Three Nick Saban recruits that might be better fits under new staff

When Nick Saban retired back in January, he left the cupboard full for Coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff. Though the talent is plentiful on Bama’s roster, many have cited the stylistic differences between the two coaches as a potential obstacle. 

This concern may be legitimate. It will be fascinating to see DeBoer implement his own systems with a roster largely constructed of players that were recruited and developed to play in Saban’s system.

The biggest discrepancy, for example, is along the offensive line. Bama returns several key players from what became infamously known as one of the biggest offensive lines in college football history. 

Though first round pick JC Latham is gone, left tackle Kadyn Proctor and starting guards Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts both return. The Tide’s gargantuan 2023 offensive line was a failed experiment to some degree, yet most of that group now returns to play for Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer’s offense requires linemen to be quick and agile out in space, and prefers for them to be much smaller than the line that currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

I expect DeBoer to find success blending the best of both offenses during this transition period until he can get more of “his” players in the system. In the meantime, however, there are a few Saban-recruited players on the roster that already seem to fit the new coaching staff perfectly. 

Redshirt freshman Wilkin Formby has impressed all offseason and could emerge as the starting right tackle this season. Formby isn’t small by any means at 6’7” and 324 pounds, but he is much leaner than Bama’s 2023 tackles and has a lot more mobility. Formby is the prototype for what DeBoer wants in an offensive tackle. Just look at Alabama’s 2025 recruiting class, where DeBoer has two very similar players on the way in 5-star tackle Ty Haywood and 4-star tackle Jackson Lloyd. 

On the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker Justin Jefferson fits seamlessly into Kane Wommack’s 4-2-5 scheme. Wommack wants linebackers that can get from sideline to sideline in a hurry and cover the whole field.

While they may be undersized on paper, the ideal Wommack linebacker has a lot of speed and arrives to the ball with violent intentions. Last season, Wommack’s highly productive inside linebacker trio at South Alabama consisted of James Miller (223 lbs), Trey Kiser (215 lbs), and Khalil Jacobs (218 lbs). 

It’s hard to imagine a better fit for this system than Justin Jefferson. The JUCO product was considered undersized when he arrived on campus last year, but he has sub-4.5 speed and regularly made big hits in scrimmage settings and on special teams.

Heading into year two, Jefferson has put on a little weight and is now approaching 230 pounds while retaining his athleticism and aggressiveness. He will serve as the third linebacker behind Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell, but Jefferson should thrive in this defense. 

Similarly, freshman linebacker QB Reese looks to be a fantastic fit in Wommack’s 4-2-5. Reese was just a 3-star recruit in the 2024 cycle as a 205-pound linebacker out of Birmingham, but he plays much bigger than his size. He was highly productive in high school, chasing ball-carriers all over the field and racking up 167 tackles as a senior. 

He will have to wait his turn in a loaded inside linebacker room, but Reese is the prototypical Wommack linebacker and a sleeper pick to develop into a future star. His big hit on Rico Scott in Bama’s most recent fall scrimmage forced an incompletion and made all the highlight reels. 

It will be very intriguing to watch Coach DeBoer and his staff navigate the current roster, and even more so to see how it evolves going forward. Formby, Jefferson, and Reese are three players who could make the transition go a lot smoother.