Which Alabama summer enrollee has best shot at making impact in year 1?

Alabama football added six true freshmen to its roster over the weekend.

Amari Sabb, Nolan Wilson, Jared Doughty, Aubrey Walker, Malique Franklin and Bear Fretwell have officially joined the Crimson Tide. Unlike the freshmen who enrolled in January, this group of players will not have the added experience of going through spring practice and workouts under their belt. However, that does not mean they do not have an opportunity to make an impact this fall.

Which Alabama football freshmen will enroll this summer?

Ryan Coleman-Williams enrolled the summer ahead of his breakout freshman season in 2024 for the Tide, and London Simmons enrolled last summer ahead of starting multiple games for Alabama on defense last season.

So, who is likely to continue this trend in the fall?

Nolan Wilson looks to be the most likely to do so.

The former four-star was rated as one of the best defensive linemen in the 2026 recruiting class. The Tide listed him at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds when it announced Wilson signed, but he looked bigger than that when Touchdown Alabama saw him at the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game practices.

Alabama 4-Star DL signee Nolan Wilson @NolanWilson74 putting his ability to bend on display.

Wilson has packed on some serious mass. pic.twitter.com/oScRdfMVgV

— Justin Smith (@Jdsmith31Smith) December 10, 2025

As a recruit, the four-star displayed the ability to turn speed into power with an explosive get-off. He was also an opportunist who liked to rip the football away from quarterbacks when making sacks. The attribute that stood out the most about Wilson while evaluating him was his ability to be disruptive at multiple spots across the defensive front.

Wilson’s ability to make plays from different spots may be what helps get him on the field this fall. Alabama’s defensive coordinator Kane Wommack shifts his defensive front and rotates it quite often throughout games. While Wilson is primarily expected to play the bandit defensive end role for the Tide, he could see playing time at different positions throughout his time in Tuscaloosa along the Tide’s defensive line, and some of those snaps could happen in 2026.

Alabama continue trend of adding versatile defensive lineman with the addition of 4-Star DL Nolan Wilson @NolanWilson74.

Wilson is an opportunist with game-changing traits with the ability to bend the edge.https://t.co/RfR4GdFaMK pic.twitter.com/RFg52RHU0l

— Justin Smith (@Jdsmith31Smith) July 4, 2025

DeVan Thompkins, Simmons, Terrence Green and Kedrick Bingley-Jones are expected to be among the names mentioned as starters for the Tide along its defensive line this fall. The door remains wide open for a player like Wilson to make his mark.