Top-25 overall recruit Qayden Samuels commits to Alabama

High four-star prospect Qayden Samuels has committed to Alabama, a source told Rivals.

The 6-foot-6 senior out of Bishop McNamara (MD) ultimately chose the Crimson Tide over Georgetown, but received offers from the likes of UConn, Kentucky, North Carolina and others.

According to his mother, Samuels has signed with Alabama. The Early Signing Period was in November, meaning the paperwork has been official with the Tide for over two months.

Samuels is the No. 23 overall ranked player in the 2026 class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He’s also the No. 9 ranked small forward and the No. 2 player in Maryland.

Samuels becomes Alabama’s second commitment this cycle, joining four-star SF Tarris Bouie (No. 46 NATL).

This summer, Samuels led the NBPA Top-100 Camp in scoring, averaging 26.4 points a game, while adding 9.8 rebounds per outing. 

Qayden Samuels commits to Alabama: What Nate Oats is getting with the four-star forward

More on Qayden Samuels

Rivals’ Jamie Shaw evaluated Samuels at EYBL Peach Jam and had this to say about him:

Qayden Samuels is wired to score the basketball, however, throughout Peach Jam his efficiency numbers struggled a bit. Samuels averaged 20.0 points in his five games but he shot 40.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three. He also took 16.2 shots to get his 20.0 average. What Samuels did do well in this setting was rebound the basketball as he finished the week with three double doubles in five games. He finished with 9 assists to 15 turnovers and was a 0 or negative +/- in three of his five games. Tightening things up will be next steps for him, but he scored the ball confidently and he finished the week strong.