Today is the day. 5-star WR Monshun Sales, Alabama's long-time top target in the 2027 recruiting class, will announce his commitment today at 11am CST live on the Pat McAfee Show.
Most of the intel continues to point toward that decision not being Alabama. Predictions have leaned toward Indiana landing Sales for a while, with most experts viewing Texas as the biggest threat to the Hoosiers, with Alabama on the outside looking in.
The caveat is, however, that even the most plugged-in experts do not have 100% confidence on what Sales' ultimate decision is going to be. He's been quiet throughout the process.
Could Alabama pull off a last-minute stunner?
As of Thursday, Sales had not completely written off the Crimson Tide. Kalen DeBoer and staff were expected to meet with Sales and his camp one final time in an attempt to reel him in. How those conversations went is unknown.
The expectation throughout the process has been that both Indiana and Texas would offer larger financial packages for Sales, but that Alabama was still alive because of his familial connection with the state and the program.
Sales is originally from Alabama and grew up a fan of the Crimson Tide. He still has a lot of family in the state, and that was a big part of DeBoer's pitch to the 5-star WR.
Indiana is the heavy favorite to land 5-star WR Monshun Sales
Alabama fans can stomach Sales committing to Indiana a lot better than they'd be able to stomach him choosing Texas. Sales has lived in the Hoosier state since he was a kid, and Indiana is the hot thing in college football right now, coming off their national championship. That's a decision that makes plenty of sense.
It won't stop plenty of disappointment on the Alabama side, however. At one point, Sales appeared to be a slam dunk for the Crimson Tide. His recruitment felt like a foregone conclusion.
But this will be another reminder that there are no such things as slam dunks in this era of recruiting. There's too much money in play right now.
Alabama made a competitive offer to Sales. They likely even upped it this week in an attempt to swing the momentum toward Tuscaloosa. But that offer was almost certainly still behind the compensation that Indiana and Texas put on the table.
That will be another source of frustration for Alabama fans, who feel the Crimson Tide frequently comes up short when the chips are down and the money is on the table. They're not wrong. But DeBoer and GM Courtney Morgan are not going to break the bank and upset the balance of the locker room for any one player. They have a strategy that they're going to stick to, come hell or high water.
Sales is a rare talent with his size and speed. He'll likely make a quick impact at the next level. Unfortunately, barring a late stunner, that impact won't be coming in Tuscaloosa.
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