Before facing off against Indiana on the gridiron for the Rose Bowl, Kalen DeBoer and Alabama may earn a major victory over the Hoosiers in the 2027 recruiting class.
On3 recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong logged an expert prediction on Monday for Alabama to land 5-star 2027 WR Monshun Sales, the No. 1 player in the state of Indiana in his class. Sales is a native of Alabama, but plays high school football in Indianapolis. He's the No. 2 WR in the 2027 class and ranks as a Top 10 overall player in the 247 composite.
𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: 2027 5 ⭐️ WR Monshun Sales has been predicted to Alabama by VP of Recruiting, Steve Wiltfong
— Recruits Bama (@RecruitsBama) December 22, 2025
The #1 WR in the nation is also considering Indiana, Ohio State, Miami, LSU, and others
Sales is ranked as a Top-5 player in the 2027 Class pic.twitter.com/EwuffQjlS6
Steve Wiltfong predicts Alabama to beat out Indiana for 5-star WR Monshun Sales
There's already plenty of intrigue and hype surrounding the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. It's a College Football Playoff quarterfinal, and it's the bluest of blue bloods facing off against the new kid on the block.
The recruitment of Sales is a fascinating subplot to the game. It's unlikely that the outcome would have any real effect on his recruitment, but an Alabama win in Pasadena certainly wouldn't help matters.
Alabama has been on the shortlist for Sales from the very beginning of his recruitment. It's good to see that the departure of WR coach JaMarcus Shephard, now the head coach at Oregon State, doesn't seem to have had a negative impact on Alabama's standing for the elite WR.
DeBoer has reportedly hired former Auburn OC and longtime SEC assistant Derrick Nix to replace Shephard.
Back in October, Wiltfong reported that it was an Alabama-Ohio State battle at the top for Sales, though Indiana and many others aren't out of the fight.
Like Alabama, Ohio State also lost its highly regarded WR coach when Brian Hartline accepted the head coaching job at USF, putting the Buckeyes in the same position as the Crimson Tide.
Sales has elite size (6-foot-5) and physical traits, and is exactly the type of big-bodied, hyper-athletic WR that DeBoer and this coaching staff have been known to covet.
There's a long way to the finish line with the 2027 class, but Alabama is in great shape with Sales and many other blue-chip prospects in that class. A third consecutive top-five signing class appears on the horizon for DeBoer.