Where the top 2025 recruits in Alabama signed this cycle

The state of Alabama was again loaded with top recruits in 2025, headlined by one of the nation’s top defensive prospects.

In total, seven players from the Yellowhammer State ranked among the nation’s top 100 in the On3 Industry Ranking. And 16 overall check in as blue-chip (four- or five-star) recruits. The state is undoubtedly a breeding ground for elite talent, and schools across the nation recruit it hard.

Below are where the top 10 prospects in Alabama signed this cycle:

1. CB Na’eem Offord – Oregon

School: Parker
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 12

Scouting Summary: “Twitchy, coordinated, physical three-phase playmaker who projects as one of the top defensive back prospects in the 2025 cycle. Checked in at 6-foot-1.25, 181-pounds with 31.5-inch arms at the On3 Elite Series prior to his senior season. Registered as one of the top athletes on the spring camp circuit prior to his junior season. A three-phase playmaker on Friday nights, making plays as a corner, return man and offense as a receiver and ball carrier. Flashes instincts and ball skills at corner. Effective at triggering and jumping passes to make plays on the ball. Very loose in his lower body, making for high-level change of direction. Excellent ball tracker as a defensive back, showing the ability to locate the football over his shoulder. Closes quickly as a tackler in the flats.

… Arguably the most physical top cornerback prospect in the 2025 cycle, driving through ball carriers on contact. Has a playmaking element to his game, which can be seen as a punt returner, taking back multiple punts for touchdowns as a junior. Has outstanding balance with the ball in his hands. Turned in a strong junior season, picking off five passes and scoring 12 total touchdowns, scoring five different ways. Speed is good, but not elite at the position, so will need to continue improving his top gear. Posted an 11.09 second time in the 100 meters and went 21.97 in the 200 meters as a junior. Pure football player who should continue improving with more time spent focused on working as a defensive back.”

2. EDGE Jared Smith – Auburn

School: Thompson
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 38

Scout’s Take: “The Alabama team sports a loaded defensive front with multiple blue-chip, Power 4 signees. No player on the front made more plays behind the line of scrimmage at the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game than Jared Smith. The Auburn signee was highly active off the edge. The 6-foot-6.5, 235-pounder used his plus length to create issues at the point of attack for opposing offensive linemen. The combination of length and quickness allowed him to close distance quickly. Smith particularly stood out in tracking down plays from the backside. On a defensive front that consistently overmatched the Alabama offensive line, the Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson standout created the most disruption.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings

3. SAF Anquon Fegans – Auburn

School: Thompson
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 63

Analyst’s Take: “Fegans has a ton of length for a guy who is around 6-foot tall. He is able to high-point the ball, get off the ground in a hurry, and creat turnovers at a high rate. There are very few safeties with game-changing ability in college football. Fegans has that ability. He can make plays that change the outcome of the game. He is always lurking to pick the ball off and has a high success rate in doing so. Fegans fits Auburn at either safety spot. He can play in the field or on the boundary. In college, he might be better served playing on the boundary as he is excellent at jumping in passing lanes and disrupting the ball in the air.” — Cole Pinkston, AuburnLive.com

4. SAF Eric Winters – Auburn

School: Enterprise
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 79

Analyst’s Take: Winters was masterful from a football IQ standpoint as he is every time we see him no matter the setting. The things that Winters did that will not show up on the stat sheet were advanced. One of the more advanced skills Winters displayed was collisioning the routes off of the line of scrimmage. He was not playing bump-and-run coverage, but rather out in space collisioning routes. There are players in college who have not figured out this concept. It kept the opposing quarterback from trying intermediate and deep routes on Winters’ side. — Cole Pinkston, AuburnLive.com

5. ATH Derick Smith – Auburn

School: Southside
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 85

Scouting Summary: “Hyper physical two-way playmaker who is a truly dominant player on Friday nights. Measured in at between 6-feet and 6-foot-1 and around 185 pounds as a junior. Stars as a wide receiver and safety for his high school program. Shows an elite combination of effort and physicality on both sides of the ball. Dominates at the small school level like you’d hope from a national prospect. Caught 46 passes for 1,487 yards (32.3 yards per catch) and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 1,036 yards and nine scores at 15.9 yards per carry as a junior. Tallied 74 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Has a play personality ideally suited for defense. Flies around the field in pursuit with the motor running hot.

… Runs through ball carriers on contact. Highly effective as a blitzer off the edge. Played more of a free safety role as a sophomore and showed his range, coming down with a high interception total. Primarily used in the short passing game as a receiver with most of his targets coming with 10 yards from the line of scrimmage. Dangerous with the ball in his hands. Picks up most of his yardage after the catch. Good vision in the open field and bounces off of contact. Shows the capability to elevate and high-point. A multi-sport athlete, playing basketball, baseball and running track. Will need to hone his technical ability if he ends up as a full-time receiver, specifically his route-running and catching technique. True top end speed is a lingering question as he has yet to crack 12.0 seconds in the 100 meters. Capable of being an impact player on both sides of the ball with his physicality, effort level and ball skills coming as an ideal projection at safety.”

6. DL Malik Autry – Auburn

School: Opelika
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 87

Scout’s Take: “Malik Autry is the most physically imposing defensive lineman for the Alabama team at the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. The 6-foot-5.5, 320-pounder had some dominant moments over the first two practices. Autry was disruptive when he timed up his get-off and stayed low. The Auburn signee played multiple spots along the front, particularly shining as an interior pass rusher. He will need to continue improving the consistency on a snap-to-snap basis, but the upside was on display in Mobile.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings

7. EDGE Zion Grady – Ohio State

School: Enterprise
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 91

Scout’s Take: “Zion Grady showed the best bend among pass rushers at Alabama-Mississippi practice. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder is a flexible athlete with a natural understanding of leverage and angles. He also appears to be ahead of the curve from a technical standpoint. Grady was a standout in 1-on-1’s, using his bend and quick hands to give offensive linemen issues. The prolific high school pass rusher should see a spike in his development once in the Buckeyes’ strength and conditioning program.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings

8. RB Alvin Henderson – Auburn

School: Elba
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 126

Scout’s Take: “Alvin Henderson is a historic high school running back in the state of Alabama. Completely dominates the level of competition and has already rewritten the state and national record books. He’s a tough, durable runner, plays with good vision, has natural instincts, breaks tackles at a high level and is a complete workhorse. He takes on a big load but has also consistently run for over 10 yards a carry while being his high school’s entire offense throughout his career.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings

9. LB Jakaleb Faulk – Auburn

School: Highland Home
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 130

Scout’s Take: “Jakaleb Faulk might get the nod as the ‘first off the bus’ prospect in Mobile. Relative to their respective position, no prospect on hand is more well-built than the Auburn signee. Faulk is a rock-solid 6-foot-3.5, 230 pounds with very long arms. He lined up all over the front seven for Alabama, working as an off-ball linebacker and rushing off the edge. The body type and versatility gives Faulk multiple avenues to success on The Plains.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings

10. DL Antonio Coleman – Auburn

School: Saraland
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 161

Scout’s Take: “Coleman is one of four Auburn signees along the defensive line for the Alabama team. Alabama-Mississippi was our first opportunity to see the Saraland (Ala.) High product in person. Coleman looks like the quickest defensive lineman in practices. He’s a cat-quick mover with an outstanding first step – something that consistently shows up on his high school film. Coleman was active throughout practice, particularly during inside drills. He looks to be around 6-foot-1 and in the 250-260 pound range. It goes without saying that he’ll need to add mass and strength once he gets to Auburn. With that said, the get-off and ability to shoot gaps was impressive.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings