Alabama Misses Out on 4-Star LB to Ohio State

He made stops this summer at each of his finalists for official visits, starting with a trip to Happy Valley on May 16, before heading to Tuscaloosa on the May 30. Johnson wrapped up his visits with a trip to Ohio State on June 13.

Standing at 6-foot-3, 240 lbs., Johnson is ranked by On3 as the No. 4 linebacker in the nation and the No. 2 player in Ohio. He is extremely versatile as a defender with the ability to line up across multiple positions and take on several different roles.

While missing out on a player of Johnson's caliber is certainly not ideal, DeBoer and the staff have been in heavy pursuit of other top linebacker targets in the class as well such as 5-Star Xavier Griffin, 4-Star Anthony Jones and more.

As of now, the Tide holds seven commitments in the 2026 class, and is still expected to host a massive crop of 13 official visitors this weekend, starting June 20. Several of the top names from the upcoming class will be in Tuscaloosa as DeBoer and his staff look to continue building on what has been a strong summer so far.

Upcoming Official Visitors

June 19-21

• 5-Star WR Cederian Morgan
• 5-Star RB Ezavier Crowell
• 4-Star CB Elbert Hill - Committed to USC on 05/02/2025
• 4-Star TE Mack Sutter
• 4-Star S Lasiah Jackson - Was in Tuscaloosa for Feb. 1 Junior Day
• 4-Star DL Emmanuel Ruffin - Was in Tuscaloosa for Feb. 1 Junior Day
• 4-Star LB Anthony Davis, Jr. - Was in Tuscaloosa for April 25th A-Day practice
• 3-Star RB Javari Barnett - Committed to Illinois on 04/06/2025
• 3-Star OT Mitchell Smith - Named Alabama as a finalist on 05/28/2025
• 3-Star RB Ryan Estrada
• 3-Star OL Zykie Helton - Named Alabama as a finalist on 05/09/2025

Check out our Alabama football official visitor tracker for the full list of official visitors.

2026 Football Commits

1. CB Zyan Gibson, 5-foot-11, 177 lbs. - Gadsden, Alabama (Committed 12/24/2024)
2. CB Jorden Edmonds, 6-foot-2, 175 lbs. - Marietta, Georgia (Committed 03/26/2025)
3. EDGE Jamarion Matthews, 6-foot-2, 240 lbs. - Gainesville, Georgia (Committed 02/21/2025)
4. EDGE Kamhariyan Johnson, 6-foot-4, 260 lbs. - Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Committed 04/12/2025)
5. OL Chris Booker, 6-foot-4, 285 lbs. - Atlanta, Georgia (Committed 02/20/2025)
6. OL Sam Utu, 6-foot-4, 320 lbs. - Orange, California (Committed 06/09/2025)
7. QB Jett Thomalla, 6-foot-3, 205 lbs. - Omaha, Nebraska (Committed 06/17/2025)

Check out the Alabama football recruiting tracker to stay up to date with the 2026 class and beyond.

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