Alabama Football: Kalen DeBoer and Courtney Morgan hit the ground running on the recruiting trail

When Kalen DeBoer touched down in Tuscaloosa getting ready to become the Alabama Football coach, one of his biggest hires was revealed as Courtney Morgan got off of the plane behind him.

Courtney Morgan serves the role of a general manager and the Director of Player Personnel. Morgan started working for DeBoer in 2016 while DeBoer was at Fresno State as his Director of Player Personnel, following him to Washington in 2022. Morgan has also made stops at Michigan and UCLA where he served the same role. DeBoer described Courtney Morgan as a key factor in his success, saying the following:

"Courtney is an elite recruiter with a lot of strong, West Coast connections, He's been an
integral part of building great recruiting classes everywhere he's been. He has built success on his dynamic personality. He builds strong relationships, and we're very fortunate to be able to bring him to Washington."

- Kalen DeBoer

Courtney Morgan has already hit the ground running in his first week with the Alabama Football program as he and DeBoer try to keep pieces in place while also recruiting for the future. Here are a few of the key players to watch as Kalen DeBoer and Courtney Morgan start trying to shape the Alabama Football program into their own.

Jabbar Muhammad - Cornerback - Transfer from Washington

One of the key transfers from Washington that Kalen DeBoer needs to add to the Alabama Football program is cornerback Jabbar Muhammad. After losing Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold to the draft and Trey Amos, Dezz Ricks, and Earl Little II to the transfer portal, the biggest need for the Alabama Football program is cornerback. In 2023, Muhammad recorded 41 tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions for the Huskies. Landing Muhammad would immediately give the Alabama Football team a starter at cornerback opposite Domani Jackson.

George MacIntyre - Quarterback - Five Star in 2025 recruiting class

George MacIntyre is the third-ranked quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class and the fifteenth recruit overall. Before Nick Saban's retirement, the three teams in the running were LSU, Tennessee, and Alabama. After Bryce Underwood committed to LSU, it was seemingly a race between Tennessee and Alabama for MacIntyre's commitment.

Tennessee has seemingly become the favorite to land MacIntyre, but that's not to say Alabama Football is out of the race yet. Kalen DeBoer and Courtney Morgan have reached out to MacIntyre, re-offering the five-star quarterback. We'll see how much Kalen DeBoer and Courtney Morgan can do to land MacIntyre as the quarterback prepares to make a decision in the near future.

Dijon Lee - Cornerback - Four Star in 2025 recruiting class

Kalen DeBoer mentioned Morgan's "West Coast connections" and we'll see how well they work out with Four-star cornerback recruit Dijon Lee. Lee's the ninth-ranked cornerback and the 77th recruit overall in the class out of California. Lee had Washington in his Top 8 before Kalen DeBoer took the Alabama job meaning the four-star cornerback may heavily consider the Alabama Football program. When Lee cut his final list down to eight schools he said the following about Courtney Morgan and the staff:

"I talk to them every day and have a great relationship with the staff. I like the coaches a lot and obviously love what they're doing on the field. Courtney Morgan is my lead recruiter and I talk to Juice Brown a lot too. The biggest thing for me is development and relationships. I want a school where I fit in well and have a good comfort level and then a place that can make me better and help me grow as a player."

- Dijon Lee

Zaydarius Rainey-Sale - Linebacker - Four Star in 2025 recruiting class

One of the most important players for Kalen DeBoer and Courtney Morgan to land is linebacker Zaydarius Rainey-Sale. The four-star linebacker is the number one recruit in the state of Washington committing to DeBoer and the Huskies on January 8th before decommitting when Kalen DeBoer took the Alabama Football job.

Rainey-Sale announced on Tuesday that he spoke with Freddie Roach and Courtney Morgan and received an offer to play at Alabama. Adding Rainey-Sale would be a massive gain for the 2025 recruiting class as the Alabama class has fallen from second to fourteenth after losing Ryan Williams, Jaime Ffrench, Javion Hilson, Antonio Coleman, Mason Short, and Dontrell Glover.

Matai Tagoa'i - Linebacker - Four Star recruit in 2025 recruiting class

The Alabama Football program was heavily recruiting Tagoa'i while Nick Saban was still the head coach with Holmon Wiggins recruiting him. Now with DeBoer and Morgan running the recruitments, Morgan's West Coast connections could come in handy in landing the California native. The four-star linebacker is the tenth-ranked linebacker and the third player overall in California. Tagoa'i told Brandon Howard of Tide Illustrated that he's "very excited" about the new coaching staff at Alabama. The Alabama Football program will need linebackers with Jihaad Campbell and Deontae Lawson likely entering the draft following the 2024 season.

Alabama Football: Fast start to 2025 recruiting class would be vital

For Kalen DeBoer and Courtney Morgan, the 2025 recruiting class is the first chance for them to really put their fingerprints on the Alabama Football program. Nick Saban and his staff put together a great start before they lost recruits due to his retirement.

Still committed are Five-Star edge rusher Zion Grady, four-star running back Anthony Rogers, and Four-star athlete Myles Johnson. The players in place would be massive for Kalen DeBoer to keep in order to put together one of the top recruiting classes in the country. Retaining Freddie Roach while adding recruiters like Courtney Morgan could be massive in landing recruits from both the South and the West Coast.

Note: Recruiting rankings via 24/7 sports