Coach’s Take: “Sky’s the limit” for new Alabama DB commit
In the previous two recruiting cycles, the first commitment for Alabama came from an in-state prospect. With Kalen DeBoer at the helm, that trend continued as his staff landed a pledge from Jackson (Ala.) defensive back Jamarrion “Juice” Gordon on Saturday morning.
Gordon’s commitment comes just over a month after visiting Bama on April 9, a trip that resulted in an offer from the program. New cornerbacks coach Maurice Linguist was the lead recruiter in the Tide’s pursuit of Gordon, who is a member of the Class of 2026 On300. Gordon chose Alabama over a top schools list that had Georgia, LSU, Oregon, and Tennessee, among others.
BamaOnLine has posted stories on Gordon detailing his decision to commit to Bama, as well as On3’s Charles Power’s take on his skill set. His head coach at Jackson High School, Cody Flournoy, spoke with BOL about who Alabama is getting in their first 2026 commitment.
“I’ve been around some of these high-profile kids who are kind of a headache, a primadonna, but that’s not him. He’s a good kid,” Flournoy said of Gordon. “Probably the best thing for him, skill-wise, is his elite recovery. I’ve coached defensive backs for 20 something years in high school, and this kid is never in a bad spot.”
“He’s big and he’s strong. At the high school level, he could easily be a linebacker because of his size,” Flournoy continued. “He started for me at safety as a freshman… I think he’s more of a corner. He’s that bigger corner. Size-wise, he reminds me of Kool-Aid McKinstry because he’s a big, strong kid.”
The 6-foot, 175-pound Gordon can be used at different spots on the field because of the athletic tools in his arsenal.
“Juicy, he can tackle. We can put him in the box, we can put him outside, set the edge,” Flournoy said. “Some teams like to play with a tight end and wing, and we can send him out there and he’ll set the edge for us because he’s just bigger, faster, stronger than a lot of high school athletes.”
Last season, Gordon registered 30 tackles, seven pass break-ups, one interception, a fumble recovery and a sack. One of his most impressive performances came during a three-point loss in the postseason.
“We played him solo corner, locked up on the kid from Booker T. Washington, Marquez Daniel,” Flournoy said. “That kid had one catch for negative yards. The week before, Booker T. Washington beat Hanley High School, and he had six catches for like 200 yards and also three touchdowns. That was a premier matchup [with Gordon] at that point in the year with it being the playoffs and big game implications, and our guy shut him down.”
New Alabama commit comes from a football family
The On3 Industry Rankings currently have Gordon tabbed as a four-star prospect and top-20 cornerback in the Class of 2026. He’ll have a year and a half left of high school left as the plan is to graduate in December ’25 and enroll the following month.
Gordon’s head coach views him as a player with NFL potential.
“I think the sky’s the limit for him,” Flournoy said. “He’s an elite athlete. He also has the right size. He has the right family dynamics. Nothing is going to trip him up at the high school level where he doesn’t make it. He has the support system in place. They know what it takes and what it looks like to get there. Predicting the future, I think he’s a future NFL Draft pick guy.
“He’s got all the work ethic and all the tools,” Flournoy continued. “He just needs to continue perfecting his craft.”
Gordon is a part of a football family, and recently saw one of his cousins be drafted in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.
With multiple family members who play football currently, Flournoy praised Gordon for his approach to the process and not resting on his laurels.
“His cousin is Nehemiah Pritchett, who played at Auburn and got drafted to Seattle. His brother is Jamaal Pritchett, who is at South Alabama and had 1,500 receiving yards for them last year,” Flournoy said. “I say all that to say that he comes from a family that knows and understands and does what it takes. Juicy, what he’s done over the past couple of years is really marketed his skills. He played for Gas Crew out of Montgomery, and just worked on who he was as a player this offseason.
New Alabama Class of 2026 CB commit Jamarrion Gordon. (Photo by Jeremy Johnson.)
“He ran track for us this year, so he’s working on his speed,” Flournoy continued. “He really got in the weight room. Had a good, long build already, but now he’s added some muscle and looks really good.”
Flournoy also told an interesting story about the reaction to players being offered by Alabama versus other schools. He cited Gordon’s Class of 2027 teammate, running back Ezavier Crowell, and how much buzz he received for adding the Bama offer in January despite already having a handful of Power 5 offers.
The incoming sixth-year head coach at Jackson HS talked about the impact of his commitment, as well as the pursuit from Maurice Linguist.
“Down here in Jackson, him committing to Alabama, it means something,” Flournoy said. “Small town here, we’re of Bama and Auburn folks. To get that Bama offer, it still means a lot. Regardless of Saban retiring or not, they’re still going to be good. It means a lot to this community, and everyone here is excited for him.
“Kudos to Bama and their staff because he was looking at LSU and Tennessee, and went down to Miami,” Flournoy continued. “[Coach Linguist] did a good job. He was at the spring game that Thursday night, and Juicy made the decision and told us Friday.”
Keep up with all the Alabama team and recruiting coverage at BamaOnLine.com.
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The post Coach’s Take: “Sky’s the limit” for new Alabama DB commit appeared first on On3.
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