The Alabama Crimson Tide are trying to steal a 5-star recruit by using a unique recruiting pitch and it might actually be working

The Alabama Crimson Tide are one of several programs that would love to swipe 2026 five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin from the USC Trojans. 

Griffin, 6-foot-3/200 lbs from Gainesville, GA, committed to USC late last summer. 

Alabama, however, hasn't slowed down in their pursuit of the talented linebacker. Griffin, who is rated by 247Sports as the No. 8 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class, told 247Sports recently that he's solidly committed to the Trojans. 

But a unique recruiting pitch from Alabama -- which focuses on maintaining a relationship with Griffin regardless of where he commits -- has reportedly made a big impression on the five-star recruit. 

"The message from the Alabama coaches to the current USC commit is that they want to coach him to be the best but even if they don’t get to, they want to still be a part of his life and that made a big impact on him," wrote Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney this week. "The four-star linebacker from Gainesville, Ga., remains committed to USC since July but others are definitely coming on strong."

That's a brilliant message from the Alabama coaching staff. Not only does it show that they care about Griffin as a person, but it automatically puts the Crimson Tide in a good position if Griffin signs with USC and then eventually enters the NCAA transfer portal. 

Just because a program misses on a recruit coming out of high school, doesn't mean that the battle is over. Players are essentially making one-year commitments thanks to the transfer portal. So even if the relationship that Alabama is building with Griffin doesn't pay off during the 2026 recruiting cycle, it could still pay off down the road. 

We'll see how the battle with Griffin plays out over the next few months. Alabama, however, is clearly doing everything they can to win this battle -- either now or a couple of seasons down the road.