Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama staff continued to roll on the recruiting trail this week with yet another 2026 commitment. After landing 4-Star quarterback Jett Thomalla on Tuesday, the Tide added another talented prospect to the class.
3-Star defensive lineman JJ Finch from Indianapolis, Indiana officially committed to the Crimson Tide, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3. He chose Alabama over Miami, Purdue, Tennessee and Michigan.
BREAKING: Class of 2026 DL JJ Finch has Committed to Alabama, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 22, 2025
The 6’2 270 DL from Indianapolis, IN chose the Crimson Tide over Michigan & Tennessee
“#LL3️⃣ #LLTrell ️ Roll Tide 5️⃣L”https://t.co/SESlXDt2oF pic.twitter.com/KXdR2Legbo
Standing at 6-foot-3, 260 lbs., Finch is a big framed defender with the ability to eat up space at the line of scrimmage. He is an excellent run stopper, but is also an effective pass rusher, frequently finding himself in opposing backfields.
As a junior in 2024, Finch finished with 92 total tackles, 24.0 TFL's and seven sacks. Not to mention he also managed to rack up seven pass deflections and two forced fumbles as well.
247Sports' composite ranking lists the Indianapolis native as the No. 50 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 2 player in the state. He joins Jamarion Matthews and Kamhariyan Johnson as the Tide's three front line defenders so far in the class.
With the addition of the Indianapolis native, Alabama now sits at eight commitments in the 2026 class with five of them coming from the defensive side of the ball. The Tide hosted its last group of official visitors this past weekend, welcoming not only more highly rated defenders, but some of the top offensive prospects in the nation as well.
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