If we know one thing about Kalen DeBoer, he's going to put an elite quarterback on the field for Alabama.
With Ty Simpson off to the NFL, the 2026 season will be the first in which a DeBoer-recruited QB starts in Tuscaloosa. The favorite to do so is 5-star Keelon Russell, who was the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2025 class. He's competing against Austin Mack, a former high 4-star recruit who reclassified into the 2023 class, or he might have ultimately been a 5-star in the 2024 class in his own right.
Last year, Alabama signed 5-star Jett Thomalla, who will likely redshirt this year.
Now, Alabama just added a 5-star quarterback for the third straight recruiting cycle.
Baton Rouge's Elijah Haven, the No. 1 QB in the 2027 class, committed to Alabama on Saturday, choosing the Crimson Tide over Georgia:
BREAKING: Five-Star QB Elijah Haven has Committed to Alabama, he tells me for @Rivals⁰⁰The 6’5 215 QB from Baton Rouge, LA chose the Crimson Tide over Georgia
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 25, 2026
He’s the No. 1 QB in the 2027 Rivals Industry Rankings⁰⁰https://t.co/WorRVGSus3 pic.twitter.com/v0hOQpwXyG
Elijah Haven gives Alabama a 3rd straight class with a 5-star QB
Haven had been trending to Alabama for months, but finally made it official on Saturday. After initially trimming his list to four schools, which included Auburn and Florida to go along with Alabama and Georgia, he trimmed it down to just the Tide and Bulldogs heading into Saturday's decision.
Haven fits the bill of the type of quarterback that DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb covet. He's 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds with a big arm. He led his high school to a state title as a junior and was the Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year after throwing for over 3900 yards and 62 touchdowns on a 72.3% completion percentage. He also added 794 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
Haven is Alabama's sixth commitment in the 2027 class, and 2nd quarterback. The Tide landed 4-star Trent Seaborn, an Alabama native, back in October. If both stick, it would be the second straight class in which the Tide signed two quarterbacks.
Haven's commitment should give the Crimson Tide some much-needed momentum on the recruiting trail heading into the summer months. The summer has traditionally been awfully kind to DeBoer in Tuscaloosa, with Alabama going on monster runs in back-to-back cycles to ultimately land Top 5 classes.
There's no reason to think that won't happen again, particularly with the momentum Alabama has with some of the top prospects across the country.
Haven is a gigantic first step to kick off that patented summer run.
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