After months of speculation surrounding 5-star recruit Elijah Haven’s future, it appears that one program has taken the lead to secure his commitment. Earlier in the fall, the Baton Rouge QB in the 2027 class had released his top three schools. In-state LSU, Florida, and Alabama were in the mix.

On the November 11th episode of the CBS Sports show, national recruiting analyst Tom Loy and Blair Angulo discussed the developments in Elijah Haven’s future. At the start of the discussion, Loy dropped a bombshell for the Tigers.

“When I talked to Elijah Haven, he was very adamant that he is wide open to leaving the state of Louisiana,” said Loy. “He’s wide open to leaving Baton Rouge, when a lot of people were just assuming he was a slam dunk for LSU,” he added.

More importantly, given the current state of affairs in the SEC, Alabama has pulled ahead in the race to secure Elijah Haven.

“As it stands right now, only the Crimson Tide has a current active head coach. So, all eyes are pointing towards Alabama,” Loy said on the show.

“(Alabama) made it clear they want two quarterbacks in the 2027 class, and I like Elijah Haven to land at Alabama. This is one of the top overall players, no. 2 prospect according to our director of scouting. This would be a massive win for Alabama,” Loy added.

This has less to do with Alabama. The recruiting pitches that Billy Napier and Brian Kelly must have made to Haven are now out of the picture. LSU fired Kelly, and the Gators let go of Napier. For the longest time, the Tigers had the in-state advantage, and even that doesn’t look like a positive anymore, given Haven is open to explore.

Now that his team has emerged as the frontrunner for Elijah Haven, DeBoer appears to be laying the groundwork for a potential dynasty, much like the one Nick Saban built. Loy believes the signing would be a big boost to the Alabama team.

What makes Elijah Haven special?

Elijah Haven is a special talent. He is one of nine players in his class with a five-star tag. A Baton Rouge local, Haven is currently the No. 2 overall prospect in his class. His performances on the field show why there is genuine hype around the QB across the SEC.

In his junior season, Haven featured in 10 games for his high school. He accumulated 3,254 total yards on offense and 51 touchdowns. All while throwing just five interceptions. He achieved this with a staggering 72.7% completion rate.

There is a dual-threat element to his game. Not at the level of the likes of Jalen Milroe, but under an offensive genius like Ryan Grubb and Kalen DeBoer’s tutelage, he can develop into a lethal weapon. Now that Kalen DeBoer looks like he is in for the long haul, it makes sense he secures his Ty Simpson of the future.