Kalen DeBoer, Alabama still working to flip an elite DL who committed elsewhere

It was a brilliant summer for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama football on the recruiting trail. The Crimson Tide had a ridiculous run, landing numerous elite prospects. The Crimson Tide sits in the Top 5 of the composite rankings with 21 total commitments.

But that doesn't mean Alabama got everyone they wanted. There were still some misses during the process that prevented DeBoer and company from landing an even more elite crop of prospects.

One of those unfortunate misses was 4-star DL Titan Davis from St. Louis, who ultimately chose Michigan over Alabama back in June. Davis ranks as the No. 106 recruit in the country and the No. 13 overall defensive lineman in the composite. His commitment to the Wolverines has not ended the Tide's pursuit of the blue chipper:

Alabama will continue its pursuit of multiple defensive linemen this fall

It's no secret that Alabama would like to add another defensive lineman in its 2026 class. You can never really have enough depth there, and the Tide missed on a few key targets up front over the summer.

Along with Davis, Alabama finished as the runner-up for KJ Ford (Florida) and Tank Jones (Oregon).

The Tide's current crop of defensive linemen includes Nolan Wilson, Jamarion Matthews, Kamhariyan Johnson, and JJ Finch.

Finding some difference makers on the defensive line was a huge priority in this class. It is a position that Alabama has had some unfortunate recruiting misses and bad evaluations in recent cycles. What used to be a strength of the defense has been a weakness in recent seasons.

That fact didn't help in its pursuit of Davis, in particular, as Michigan was able to point to much more recent success in terms of defensive line development than Alabama could.

Alabama will continue working on flip targets this fall, particularly with guys it made significant pushes for over the summer. But there will be some new names who pop up over the next few months, too, as DeBoer and company look to fill out the remaining few spots in this class.

Some late bloomers have already begun to emerge with impressive senior seasons. This staff has proven adept at identifying under-the-radar prospects.