Alabama in the early running for highly coveted 2027 five-star OT

Kalen DeBoer is two-for-two, and those who doubted his ability to recruit at an elite level in the SEC have been proven dead wrong. An early summer surge thrust Alabama’s 2026 class into the top 5 in the country after his inaugural recruiting class with the Tide finished at No. 3. 

So, while the 2026 recruiting cycle is far from over, there are already high hopes for the group that DeBoer and his staff in Tuscaloosa will be able to assemble for 2027. The Tide already have two commits in the class, have set their sights on the No. 1 QB in the country, and are emerging as an early front-runner for one of the country’s top offensive tackles, five-star Mark Matthews. 

Mark Matthews showing early interest in the Crimson Tide for 2027 commitment

Now, as a team grabbing Matthews’ attention early in the process, Alabama isn’t exactly in rarefied air. As Steve Wiltfong of Rivals reported, the Tide are one of 12 teams that have stood out for the 6-foot-6, 270-pound high school junior. Still, it certainly isn’t a bad thing to be in the mix for the St. Thomas Aquinas High School product. 

The interest also reveals what DeBoer and general manager Courtney Morgan’s strategy for the 2027 recruiting cycle will be, and it appears to mirror the success they had the first time around in Tuscaloosa. 

Alabama’s 2025 class was headlined by a five-star quarterback, Keelon Russell, the No. 2 QB and player in the country, and a five-star offensive lineman, Michael Carroll. Early on the trail for 2027, Alabama has shown interest in Elijah Haven, the nation’s top passer, and Mitchell, the No. 2 offensive tackle in the class according to 247Sports Composite. A pairing like that is not a bad way to construct a class. 

So far, Alabama’s 2027 class has yet to address either position, but DeBoer and Morgan have added commits at two of the other most valuable spots on the roster, edge rusher and wide receiver. Their lone commits in 2027 are four-star edge Jabarrius Garror and four-star wide receiver Alexander Ward. 

If they can parlay this early interest with Haven and Mitchell into eventual commits, that’s the bones of an elite class and sensible roster construction with investment in the most important positions. 

Alabama is a long way from landing the plane with Matthews, and Haven, for that matter, but as the 2027 cycle heats up into fall visits, early interest is the best way to get elite recruits to campus.