It's not a secret that Alabama is not among the top spenders in college football in terms of NIL. The Crimson Tide is certainly competitive, and doesn't pinch pennies as more jaded fans want to believe, but there's also not an influx of oil money or Nike checks funneling into the program at a rapidly increasing rate, either.
Alabama isn't broke. They've spent a lot of money in back-to-back recruiting cycles to secure two of the top recruiting classes in the country. They've spent to retain that talent, and the Crimson Tide was a big player in the last Transfer Portal cycle.
But they aren't operating with the same war chest as some others, which means they have to spend their money more efficiently to be competitive. That has led to some difficult decisions with this recruiting class, and with not fighting to keep some talented, albeit unproductive, players from last year's roster.
In an interview on Tuesday with Gary Harris of Tider Insider TV, DeBoer was candid about Alabama's current NIL and the need for it to keep growing.
Kalen DeBoer believes Alabama can build a championship roster, but calls for continued growhth in NIL
Harris says in the linked video that DeBoer told him he believes Alabama can build a championship roster with its current budget.
"I think we're very competitive and that's what I ask," DeBoer said. "When we're able to be competitive, I think what our staff brings, what this program has, and what we have for our players, the amount of investment that we put into each scholarship guy that's on this football team, I just don't know what another program that could get what we give our guys."
DeBoer's comments are similar to what Nate Oats has said about Alabama basketball. As long as the Crimson Tide can be competitive with its offers to high-end talent, the resources available at the University, with the facilities and the opportunities that come from organic NIL because Alabama is one of the biggest brands in college sports, can make up the gap. It just can't make up a chasm.
Alabama will be significantly outbid from time to time. That's just the nature of college athletics right now. A handful of programs have deep enough pockets that they aren't going to take no as an answer. That just can't happen all the time, and DeBoer knows the only way to avoid that is to continue to grow.
"We got to continue to grow," DeBoer said. "There is no question. We got to continue to adjust to the times. We got to continue to push the envelope. We need the support of anyone that wants to be a part of it. I think more and more people do understand that you can have an awesome staff, but you got to have the NIL support to be able to get the players because they're the ones that make the plays on Saturdays."
Every year, the cost of constructing a championship roster continues to go up. Yesterday's price is not today's price, as Fat Joe would say.
You either adapt - and raise more money - or you stay stagnant, and you die as a college football power.
Alabama is fighting hard to adapt.
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