When Nick Saban walked away from the Alabama Football sideline last January, the GOAT did not leave the cupboard bare. Strong signing classes had produced a Crimson Tide roster deep with talent.
What happened immediately after Saban's retirement was college football opportunists raided the Alabama football roster. The opportunists were seen as vultures by many Crimson Tide fans. The reality was just business as usual in college football; a survival of the fittest terrain in which Alabama prospered for many years.
The sky didn't fall for Kalen DeBoer and the new Alabama football staff because they stemmed the exit flow sufficiently and added key roster pieces through incoming transfers. What they could not overcome quickly was minimal recruiting connections in the state of Alabama and nearby states.
Auburn and Hugh Freeze took advantage of the situation with in-state recruiting. Freeze ultimately loaded an impressive class with nearly all of the top in-state talent. DeBoer had established west coast connections and they paid off. Alabama's 2025 signing class of 21 players includes seven players from the state of California. By comparison, that state's top program, USC signed just five California players.
The first day of Early Signing never produces a finished product. A few unsigned players will still flip, including a 5-star on Alabama's list of commits. Others will decide later, all the way to February and beyond. The first Early Period day is the big day and according to 247Sports and On3, the Alabama Crimson Tide notched the No. 2 class nationally. The only higher-ranked class is the Texas Longhorns.
2025 Best Alabama Football roster since 2020?
Another point is worth considering. Nick Saban's last three teams had roster weaknesses that were never fully resolved. The offensive line as a position group is an example. In a transition season, no coach could have rectified all the roster weaknesses. In the 2025 season, Alabama Football will essentially be Kalen DeBoer's first team. If DeBoer and his staff can match last season's incoming transfer success, along with the near-top 2025 class, the '25 roster could be Alabama's strongest since the 2020 season.
Results cannot be seen for many months, but a fair December assessment is Kalen DeBoer and his staff did an outstanding job with the Crimson Tide's 2025 sighing class.