It was a good weekend for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama football. Along with beating Tennessee in Tuscaloosa and flipping 3-star EDGE Corey Howard away from Georgia, DeBoer and the Crimson Tide also reportedly made a major impression on 5-star QB Elijah Haven, the nation's No. 1 signal-caller in the 2027 class.
Haven was in town for a multi-day visit to Alabama on Friday and Saturday, and witnessed the Crimson Tide's 37-20 win over Tennessee in an electric Bryant-Denny Stadium environment. Reports have indicated that the visit went extremely well, and the Crimson Tide is now trending way up in Haven's recruitment:
A multi-day visit to Tuscaloosa has Alabama trending up in the race for Rivals Industry Ranking No. 1 QB Elijah Haven, who has plans locked in for a return and a commitment date in place
— Sam Spiegelman (@samspiegs) October 19, 2025
More: https://t.co/usOmHxJHJu pic.twitter.com/weY8h1ayCp
Haven is a priority for the Crimson Tide, among many others in the 2027 class. The 6-foot-5 Baton Rouge native has his pick of where he wants to go to college, but the QB development in Tuscaloosa has to be attractive for Haven and top quarterbacks all around the country.
Ty Simpson has made major strides working under DeBoer, OC Ryan Grubb, and QB coach Nick Sheridan. Austin Mack and Keelon Russell have both looked impressive when they've had opportunities, too. Haven could have next in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama could be the front runner for 5-star QB Elijah Haven
It won't be easy to pull him out of Louisiana. He's in LSU's backyard, and the Tigers will pull out all the stops to land him. Florida, Georgia, and Auburn are among the other contenders vying for his services.
Alabama has a major advantage right now, however, and that's with stability that some of the others cannot offer. Florida, which has been seen as the frontrunner, fired Billy Napier on Sunday. Brian Kelly may be on the hot seat at LSU as the Tigers look likely to miss the College Football Playoff yet again. Hugh Freeze is certainly on the hot seat at Auburn, and some were surprised he didn't get the axe on Sunday after Auburn's fourth straight loss.
Georgia has plenty of stability, but they also signed a 5-star QB in the 2026 class in Jared Curtis. Alabama didn't. The Crimson Tide signed a 5-star in Keelon Russell in the 2025 class, but signed two 4-star QBs in the 2026 class. It's likely that Haven would see a quicker potential path to playing time in Tuscaloosa than Athens because of it.
This could ultimately be another two QB class for the Crimson Tide. Alabama sits in good shape for 4-star in-state QB Trent Seaborn as well. Even if Seaborn ultimately commits to the Crimson Tide as many expect, that won't end the pursuit of Haven, and the Baton Rouge native is too talented to be scared away by another QB in this cycle.