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Alabama lands Christmas Eve commitment from 4-star in-state CB Zyan Gibson
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Alabama got an early Christmas present on Tuesday, getting a commitment for its 2026 recruiting class from 4-star cornerback Zyan Gibson.
This commit is particularly sweet for Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide after losing their lone commitment from the 2026 class earlier this month in defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland. Just like Cleveland, who is from Birmingham, Gibson is a big-time in-state product hailing from Gadsden.
Gibson announced his commitment on Christmas Eve in a live stream on social media, complete with Alabama balloons floating up to the ceiling as he smiled widely while throwing on an Alabama baseball hat as friends and family cheered wildly.
Gibson had offers from over 15 Division 1 programs and chose Alabama over Auburn, Tennessee and Miami. The cornerback is the 7th-ranked player from the state of Alabama and the No. 7 corner in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Gibson is versatile, too, having lined up at both wide receiver and cornerback in high school. As a high school sophomore in 2023, the 5-foot-11, 177-pounder had 17 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss and 1 fumble recovery in just 7 appearances. This season, from the wideout position, Gibson had 4 receptions for 97 yards and 2 scores in 8 games.
He’s now set to be a major part of Alabama’s secondary, and just maybe its wide receivers room, beginning in the fall of 2026.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
