I agree that OP will get in to UMD, in state, for English (they have a well respected pol sci major too). UMD would be an excellent, affordable choice for OP. Not that OP mentioned it’s important, but UMD also has a very large Jewish student population (about 20%)
I don’t see any reason for them to apply to Alabama
A couple of points regarding this: admission to honors is holistic, and I’ve seen kids with top notch GPA and test score not be invited. So it’s hard to predict honors at UMD.
Second, it’s either-or between Honors and Scholars. While UMD doesn’t publish their decision criteria, in my observation Scholars seems to be offered to kids who have engaged in community service or research.