New SEC rival now a serious threat to steal 5-star QB Elijah Haven away from Alabama

For all of the faults over his first two years at Alabama, Kalen DeBoer has been an elite quarterback recruiter. DeBoer and general manager Courtney Morgan have landed five-star QBs in each of their first two classes for the Tide, Keelon Russell in 2025 and Jett Thomalla in 2026, who had a late surge up the recruiting industry rankings. 

Now, Deboer and Morgan seem to have their sights set on the top QB in the 2027 class, Baton Rouge, Louisiana native Elijah Haven. The Tide have long been viewed as the leader for Haven’s commitment, but the coaching carousel has apparently stirred up a new contender for the talented 6-foot-5 passer ahead of his senior season. 

Kentucky is making a push for Elijah Haven and Kalen DeBoer should be concerned

Kentucky is a basketball school, and for years under Mark Stoops, it appeared content to stay that way. With the introduction of the revenue-sharing cap from the House Settlement, it made sense that Kentucky would spend a larger portion of its resources on basketball compared to the rest of the SEC, and its football program would suffer. For the SEC to have multiple contenders every year, somebody has to take those losses. 

However, rather than riding it out with Stoops, Kentucky changed course, paying Stoops a considerable buyout and hiring former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein away from the Ducks. Now with Stein and former LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan in place, Lexington suddenly looks to be a prime destination for top QB talent. 

That staff is the No. 1 attraction for Haven, and why shouldn’t it be? Sloan helped lead Jayden Daniels to a Heisman Trophy as his quarterbacks coach in Baton Rouge, and Stein played a key role in Bo Nix’s emergence as a first-round pick at Oregon before resurrecting former five-star Dante Moore’s career. 

The question now is whether or not Kentucky can afford to make that kind of a splash on the recruiting trail. Maybe the boosters in Lexington can round up the money, or Kentucky can carve out enough of the revenue-sharing cap to pay for Haven, but can they build up the rest of the roster enough for him to succeed? That remains to be seen and could be the primary sticking point for the five-star as he weighs his options. 

Alabama is not the biggest spender in the NIL era, but the Tide are coming off a trip to the College Football Playoff under DeBoer and have locked down back-to-back top-five recruiting classes. Plus, DeBoer has quite the resume as a QB whisperer as well, turning Michael Penix Jr. into a first-rounder at Washington. 

Will Kentucky drive Haven out of Alabama’s price range?

Then there’s the question of how hard Alabama should push for Haven if Kentucky is driving the price up. It’s clear that the Tide prefers to spend on high school talent rather than paying a premium for proven commodities from the Transfer Portal. But is it sustainable to pay up for a top QB every year? 

Thomalla was likely more of a bargain than Russell with his late rise up the rankings, but he still represents significant QB depth in Tuscaloosa. Russell and Austin Mack will compete for the job this season, with Thomalla slotting in as QB3 and three-star Tayden Kaawa also arriving for his freshman season. 

That’s quite the crowded QB room, so while it wouldn’t be ideal to miss out on Haven, especially after DeBoer established Alabama as the favorite for next year’s QB1, it would be bearable. There are enough holes on the Alabama roster, so the Tide shouldn’t simply pay whatever it takes to land Haven if Kentucky’s desperation drives the cost up.