Kalen DeBoer will not be able to recruit like Nick Saban, and that is no problem. In today's college football world, Nick Saban could not recruit as he did so well, for so long. NIL and 'Pay for Play' have changed almost everything about annual roster building.
After the dust mostly settles on the 2025 signing class in the first week of December, Alabama is likely to have a top-five signing class. At No. 2 now, based on the On3 Industry Rankings, Alabama could finish with a No. 1 class. It could also finish lower than No. 2, with other programs throwing around big dollars in pursuit of some of Alabama's highest-ranked verbal commits.
The days of one program dominating recruiting season after season are likely over. Nick Saban was able to do it for multiple reasons. He was an outstanding recruiter. Along with the Alabama Crimson Tide brand to sell, Saban also had a proven NFL pathway that elite recruits understood. Even after NIL changed recruiting, Saban could land top recruits without having to outbid other programs.
Saban sold long-term financial return, but many signing and transfer decisions today are made based on quick money. With all the repeated concerns from programs over not enough money, for many top players there does not seem to be any shortage of funds. A broad stroke estimate is that several dozen FBS football programs and nearly as many Division 1 men's basketball programs have the funds to pay whatever it takes for at least one player.
The war chests result in a broader distribution of programs landing 5-star recruits and high-dollar transfers. Alabama signed nine 5-star recruits in its 2023 class. Landing more than four or five is almost impossible now. And signing them does not mean keeping them—two of the Tide's most highly ranked 5-star players transferred after the 2023 season. Technically, it was three, but Kadyn Proctor was lured back.
Recruitment of high school players is unpredictable. Managing roster transfers is even more unpredictable. For the players, decisions are not just about money, but money often holds sway when final decisions are made.
Alabama Football Roster Building Prospers Under Kalen DeBoer
Kalen DeBoer will prosper in this era of recruiting and roster building. That claim already has proof from the success he and his staff had in transitioning the Crimson Tide's 2023 roster to 2024. Good players were lost, as were top signees. But in more than a few cases what was lost was replaced by better players. On offense, Parker Brailsford and Germie Bernard were upgrades at their positions. With NFL exits and the transfer of Caleb Downs to Ohio State, Alabama's secondary was predicted to be a train wreck. Adding transfers Domani Jackson, Keon Sabb, and DaShawn Jones, along with returners Malachi Moore, DeVonta Smith, and Bray Hubbard; and four immensely talented freshmen, has turned the defensive backfield into a team strength.
The other reason why Kalen DeBoer does not have to recruit like Nick Saban is Courtney Morgan. In what has become possibly the second-most important staff position for any team, Morgan is widely regarded as college football's best.