Wommack feels Alabama freshman linebacker showed some ‘exciting things’ against East Carolina

Alabama football’s defensive coordinator Kane Wommack feels Xavier Griffin was one of the young Alabama players who showed some exciting things against East Carolina on Saturday.

It did not take long for Griffin to get on the field against East Carolina at inside linebacker after he was listed within the Crimson Tide’s two-deep at inside linebacker before the game. The former five-star finished the game with two tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.

Wommack feels the versatility Griffin brings to the table was on display during the first game of his career.

“Xavier Griffin is a good example of a guy that got meaningful snaps as a pass rusher on third downs and got in there as an inside linebacker and did a really nice job,” Wommack said. “So, some exciting things from some young guys that got meaningful snaps.”

The Tide’s defensive coordinator let it be known Griffin would play a meaningful role during fall camp.

“Zay’s doing a really good job,” Wommack said. “It’s hard to play the linebacker position, and we’re asking him to do multiple things in that room. He has value as a pass rusher. He did that for most of his high school career. And then what was really cool was his senior year, he got to play, you know, as a stack backer and took his game really to another level.”

Griffin is expected to be a key contributor for the Tide on defense throughout the 2026 season.