If you have not heard the name Owen Cabell, perk your ears up. This 3-star wide receiver has potential to be a breakout star. He could be this year’s Keelon Russell or Josh Jacobs in that he came out of near anonymity just to explode into the college football world’s consciousness.
Cabell’s recruitment started roughly two years ago when he was camping at various school campuses and getting those “soft” offers. He entered the 247sports rankings as a 3-star and somewhere around the 1140th best overall. On3 and Rivals agreed that he was a middle to low 3-star. ESPN apparently does not know this young man exists.
A little over a year ago, Illinois swooped in and started a year long courtship. Other offers rolled in – teams like WKU, BC, Indiana, Duke, and hometown Vanderbilt. This summer, he scheduled Official Visits to Vandy, Wisconsin, Indy, and Duke.
In late May, Cabell was invited to Tuscaloosa in the first weekend of June for a private workout. Receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard led a session that did more than just raise eyebrows.
At 6-2.5/201 to move like that, it should surprise nobody that the Nashville, TN native was offered by Alabama on the spot.
By the time of his Tuscaloosa workout, Cabell had already taken an Official Visit to Vanderbilt. That next weekend, he was in Champaign and he kept his date with the Hoosiers as well, but Alabama was still on his mind. The other OVs were put on hold as he set up a return to Tuscaloosa in an official capacity on June 20.
I think that 2026 3 ⭐️ WR Owen Cabell (@Owen_Cabell) takes the with these official visit pics.
Cabell is a 6-foot-3, 201-pound playmaker out of Nashville, Tennessee.
Which pic is your favorite? pic.twitter.com/piwv0ks20B
— Brody Smoot (@BrodySmoot) June 22, 2025
The Crimson Tide rolled out the red carpet for Cabell and his family. Those other OVs were not rescheduled.
As you saw above, Cabell ran a 4.4 in the 40. He also ran 10.76 seconds in 100 meters for his track team in May. In 12 games played during his junior season, he amassed 43 receptions for 973 yards at 22.6 yards/catch, and had 1204 all-purpose yards. He recorded 14 total touchdowns for the year en route to his team’s second consecutive state championship.
Cabell picked Alabama over Illinois with Vandy in a distant third. JaMarcus Shephard gets the credit for this whirlwind romance.
Of note, Owen lost that 100 meter race by 0.01 second. The winner? Owen’s younger brother, Gabriel Cabell, who is a 6’3” wide receiver in the 2028 class. #BOGO?
UPCOMING ANNOUNCEMENTS
July 1: Brian Williams (5:30/6:30) – This WR from metro Orlando, Florida may be a 3-star, but he has some big-time offers. He is down to Bama, Florida, Notre Dame and Penn State.
July 2: Cederian Morgan (12pm/1pm) – 5-star WR from Alexander City, AL. 6-4/210 with 70 catches for 1,162 yards (16.6 YPC) and 14 TD last fall. It’s looking like an Alabama-Auburn rock fight with UGA and the Gators as runner-ups.
July 4: Nolan Wilson (time TBA), 4-star DL from Picayune, MS – It’s a tight race for the signature of this 6-4/240 Edge/Bandit prospect. OM, Aub, Mia, Fla, So Cal are the other finalists.
July 5: Jireh Edwards (time TBA), 5-star safety from St. Frances in Baltimore (5pm/6pm) – canceled his remaining official visits to Texas A&M and Oregon after visiting Alabama on June 6-8. 6-2/205, 92 tackles (17 TFLs), 6 PBUs and 3 FFs in 2024.
