Gainesville (Ga.) five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin was a longtime member of USC’s 2026 recruiting class before backing off his pledge to the Trojans on May 14. Two weeks after his decision, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound recruit announced that he would commit on June 29 and choose between Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and Texas.

Each of the four aforementioned programs received official visits from Griffin. After concluding these trips, he knew where he wanted to play college football and that school was revealed this afternoon. Alabama has landed the commitment of Griffin and he is the newest member of the Crimson Tide’s 2026 class.

“What stood out to me about Alabama was the brotherhood that the players and the recruits have,” Griffin told Rivals. “It was unmatched for me. I felt like I was already part of the team when I was there. I didn’t feel like I was on a recruiting visit. The recruits, the ones that were already committed and already there, made us feel at home. There were some people I didn’t know when I went there and I left feeling like I had known them for a while.”

Griffin’s player host on his official visit to Alabama was defensive back Ivan Taylor and he also spent time with linebacker Justin Hill, who he is “pretty close” to. The Crimson Tide were a program that has had the attention of the five-star for a long time. Now, he is set to suit up for them in Bryant-Denny Stadium in the coming years.

“… The feeling that I had there, it was unmatched,” Griffin said. “I didn’t feel like that anywhere else.”

Griffin is looking forward to playing for head coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff. One of the coaches that had a key role in his decision was outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson.

“He had a big part in it because he was probably the most consistent coach with me,” Griffin said. “He’s not a person that’s going to bother you all the time, but at the same time, he’s going to call you at least once a week and check in. My connection with coach Robinson always felt genuine. It doesn’t feel like he has to call you or he’s calling everybody else too. It felt really genuine and he stayed consistent.”

Griffin shared that his decision “feels great” and he knows that a lot of people around him are going to be “so excited” that he’s spending his college football career in Tuscaloosa. Some of his family, along with friends that he grew up with, still live in Alabama.

“It’s so exciting because growing up, I always wanted to play there,” Griffin said. “I have a picture of me in the Alabama uniform when I was little. Growing up in the state, knowing the tradition, the guys that they put in the league and the championships they’ve won, there’s no way you wouldn’t want to be a part of that.”