Kalen DeBoer and Alabama ditched by 2027 5-star despite upcoming scheduled visit

5-star ATH Honor Fa'alave-Johnson is one of the most sought-after prospects in the 2027 recruiting class. A two-way high school sensation with blazing speed, Fa'alave-Johnson has drawn the attention of every program in the country.

Despite recently announcing his spring visit schedule, which included a trip to Tuscaloosa to see Alabama on the weekend of April 11th, it appears that visit is no longer going to happen.

The 5-star San Diego native announced a trimmed-down list of six schools that remain in the running for his services on Wednesday. Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide didn't make the cut.

According to On3's Hayes Fawcett, Fa'alave-Johnson is down to USC, LSU, Miami, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame. It is not difficult to see what the priority is in his recruitment with that list of schools. It's a three-letter acronym.

Honor Fa'alave-Johnson's final six schools does not include Alabama

Fa'alave-Johnson's decision to leave Alabama off his list is a tough early blow for DeBoer and company, but the Crimson Tide remains well-positioned to sign one of the top classes in the country for 2027. Again.

Alabama has signed back-to-back Top 5 recruiting classes under DeBoer, and seem likely to make it a trifecta in the 2027 cycle.

Alabama's class currently has four commitments: 4-star EDGE Jabarrius Garror, 4-star QB Trent Seaborn, 3-star TE Colt Lumpris, and 3-star CB Nash Johnson.

But Alabama is in a strong position to add a lot more highly-regarded prospects to its class, and just hosted a successful Junior Day that had prospects across the country buzzing.

As has been the case in the last two cycles, the bulk of Alabama's commitments will likely happen during the summer. Two consecutive summers have come and gone, and seen the Crimson Tide get hot on the recruiting trail and lock in the bulk of their class.

Fa'alave-Johnson won't be in it, but plenty more blue-chippers will.