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Alabama enters prime position to pluck elite prospect out of SEC rivals' backyard with latest announcement

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Ian Valentino | Last updated May 23, 2025 9:30 AM ET

The Alabama Crimson Tide not only want to bring a top-end talent to Tuscaloosa in 2026, but part of winning recruiting battles is keeping those prospects away from rivals. One of the hottest defensive line recruits on the market just announced the five teams he's down to, and Alabama is in the mix.

Four-star defensive end Nolan Wilson, from Picayune, Mississippi, is the third-ranked player at his position. He's shown a lot of love for Florida, but the Tide are favored in On3's recruiting predictor metric.

On3's Hayes Fawcett first reported Wilson's final five.

NEWS: Elite 2026 DL Nolan Wilson is down to 5 Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’4 252 DL from Picayune, MS is ranked as the No. 3 DL in the ‘26 Class (per On3)

Where Should He Go? ⬇️https://t.co/esoKdW9LFW pic.twitter.com/FZr0rVolHz
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 22, 2025

Head coach Kalen DeBoer is also trending positively on two offensive prospects, so Wilson would be a cherry on top. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder is explosive and has terrific length.

There's a lot of Dallas Turner to his game, making him remarkably easy to project into Alabama's situation. He'll be on campus May 30, marking the third time he's visited.

Kamhariyan Johnson is the other defensive lineman in Alabama's class who has committed to DeBoer.

Last year, Wilson visited Alabama, LSU, USC, UCLA, Tennessee, and Auburn. He kept things honest, saying, "I like to go to different places and see new schools."

We'll see which programs he's just using for visits and which ones he's seriously considering soon enough.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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