Alabama lands commitment from Washington DL transfer, Birmingham native
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Alabama beefed up its defensive line room for the 2026 season with the commitment of a transfer defensive lineman from Washington who might be familiar to some loyal Crimson Tide fans.
That’s because Caleb Smith, who’s heading from Washington to Alabama, is also heading back to his home state. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder is from Birmingham, so he’s taken the very long route to Tuscaloosa after spending one redshirt season in the Pacific Northwest.
Interestingly, in addition to Smith’s connection to the state of Alabama, there is also the obvious connection between the program Smith is leaving and the program he’s joining. That connection is Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer, who spent 2 seasons as head coach at Washington in 2022 and 2023 before getting the Alabama job in 2024.
Smith took to his own social media on Tuesday afternoon to announce his decision to transfer to Alabama, writing: “1000% COMMITTED ALL GLORY TO GOD COMING HOME!!”
The spiritually driven Smith added a prayer emoji to his social media post.
During Smith’s original recruiting process, he chose Washington over numerous offers from other programs, including Arkansas, as well as SEC rivals Mizzou and Oklahoma.
Now, after one season of watching at Washington, Smith is hoping for a fresh start in the SEC in 2026, in a state he knows very well.
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.
