Make no mistake about it: relationships still matter a great deal in recruiting. Alabama has proven that many times over, winning numerous recruiting battles under Kalen DeBoer despite not being the highest offer for a particular prospect.
But money certainly talks, and while Alabama continues to recruit as well as any program in the country, Tide fans often grow frustrated when the Crimson Tide misses on some high-end targets each cycle. Most notably, Alabama football fans were frustrated by the Tide missing on Auburn transfer WR Cam Coleman and losing RB commit Hollywood Smothers to Texas.
But Alabama has a budget with its roster, and they aren't going to blow it on one player. For instance, they aren't going to pay Coleman significantly more than Ryan Coleman-Williams makes and invite any tension to the locker room.
Your mileage may vary on Alabama's strategy. Only time will tell if it's the correct one or not. But DeBoer and GM Courtney Morgan have a vision that they aren't going to deviate from.
That vision has led to some uncomfortable conversations.
Courtney Morgan details Alabama cancelling an elite recruit's official visit
In a recent article on ESPN by Eli Lederman, the Crimson Tide's GM is quoted about Alabama cancelling an elite recruit's official visit in the last recruiting cycle over a major difference in contract discussions.
"If we can't come to an agreement, you just don't bring them for an OV -- we'll cancel the kid's visit," Morgan said. "There was a big-time player last year, top of his position, we just told him don't come because we couldn't meet on the terms he wanted."
The player Morgan's talking about wasn't revealed, but it doesn't take much of a leap to connect the dots to 5-star WR Tristen Keys, a one-time LSU commit who ended up at Tennessee. There was mutual interest throughout the process between Keys and Alabama, but he reported in June of last year that Alabama pulled the plug on his visit. Now we know why.
Keys is another example of Alabama not overspending on any individual player. The Tide coveted Keys, but also coveted in-state star Cederian Morgan, who already looks like a difference-maker as a true freshman. Alabama wasn't going to alienate Morgan to land Keys.
Alabama fans would be wise to remember that when it comes to the recruitment of some of the top prospects in the 2027 class, namely 5-star WR Monshun Sales. The Crimson Tide covets Sales, but if it's purely an NIL recruitment, he's going to end up elsewhere.
This staff will pay a fair market price, but they aren't going to get involved in a bidding war for anyone. Even prospects like Sales who are can't miss, generational types.
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