Eli Lederman
Alabama picked up a top in-state target Wednesday as four-star wide receiver Cederian Morgan announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide.
Morgan, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound pass catcher from Alexander City, Alabama, is ranked No. 47 in the 2026 ESPN 300. He is ESPN’s No. 6 wide receiver prospect and third-ranked recruit from the state of Alabama. Alabama beat Auburn, Colorado, Florida and Georgia to Morgan’s commitment.
He told ESPN that his relationship with Alabama wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard and the second-year assistant’s history of developing top wide receivers alongside Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb steered his commitment to the program.
“I’ve seen what they did at Washington with Coach Grubb, the OC,” Morgan said. “It was a great thing to watch when they were at Washington the way they got it up and down the field; they had multiple 1,000-yard receivers on their team. So I’m just excited to see what kind of offense they have this year. But it’s that staff. What they’ve done in the past is a big part of it for me.”
A three-sport athlete at Benjamin Russell High School, Morgan has 106 receptions for 1,784 yards and 18 touchdowns over his past two varsity seasons. He took official visits with each of his finalists this spring before landing as the fourth-ranked commit in Alabama’s second recruiting cycle under DeBoer, who signed the nation’s fourth-ranked class in 2025.
Morgan, who averaged 14.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in basketball as a junior, told ESPN that he initially planned to pursue college basketball before shifting his focus to football in high school.
With basketball talent and a track and field background as a two-time state qualifier in the high jump, he projects as a physical, big-bodied downfield target capable of carving early playing time at the next level. Morgan flashed his potential in an explosive junior season, when he finished with 70 catches for 1,162 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Morgan stands as the program’s eighth Top 300 commit in 2026, and his pledge continues Alabama’s hot run on the recruiting trail. The Crimson Tide closed June with a flurry of recruiting wins, highlighted by the additions of an ESPN 300 trio in outside linebacker Xavier Griffin (No. 30 overall), running back Ezavier Crowell (No. 31) and tight end Mack Sutter (No. 138) from June 26 to 29.
Morgan lands as a centerpiece commit alongside Crowell, ESPN’s No. 3 running back, in a growing Crimson Tide offensive class.
He joins recent wide receiver pledges Owen Cabell and Brian Williams Jr. as the program’s top-ranked pass catchers in the cycle. Alabama secured a 2026 quarterback last month with a flip of four-star Iowa State quarterback pledge Jett Thomalla, and the program remains in the mix for three-star passer Tayden-Evan Kaawa. Alabama’s flip of Illinois running back pledge Javari Barnett on June 23 marked another recent addition to the program’s skill position class.
Morgan’s commitment kicks off a week of significant expected developments atop the 2026 wide receiver class.
Pass catchers Ethan Feaster (July 4), Calvin Russell (July 5) and Salesi Moa (July 5) — three of ESPN’s top five wide receivers in 2026 — are expected to announce their pledges this week. ESPN 300 pass catchers Travis Johnson and Kaydon Finley — the son of former Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley — are also among those expected to make decisions in the coming days.
