Alabama Football: Five 2024 signees Kalen DeBoer must retain

The 2025 recruiting class for Alabama Football has all but evaporated after being well on its way to a potential no. 1 finish under Coach Nick Saban. The class has seen six 4-star recruits decommit over the past month, including five following the retirement of Coach Saban. 

Signing day for the 2025 class is still nearly a year away, meaning new coach Kalen DeBoer has plenty of time to build the class in his own image. Fortunately, the vast majority of the Tide’s second-ranked 2024 class is already on campus and, thus far, none have requested to be released from their National Letter of Intent. 

This freshman class is loaded with talent from top to bottom, but these five individuals are particularly important for Coach DeBoer to keep on campus. 

1. Julian Sayin (5-star QB)

Every elite recruiting class has an unofficial “captain,” and Julian Sayin is the undisputed leader of Bama’s newest freshman class. Sayin, considered by some to be the top quarterback in the class, committed to Alabama Football way back in November of 2022. He never wavered in his commitment, and played an instrumental role in helping Bama’s coaching staff complete its 2024 recruiting class. 

In the immediate future, Alabama is set at the quarterback position. It returns Heisman contender Jalen Milroe, former 5-star Ty Simpson, and a dark horse in Dylan Lonergan that has high-end talent and the confidence to maximize it. 

Still, Julian Sayin is viewed as the face of the 2024 class and the future of the program. Losing him would be a bad omen for Coach DeBoer.