2026 Alabama Fall Football Preview: Cornerbacks
· Yahoo Sports
Like with the safeties, Alabama returns their primary starters from a cornerback position group that led one of the top rated passing defenses in the country last year. While there are plenty of valid questions across much of this team, the secondary is the position group that played pretty much lights out all last season, and they return with another year of experience in 2026.
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If you missed it in our safety article last week, we did include the “husky” (slot corner, AKA Star) position with the safeties rather than the corners. Still, there are a handful of players in the cornerback group who can/are cross-training with the Husky group and could wind up there throughout the season. So this is really just my best guess.
Departed
Alabama was hit with only two losses from last season’s admittedly thin depth chart. Domani Jackson graduated and is off to the NFL. He stepped in admirably in 2024 when the Tide was breaking in an entire new secondary after Nick Saban’s departure, but ultimately found himself supplanted by the emerging Dijon Lee in 2025. Still, Jackson has the frame and athleticism to hang around the NFL, and we all wish him the best.
The other loss was serial transfer portaler, Cam Calhoun. He couldn’t break into the depth chart at Alabama after coming over from Utah, and now he’s at Ohio State.
The Stars
#2 Zabien Brown (Jr) 6’0” 196
Brown is a guy who has a very real argument at being considered the best player on Alabama’s roster. He stepped up as a true freshman in 2024, and just went out and made a game-saving interception in the endzone to beat Georgia. In 2025, he became a stalwart presence, and yet again made a name for himself in the biggest moment with a 100-yard interception return vs. Tennessee. Brown’s about as lockdown as they come, savvy at making plays on the ball, and is very likely to be named a team captain and likely to be a 1st round NFL draft pick next spring.
#5 Dijon Lee (So) 6’4” 202
A year ago, the towering 5-star freshman was making headlines in fall camp, and then got subbed into the game against Florida State. Unfortunately, his very first college snap was getting toasted for a deep touchdown.
After that moment, though, Lee showed rapid improvement each and every week, eventually wrestling the starting job away from Domani Jackson, due primarily to his tackling prowess and effectiveness in perimeter run support, ultimately getting himself named a Freshman All-American. With Lee’s unique size, athleticism, reported work ethic, and progression trajectory, year two could very well look like him taking a leap from a promising freshman to a superstar.
Returning Depth
#19 Chuck McDonald (RFr) 6’1” 199
McDonald was a non-factor last year as he took a redshirt, and thus far he’s someone that we haven’t seen his name really get mentioned all offseason. He’s a Mater Dei high school guy, following one season behind Zabien Brown, so he’s definitely got the high-level experience. To this point, though, he’s likely to remain a depth piece.
Incoming Players
#28 Carmelo O’Neal (Jr) 6’4” 210
If you’ve listened much this offseason, there are few players that DC Kane Wommack has sounded more excited about. O’Neal transferred over from Mercer as a guy with insane length and speed. He’s an elite and unique athlete who Wommack is envisioning as a the kind of player that shrinks an entire sideline with his range. Obviously, making the jump from Mercer to Alabama is a jump that may never work… But O’Neal’s size was something worth taking a flier on.
#29 Nick Sherman (Jr) 6’3” 201
I think Wommack has a type. Tall and long. Sherman is a Tuscaloosa native who is a JUCO transfer that played wide receiver all through high school and his first year in JUCO before swapping to defense last season and playing quite well with it. Like with O’Neal, he’s a depth player with upside due to his size and recent conversion to defense.
#17 Zyan Gibson (Fr) 6’0 195
Gibson is an in-state recruit out of Gadsden with elite track speed (a blistering 10.53 100m dash). He’s the kind of athlete that is likely to make his mark on special teams first and will be looked at as a long-term guy in the secondary.
#16 Jorden Edmonds (Fr) 6’3 190
Yeah, Wommack definitely has a type. The Georgia native was a 5-star prospect with NFL bloodlines, and was name dropped quite a few times for standing out during spring practices this year. Between his height, pedigree, and talent, this is the kind of player that will be doing his best to force the coaches to find a way to put him on the field.
Predicted Depth Chart
The top two are easy, this is Zabien Brown and Dijon Lee’s secondary.
Past that is what is going to be interesting. Chuck McDonald has an extra year of experience, but as far as players we’ve heard about this offseason, my guess is that the 2nd team winds up getting settled with Carmelo O’Neal and Jorden Edmonds. Don’t be surprised if Wommack looks to get both of those guys involved for a few plays in most games. The others, I think will be scarcely seen outside of special teams (and don’t be surprised if Gibson is in the running for a return man).