Kalen DeBoer should immediately contact this Florida commit following Napier's firing

Florida finally made the move that has long felt inevitable. Following a disappointing 3-4 start to a season with College Football Playoff aspirations, the Gators have let go of head coach Billy Napier:

In the cutthroat world of recruiting, Kalen DeBoer should waste little time looking to poach a player out of Florida's class. What tends to immediately follow a coach's firing is a wave of decommitments. That won't be any different in Gainesville, and the Crimson Tide just so happened to covet one of Florida's top commitments.

4-star EDGE KJ Ford, a Duncanville, Texas native - and former high school teammate of Alabama backup QB Keelon Russell - should get an immediate phone call from DeBoer and the Crimson Tide staff.

Despite not making his final three ahead of his commitment announcement in July, there was a lot of smoke 24 hours ahead of his commitment that Alabama was going to swoop in and steal Ford away. The Gators were able to secure Ford with an increase in NIL, but now that Napier is gone, he's sure to be ready to weigh his options.

Alabama needs another EDGE, and KJ Ford needs a new home

With Alabama missing out on 5-star EDGE Anthony 'Tank' Jones a few weeks after Ford's commitment to Florida, there's still a clear need for a defensive end in this cycle. Ford is a guy the staff is familiar with, and one who figures to be a real difference-maker at the next level.

Ford is a Top-100 player in the 2026 class. He will be coveted by a bunch of programs that are looking to make a late splash this cycle. Texas A&M and Ohio State were finalists alongside Florida at the end for Ford, and both of those programs will undoubtedly try to get involved. The Gators will do what they can to hang on to him as well.

But Ford has clearly been interested in Alabama for a long time, and the connection with Keelon Russell undoubtedly helps the Tide's cause. If Alabama can put together a competitive NIL package, they very well could flip the elite EDGE recruit and further solidify one of the top classes in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

DeBoer has Alabama sitting at No. 3 in the recruiting rankings as of now. Ford would ensure a second straight Top 5 class for the Crimson Tide if they can get involved and lure him to Tuscaloosa.