"Kalen DeBoer gets who he wants": Alabama fans thrilled over elite five-star LB Xavier Griffin's major career announcement for 2026

The Alabama Crimson Tide has made another strong move for their 2026 intake. On Sunday, it was announced that five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin has committed to the Crimson Tide.

Here is how college football fans responded on social media.

These fans were happy that Alabama brought in a top-ranked prospect.

"DEBOER GETS WHO HE WANTS." said this fan "Good pick for Alabama." said another fan. "Welcome to the Tide! RTR!🙌", said a third fan. "Super pumped!! Can’t wait to see him in crimson on Saturdays. Roll Tide." said this fan.

Other fans brought up the fact that the Texas Longhorns missed out on Griffin.

"Seriously though what’s going on in Texas?" said this fan. "Texas stuffed in locker again." said another fan. "Get in that locker Sark. You can’t buy everyone!!" said a third fan. "My god, I’m kind of starting to feel bad for Sark because of how much he’s getting stuffed in a locker by so many different coaches. Elko, Kirby, now DeBoer." said this fan.

Some fans have addressed the prior criticism of Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer in that he struggles to recruit from the southern states.

"But deboer can’t recruit they said." said this fan. "This can’t be I was told Deboer couldn’t recruit the south." said another fan.

Finally, these fans think the wrong decision was made by the player.

"not a smart decision young man." said this fan. "Terrible decision young man." said another fan.

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How can Xavier Griffin help Alabama?

Xavier Griffin is a five-star-rated linebacker from the state of Georgia. According to 247sports, he is the eighth-best player in the 2026 class and is the best linebacker available, as well as being the best player available from the Peach State.

He is playing high school football for Gainesville HS, where he made 43 tackles and six sacks in what was an injury-affected 2024 season. A fully healthy 2025 will see an improvement in these numbers.

This is a massive steal for Alabama, who has gotten a top player who could have easily stayed in state to play for rivals, Georgia. He will be a strong addition to the Alabama defense in the coming years. Alabama's defense is already seen as one of the best in college football. The future addition of Xavier Griffin to the lineup could turn it into the best and a force to strike fear into the minds of opposition offenses for years to come.

Edited by Dipayan Moitra