5-Star LB Xavier Griffin Commits to Alabama Over OSU, More After USC Decommitment

Five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin is heading to Alabama after backtracking on his initial commitment to USC.

Griffin ranks second at his position and 27th overall in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2026 class.

The Gainesville, Georgia, native first pledged his future to USC and head coach Lincoln Riley in July 2024. In May, he decided to reopen his recruitment and explore his options.

ESPN's Eli Lederman reported Edwards wanted to take official visits to other schools, which "went against USC's policy against committed prospects taking official trips to other campuses." Because of that, a return to the Trojans was out of the question.

In eight games as a junior in 2024, Griffin totaled 43 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and six sacks. 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins compared him to former Alabama standout and 2025 first-round pick Jihaad Campbell.

"Multi-faceted defender with a top-flight testing profile that should offer both on- and off-ball linebacker as he can rush the passer and stack against the run while also dropping back into coverage," Ivins wrote. "Lanky and lean at this stage, but should undergo a major physical transformation in the coming years as he's on the younger side for the grade and equipped with larger features."

There's still a lot of work ahead for Kalen DeBoer to finalize his 2026 class. Griffin's circular journey to this point is an example of how quickly things can evolve on the recruiting trail.

In this case, USC's loss is Alabama's gain.

While the Tide went 9-4 in Kalen DeBoer's first year in charge, they had to be encouraged by the fact he and his staff put together the third-best class in 247Sports' 2025 composite team rankings.

DeBoer has a long, long way to go to match Nick Saban's record and he'll almost certainly never get there. But he is at least continuing the success Alabama consistently had in recruiting with Saban at the helm.