Alabama football received an early recruiting gift on Christmas Eve, when in-state cornerback Zyan Gibson committed to the Crimson Tide. Gibson, who plays his high school football at Gadsden City, announced he’ll be joining the 2026 class on Tuesday.

During the ceremony announcing the signing, Gibson first donned the Alabama hat, then removed it and placed a Tennessee cap on his head. Then, he opened a box to the side the stage, which released UA-branded balloons, before returning to the stage and putting the Alabama hat back on.

“Roll Tide,” Gibson said to close the ceremony.

The 247Sports composite rankings tab Gibson as a four-star prospect. The ratings place him as the No. 7 cornerback in the 2026 class, No. 72 overall player and the No. 4 prospect in Alabama.

With Vodney Cleveland decommitting earlier in December, Gibson became the lone player committed to Alabama for the 2026 class. He chose the Crimson Tide over a final four that also included Auburn, Tennessee and Miami.

The 6-foot-1, 174-pound Gibson was high school teammates with current Alabama defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., whose father, Dre Kirkpatrick Sr., played in the NFL after his own Crimson Tide career. Gibson and the Titans finished the 2024 season 6-4, and fell to Clay-Chalkville in the playoffs.

Alabama just wrapped up its 2025 recruiting class, Kalen DeBoer’s first full cycle as the Crimson Tide’s head coach. DeBoer’s initial effort was fairly successful, ranking as the No. 2 class nationally, beyond only Texas according to the 247 composite.

Some of the players from that class will join the Tide for practices leading up to UA’s final game of the 2024 season. Alabama is set to play in the Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa.

The matchup with Michigan is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CT that day, at Raymond James Stadium. It will be aired on ESPN.