Alabama Football News

How many key Crimson Tide football players in 2026 will be Alabama natives?

by
Justin Smith
July 30, 2026

Kevin Riley, a former 4-star, is crafting a case to be Alabama's starting RB in the fall.

Photo Via Alabama Athletics

Alabama football lost some of its homegrown flavor at the end of the 2025 season when Tim Keenan III, Deontae Lawson, Wilkin Formby, James Smith, Qua Russaw and Kelby Collins opted to go either to the NFL or enter the transfer portal.

With year three under Kalen DeBoer at Alabama set to get underway soon, how much homegrown talent is on the Tide’s roster?

There are currently 43 players who played their senior season of high school football inside the state of Alabama listed on the Tide’s roster ahead of fall camp.

Those players include Ryan Coleman-Williams, Yhonzae Pierre, Kevin Riley, EJ Crowell, Will Sanders, Mal Waldrep, Jay Lindsey, Cederian Morgan, Xavier Griffin, Isaia Faga, Jeremiah Beaman, QB Reese and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr, who are among the Alabama natives expected to be key players for the Tide this fall.

Coleman-Williams and Pierre are projected to be not only top players for Alabama football but also top players at their position as far as college football is concerned.

Alabama signed nine Alabama natives during the 2026 recruiting cycle, including Jamarion Matthew’s and Xavier Griffin, who spent their early years as residents of the state of Alabama before transferring to Gainesville High School in Georgia.

Justin Smith( Managing Editor, Director of Recruiting )

Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.