When Alabama lost to Florida State in Week 1, Crimson Tide fans were hoping to hit the lottery to pay his buyout. Yet, instead of the season going up in flames, Kalen DeBoer has Alabama at No. 4 in the country and looking like a clear national title contender while some of the program’s biggest rivals self-combust.
DeBoer has a title-caliber team in Year 2, while in Year 4 of the Brian Kelly experiment in Baton Rouge, LSU has waved the $50 million white flag. The Kelly firing won’t just make Alabama’s Week 11 matchup more interesting; it makes now the perfect opportunity to strike for 2027 five-star quarterback Elijah Haven.
Alabama could land a commitment from Elijah Haven at Week 11 gameday visit
Any concern that DeBoer wouldn’t recruit at an elite level at Alabama has been alleviated by his first two years in Tuscaloosa. So now it’s a matter of how high the Crimson Tide’s recruiting classes can climb.
DeBoer doesn’t just put together a comprehensive class; he’s proven to be a successful big-game hunter at the most important position by landing 2025 five-star quarterback Keelon Russell. Now, after adding two four-star QBs in the 2026, he’s after Haven, the No. 1 QB in the 2027 class and a Baton Rouge, Louisiana native.
Haven is scheduled for a gameday visit to Bryant-Denny Stadium when the Tide host the Tigers on November 8, his second visit of the season. Recruiting experts have already logged predictions for Alabama to land a commitment from the 6-foot-5, 215-pound passer, but the Kelly news should help their cause, at least for now.
Haven has shown interest in LSU, Florida, and Georgia. Two of those three programs have fired their head coach this season, and while Kirby Smart isn’t going anywhere, the Bulldogs currently hold a commitment from 2026 five-star Jared Curtis, who appears to be the future of the position in Athens.
Alabama did not add a five-star QB in the 2026 class, and though DeBoer has already added a commitment from 2027 in-state four-star Trent Seaborn, that won’t preclude Haven from joining the program.
While it looks as though the Tide are a shoo-in to land Haven, DeBoer needs to operate with serious urgency because whoever LSU and Florida hire to replace Kelly and Billy Napier could be much bigger threats. LSU doesn’t stay down for long, so Alabama needs to take advantage of its misstep and pluck Haven right from the Tigers’ backyard.