cornerback coach coach,” Gibson’s dad Michael told Touchdown Alabama while discussing Zyan’s decision. “Coach (Jatavis) Sanders played a big part in the recruitment. They just welcomed us with open arms…He fell in love with it, and he also loved they are playing freshmen.”
Linguist was also instrumental in the Tide landing five-star defensive back, Jorden Edmonds. Jorden’s father Chris Edmonds highlighted Alabama’s staff before his son announced his commitment.
“It has been a school he has always kept an eye on even when he was younger when he was leaning more towards basketball,” Chris Edmonds said. “I think with his mindset and with the coaching staff, I think they’re more willing to help develop players. I think that’s the old-school mentality, and Jorden coming in as a freshman, I think they’ll be willing to develop more than just throw products out there based on stars and develop players to be elite college players or to go to the NFL. I think they have always have had that.”
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Justin Smith is the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
