The questions about Kalen DeBoer's ability to recruit for Alabama football should be put to rest as the Crimson Tide prepares to finish off a Top-5 class in his first full recruiting cycle. In fact, at this very moment, Alabama holds the No. 1 class in the country according to On3.
That's not likely to hold, but top-to-bottom DeBoer and General Manager Courtney Morgan have put together a talented and deep 2025 class.
This time of the year is known for recruits flipping their commitments from one school to another as programs look to solidify their classes in the early signing period. We're just 24 hours away from the early signing period, and if your guys don't sign during the early period, they aren't really committed to you.
Alabama is widely expected to flip a couple of prospects committed to other SEC programs. And while the flips giveth, they also taketh away. The Tide is expected to lose one of its biggest commitments in the 2025 cycle.
Two expected to flip to Alabama
4-star WR and LSU commitment Derek Meadows is still expected to end up in Alabama's class. Meadows is a fringe Top-100 prospect and, while raw, has the potential to be a real difference-maker at WR.
Meadows is from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and is the player DeBoer and staff has zeroed in on to replace Caleb Cunningham, who flipped to Ole Miss a few weeks ago following a visit.
On3's VP of recruiting Steve Wiltfong and 247's national recruiting analyst Tom Loy have both submitted predictions for Meadows to flip to the Crimson Tide.
4-star CB and Auburn commitment Donovan Starr could also end up in Alabama's class. Starr was in Tuscaloosa for a visit during the Iron Bowl and Loy has submitted a crystal ball pick for Starr to ultimately flip to the Crimson Tide.
It sounds like Vanderbilt - not Auburn - is actually Alabama's biggest competition to land Starr at this point in time.
Alabama has also continued pushing for 4-star safety Anquon Fegans. Fegans has been committed to Auburn since July, but has visited Alabama since then and has remained in contact with the Crimson Tide staff.
Fegans is more of a longshot, but there's always some surprises.
5-star OT trending away from Alabama
Michigan zeroed in on 5-star Alabama OT commit Ty Haywood and brought a big NIL offer to the table. It remains to be seen if Haywood ends up flipping to the Wolverines, but it's sounding more and more like he will not be in Alabama's class.
Haywood is not expected to sign tomorrow and will likely take some visits before making a decision. NIL seems to be high on Haywood's priority list and Alabama isn't interested in getting into an NIL bidding war for him.
With or without Haywood, Alabama has an impressive haul at OL in this class.
Recruiting is fickle. You win some and you lose some. This week will be a perfect example of that for the Crimson Tide.