Alabama sets its sights on overlooked OT recruit and beats Auburn to the punch

The recruiting industry is a funny one, because more often than not, for overlooked high school talent, a star rating follows a big-time offer, not the other way around. The best evaluators in the country are on college staffs, so the industry typically lags behind. And when it’s Alabama extending the offer, so do other Power Conference competitors. 

It’s no surprise that after Alabama offered zero-star 2027 offensive tackle Antonio Keefer, Auburn followed quickly behind. The Memphis, Tennessee, native received both offers on Tuesday night, announcing them just an hour apart. 

Alabama wasn’t the first power conference program to be interested in the 6-foot-5, 295-pound high school junior who holds offers from Ohio State, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia, but an offer from Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan and Kalen DeBoer will almost certainly help boost his industry rating and national interest. 

Kalen DeBoer and Courtney Morgan extend offer to zero-star 2027 OT Antonio Keefer

Under DeBoer and Morgan, Alabama has been a notorious slow starter on the recruiting trail. Both years, they have waited until summer to surge into the top 10 nationally and assemble an elite class. So far in the 2027 cycle, the Tide have just two commits, four-star edge rusher Jabarrius Garror and four-star wide receiver Alexander Ward. 

However, just because the commitments typically take some time, doesn’t mean that DeBoer and Morgan are slow at identifying talent. Their interest in Keefer is the perfect example. He is likely to climb up through the rankings during his junior year and, with his impressive frame from the position, could easily end up as a three or four-star. 

Despite that impending rise, Keefers’ sophomore tape reveals a player who still has plenty of developing to do. He’s physical and uses his sheer size to his advantage, but doesn’t appear comfortable in a pass set at left tackle, which will leave him susceptible to more technically sound rushers. The good news is that he has plenty of time to improve, and Alabama was in on his recruitment relatively early, which tends to be significant come signing day. 

Adding offensive line talent will always be a priority, and Alabama is displaying the value of that this season with a seven-man rotation developing through the first two weeks. Jaeden Roberts, Kam Dewberry, and Geno VanDeMark are all expected to play meaningful snaps at the guard spots while Wilkim Formby and five-star freshman Michael Carroll split reps at right tackle.