A disappointing recruiting cycle for Alabama appears to be gearing up for one more slap in the face.
The Crimson Tide's top target throughout this cycle has been 5-star WR Monshun Sales, a native of the Yellowhammer state who grew up a fan and has the nickname "Bama." Last fall, it appeared that Alabama had a significant edge in his recruitment, and with how the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes had gone for Kalen DeBoer, he seemed close to a slam dunk with Alabama prioritizing him.
Fast forward to the spring, and confidence started to wane. But Alabama got right back in the thick of his recruitment with an excellent visit that pulled them into a neck-and-neck battle with Indiana. As his commitment date nears, however, Alabama's hopes appear to be fading. Quickly.
It's been a rough recruiting cycle for the Crimson Tide. The worst in memory for most fans. It is a tremendous leap of faith in a coaching staff that most aren't sold on to take at face value the decision not to spend a ton on this class and focus instead on roster retention.
That's all well and good, but Alabama has still taken big swings in this class that have been tremendous whiffs. Hayden Stepp, Mitchell Turner, Kenneth Simon, and Colt Lumpris, just to name a few.
Sales appears likely to be next.
According to On3's Steve Wiltfong, Alabama is not among the top two teams fighting for Sales anymore:
"Sources have indicated Texas is in the top-two with Indiana"@SWiltfong_ says Texas has made a major push this summer for 5-star WR Monshun Sales 🤘 pic.twitter.com/BOJc0XAJZW
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) July 8, 2026
Recruiting expert believes Indiana and Texas are in the top two for 5-star WR Monshun Sales
For the majority of this recruitment, it appeared that it was an Alabama and Indiana battle. The Hoosiers are the home-state school now for Sales and have the momentum of winning the National Championship on their side.
But Texas has made up a lot of ground, taking full advantage of getting the last official visit with Sales. The 5-star landing in Austin would be the worst-case scenario for Alabama, as DeBoer and the Crimson Tide have taken far too many head-to-head recruiting losses to the Longhorns recently.
Sales' recruitment appears to be another where Alabama is simply coming up short in NIL. Indiana has made him a huge priority and, backed by billionaire booster Mark Cuban, is prepared to put forth a massive offer to keep Sales home.
Texas has one of the biggest checkbooks in the sport, and they'll rarely be outbid by anyone.
Sales is expected to make a decision sometime this month. It does not appear at this time that his decision will be Alabama. His loss will sting. There are no two ways about it. The sting will be lessened by the Crimson Tide's addition of 4-star, Top 50 overall WR Osani Gayles, who is a more than capable class headliner at the position.
But Sales is a guy who seemed like an obvious slam dunk. You can blame DeBoer and this staff for clanking the ball off the back iron on the attempt if you want to, but the reality of Alabama's NIL situation is that they never had the ball to begin with.
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