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The Tuscaloosa News
2027 Georgia DB prospect finds home with Alabama football: What he could bring to Tide
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- 2027 Georgia DB prospect finds home with Alabama football: What he could bring to Tide
Alex Ward only needed one hand to secure an Alabama football offer.
The 2027 Marietta, Georgia, defensive back had a torn tendon in his middle finger when he first camped in front of Alabama defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist in June. With a cast on one hand, and at times with that hand behind his back, Ward was still able to make a statement, even recording an interception during one-on-one drills.
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That day was overwhelming, Ward remembered, getting an offer from the college football program he considered as a favorite even before his recruitment started.
"I was very happy, excited," Ward told the Tuscaloosa News. "I cried when I got home."
Months later, Ward was on the sideline at Bryant-Denny Stadium before Alabama faced Mercer , his first gameday experience. It felt like home, he said, and was enough for him to pull Linguist aside and commit to the Crimson Tide 's 2027 class on the spot.
"The opportunity felt like family just accepting me," Ward said.
Ward knows what he is getting into when it comes to Alabama.
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The Crimson Tide plays hard and is filled with "winners" and competitors. he said. Alabama knows how to develop its players, calling the program's main goal to "get everybody to the next level."
None of that is new to Ward. It's the kind of football Ward had always known.
Alex Ward path to Alabama football
Mar 21, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama co-defensive coordinator Maurice Linguist directs players during practice at the University Alabama Thursday.
In the Ward family, college football is a rite of passage.
Alex Ward is the middle child. His oldest brother, Jace, plays linebacker for Jackson State . His older brother, Christian, is going through the recruiting process as a 2026 four-star receiver, holding offers from programs like Alabama, LSU and Georgia.
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Alex Ward, like his brothers, was born with a football placed in his hands by his father, Jasen, who saw a future defensive back and wide receiver almost immediately with the good hands, the quick twitch and a strong, muscular build.
As his son grew, Jasen said, Alex became a student of football, one who studies the tendencies of each player he's assigned to cover.
"I taught him things like, 'Hey, first you got to be the best kid in the neighborhood. Then you got to be the best kid in your area. Then you work your way up to being the best kid in the region and in the country,'" Jasen Ward said. "So that's just been kind of his path and goal, to show everybody that he's the best at what he does, and he's passionate about it. And that God's kind of given him this gift to play football."
By the time Alex Ward came to Walton High School, he oozed maturity, pairing length and athleticism with instinctiveness, IQ and a seriousness many high school football players did not share.
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"A lot of kids that age can't turn it on and turn it off," Walton football recruiting coordinator Monty Bumper said. "He can actually turn it on and turn it off."
Ward learned from the best, calling former NFL Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman his mentor. It was Norman who taught the 2027 prospect how important the mental side of football is, especially as a defensive back.
"Everybody would always think, 'Oh you got to be the fastest, you got to be the strongest' to get somewhere. … It's really mental," Ward said. "It's the mental part of the game because the older you get, everybody (is) going to be fast, everybody (is) going to be strong. So you got to understand the mental part now so you'll be ahead of everybody."
Could Alex Ward be the "best cornerback' in 2027 recruiting class?
Walton football coach Daniel Brunner views Ward as a prospect who is already ahead of everybody.
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As a defensive back, Brunner said Ward doesn't fit the reputation of being a wide receiver who "can't catch."
Ward, who plays both ways at Walton, can turn pass breakups into interceptions, someone Brunner considers as one of the best cover cornerbacks in the country.
"It's nice to have him out there because you know that side of the field can be pretty much eliminated," Brunner said. "He's got a chance to be the best cornerback in the nation in his class. I truly believe that."
Alabama believes that, with its coaches telling Brunner that the "sky's the limit" for a prospect like Ward, someone who is "not even close" to what he could become at the next level.
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For Ward, that development is where Linguist comes in.
"He's a great DB coach," Ward said. "He's just honest with you up front. Not going to lie to you in your face. He's going to push you and just tell you and ask you if you want to get here, what can I do to help you get there?"
That's what football is to Ward: a stage where he can showcase his talent, to show who he is as a person both on and off the field. It's why he chose to commit to Alabama so early, standing on the sideline with Linguist before the Mercer game.
Brunner shares Alabama's excitement for what Ward has been able to do. And Brunner knows what Ward has the capability of doing with two seasons left at Walton.
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"I just hope we can get him as far down this road as we possibly can before he gets to (Alabama)," Brunner said. "Because, if that's the case, he can have a chance to play as a freshman."
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: 2027 Georgia DB prospect finds home with Alabama football
