Prospect Watch- 2026 WRs Who Caught Our Eye

Alabama's 2026 class might be the deepest WR class the state has seen in several years, it's honestly crazy how much talent there is at the position. Today we're looking at some of the WRs who flew under our radar until recently, and man, these guys impressed us a ton!    Last fall, [player_tooltip player_id='1453166' first='Rollie' last='Pinto'] put up one of the most impressive receiving seasons I've seen since I started covering the state a few years back. He was unstoppable out wide for Piedmont and will be a huge problem for defenses across the state next season. Pinto is a threat at every level of the field- he's an excellent route runner, has terrific hands and catch radius, and has the speed and twitch to flat-out embarrass defenders in the open field by creating massive gains after the catch. Pinto is also an extremely tough WR to tackle- he plays through contact extremely well, can shed off tacklers, and will fight for every possible yard before being taken down. Pinto was excellent last year and set a new state record for most receiving yards in a single season, ending the year with 108 catches for 1826 yards. With how well he's played, colleges have started taking notice- a few weeks back Pinto picked up his first offer from North Alabama! Pinto put together some great tape you can watch below- he has some incredible talent and is set up for a huge season this fall.      [player_tooltip player_id='1621619' first='Hunter' last='Purdue'] is a speedy WR out of Hoover who really impressed me with his tape from last season, he made a ton of huge plays out of the slot and shows a ton of potential for their offense this fall. Purdue plays with a ton of speed and twitch- he gains tons of separation off his routes, flies behind defenses, and is a threat once he gets the ball in his hands. Purdue is impressive when targeted- he plays with unreal concentration, securing some really tough passes through coverage/contact by defenders. Purdue also has excellent body control- he adjusts to passes extremely well, high pointing and getting low to the ground to catch passes others wouldn't stand a chance trying to bring in. Purdue made a lot of big plays downfield for his offense last fall, ending the year with 14 receptions for 239 yards and 3 touchdowns. Purdue was excellent last fall and has been picking up collegiate interest this offseason, UT Martin sent an offer his way a few weeks back, and trust me, it won't be the last. Be sure to check out his film below- he's got so much potential!      [player_tooltip player_id='1621627' first='Dadrien' last='Waller'] is a dominant WR out of Guntersville I'm extremely excited to watch play this fall- he shows so much potential and is set up for a huge senior season with how well he played last year. Waller is massive and is a matchup nightmare for DBs across the state- at 6'5 200 he is extremely quick and has great hands, making huge plays all around the field. Waller is a great route runner and has a set of super reliable hands- he makes some terrific catches over the middle of the field, along the sideline, and over the tops of defenders, it's seriously impressive to watch. after the catch, Waller is a monster- with his size and speed, good luck trying to tackle him in the open field. Waller easily requires 2-3 defenders to bring him down, and if they do, he's already racked up plenty of yards before then. Something else that jumped off Waller's tape was his blocking- he dominates smaller DBs and blocks them into the dirt, just another valuable skill he has that makes him a more complete WR. Waller was terrific last season, ending his year with 26 receptions for 700 yards and 6 touchdowns. With how well he's played, Waller has seen his recruitment open up a ton recently- picking up offers from Jacksonville State, UAB, Tulane, and plenty of others. Check out his film below- Waller is seriously talented and will only keep improving!      [player_tooltip player_id='1621639' first='John' last='Austin'] is a really gifted WR out of Williamson who made a ton of huge plays for his team last fall, he left me seriously impressed with his tape and is going to be a must-watch WR next season. Austin has great size and athleticism, he moves really well out wide and is a talented route runner who can gain separation at multiple levels. Austin might have some of the best body control in the state- he consistently puts himself in great position to haul in some absolutely ridiculous catches. It doesn't matter if the ball is off target, Austin will do everything he can to bring it in and make a play. Austin is also a problem in the open field, he has a lot of twitch he uses to make defenders miss and rack up additional yards after the catch, constantly finding ways to create with the ball in his hands. One of the things that impressed me most with Austin's tape was his reliability and production in the redzone- he came away with so many TD grabs last season, consistently beating DBs off of fades, corners, gos, and more- if you name a route, he probably scored off of it. With how well he's played, Austin has had some colleges reach out to him- he picked up offers from Alabama State and Jacksonville State a few weeks back, and it won't be the last. Austin has already put together some great film you can watch below and is set up for a big season this fall, keep an eye on him!      Aundray Vann is an explosive WR out of Beauregard who's coming off a breakout season last fall where he made tons of huge plays against some talented secondaries. Vann is excellent at gaining separation and hauling in the ball- he's quick, runs precise routes, and does a great job extending his hands and not using his body to secure passes. Vann also excels at beating press man- he has a great release off the line of scrimmage and completely burns DBs downfield, coming away with some massive catches. Even when covered, Vann consistently wins one-on-one fights for the ball- he has a strong set of hands he uses to rip the ball away from defenders, it's really impressive to watch. I'm seriously impressed by Vann's ability to gain separation- no matter where he lines up, or where he's headed on the field he finds ways to consistently get wide open for his QB. Vann was huge for Beauregard's passing attack last fall, ending the season with 41 receptions for 651 yards and 10 touchdowns. Vann produced at a high-level last season and teams are starting to take notice- he picked up an offer from Georiga State a few weeks back and is sure to have more on the way soon. Do yourself a favor and watch Vann's tape below, he's got tons of talent and is set up for a huge season this fall!

Alabama's 2026 class might be the deepest WR class the state has seen in several years, it's honestly crazy how much talent there is at the position. Today we're looking at some of the WRs who flew under our radar until recently, and man, these guys impressed us a ton!