Two Alabama Freshmen Won't Have to Wait Long to See the Field

The Alabama Crimson Tide signed two of the top offensive players in the 2026 recruiting class, signing 247 Sports' No. 1 running back Ezavier Crowell and the No. 5 wide receiver Cederian Morgan, both from the state of Alabama. According to offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, the Tide has plans to use both of them in their freshman season with Alabama.

Get our free mobile app

"I'm excited to see what they can do this year," Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb told WAKA-TV last week at the ALFCA coaches convention in Montgomery. "They're not gonna have to wait long to get on the field."

In the final 247 Sports recruit rankings for the 2026 recruiting class, Crowell ended as the No. 18 overall prospect, the No. 1 running back, and the No. 1 player in Alabama. Morgan ranks as the No. 46 overall player, the No. 5 wide receiver, and the No. 3 player in Alabama. Both were stars for their respective high schools, with Crowell leading the Jackson Aggies (Jackson, Alabama) to an AHSAA 4A state championship, while Morgan led Benjamin Russell Alexander City, Alabama) to a semifinal appearance in the AHSAA 6A state playoffs.

"That's the lifeblood of the program. It starts here. It starts in Alabama," Grubb told WAKA-TV, highlighting the importance of high school recruiting. "You look at a couple of the guys we brought in this year, with EJ and Cederian, that's what Alabama's been built on for a long, long time.

"They're already here on campus, back in Tuscaloosa. Really, there's a lot of physical characteristics that both of them have. They're outstanding players. But the maturity and the mindset that those guys have already at this point in their career has been really impressive."

Crowell finished with an impressive high school career, including reclassifying from the 2027 recruiting class to the 2026 class to sign early with the Crimson Tide. During his three seasons of high school football, Crowell finished with 6,332 rushing yards and 91 rushing touchdowns, and he'll now step into an Alabama running back room that left a lot to be desired in 2025, and is looking to replace a significant portion of its reps from last season with the loss of Jam Miller to the NFL and RIchard Young to the transfer portal. Alabama also lost Louisiana transfer Dre Washington Jr. after Washington spent his final season of college in Tuscaloosa.

Morgan will compete for early playing time in an Alabama wide receiver room that is losing two of its top three producers from a season ago in Germie Bernard (NFL draft) and Isaiah Horton (Transfer Portal). Morgan finished his high school career with over 3,300 yards and 35 touchdowns in his final three seasons. Both he and Crowell enrolled early with Alabama, meaning they will be with the Crimson Tide for spring practice.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer also spoke about the potential that Morgan brings to the Crimson Tide's wide receiver room.

"I did get a chance to see him a little bit more, just because he was practicing with us before we went on our bowl games - our playoff games," DeBoer told WSFA-TV. "Really impressed with him. Moves extremely well. Very fluid. Big hands. Catches the ball. Very strong at the point of attack with the ball. I know a lot of guys, players included, were impressed with what they saw just in the couple practices he was with us."

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.