Alabama’s Junior Day drew a wave of elite talent, with Kalen DeBoer and his staff hosting several 5-star and underclass standouts. He’s keeping the Tide on track for another top-ranked class. But even with 2027 commit Trent Seaborn praising the program’s standard, the real headline appears to be the return of the No. 1 corner in the country, who could put DeBeor at a disadvantage because of his ties with Mike Elko.

Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong reported that 5-star CB John Meredith III was back on campus. The 6’3, 175-pound cornerback out of North Crowley in Fort Worth arrived with his mother, and his visit included extended time with Kalen DeBoer. Meredith also met the other coaching staff members, including Kane Wommack and Maurice Linguist.

John Meredith has already said Alabama sits in his top two alongside Texas A&M, and that hasn’t changed. Texas, Ohio State, Texas Tech, and SMU are involved, too. He previously visited Tuscaloosa in October for the Vanderbilt game, so this wasn’t a first impression. 

John Meredith has already said Alabama sits in his top two alongside Texas A&M, and that hasn’t changed. Texas, Ohio State, Texas Tech, and SMU are involved, too. He previously visited Tuscaloosa in October for the Vanderbilt game, so this wasn’t a first impression. Alabama, for its part, is looking for Meredith to extend its three-year streak of signing a 5-star cornerback, following Zabien Brown, Dijon Lee, and Jorden Edmonds.

The separator between Alabama and Texas A&M right now is the weight room. Both programs took real steps forward in Year 2 under new head coaches in 2025, each reaching the CFP for the first time under Kalen DeBoer and Mike Elko. In College Station, that progress is closely tied to strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt, who returned to college football by joining the Aggies ahead of the 2024 season.

Tommy Moffitt’s backstory is intriguing. After 21 years at LSU and national titles under Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron, he was dismissed during Brian Kelly’s transition. He ended up on the outside for two seasons. Last October, Moffitt stood under the lights at Tiger Stadium again, this time with the Aggies, after a 49-25 win over LSU that extended his team’s unbeaten streak to eight games. QB Marcel Reed admitted they played that game partly for Moffitt. DL DJ Hicks later called him a foundational piece of the program.

That history carries weight in recruiting circles, especially with DBs like John Meredith, who cares deeply about physical development and durability. For Kalen DeBoer, it’s recruiting tension. And right now, Mike Elko’s secret advantage is the man running the room where players get built. However, Alabama’s DB coach, in particular, could play a vital role in helping DeBoer win the race for the CB.

Kalen DeBoer’s only advantage in securing John Meredith

Maurice Linguist is very central to Alabama’s case to land John Meredith. Why? Well, the Tides’ DB coach’s track record over the past two seasons is hard to argue with. Let’s take a look at Zabien Brown, who developed under Linguist. He started every game as a true freshman in 2024 and is already viewed as a 2027 NFL Draft prospect.

Moreover, Maurice Linguist also helped Dijon Lee earn his way into the lineup as a freshman in 2025. He overtook Domani Jackson and started five games while training. John Meredith could be swayed to work under a proven DB coach like Linguist. 

During his visit to Alabama’s campus, Meredith’s interest in performance infrastructure was clear, as he spent time away from position meetings to evaluate the program’s strength and conditioning, nutrition, sports medicine, and academic support systems. He showed great interest in the Tides’ performance infrastructure because strength and conditioning are a big part of the CB’s evaluation process. 

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Under Director of Sports Performance David Ballou, the Tide utilizes data-driven programming with integrated nutrition and sports medicine. Everything is housed in a 37,000-square-foot weight room that was renovated in 2023 with the latest technology. Ballou has worked with 20 first-round picks and more than 80 current NFL players. John Meredith could be the next future NFL player to work with Ballou, but only time will tell. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.