Five-star 2027 wide receiver Monshun Sales is one name Kalen DeBoer is circling in red as he is looking to get long-term stability for Alabama. And the interest seems mutual because Sales did mention, “Alabama has always been my dream school. I was raised in Alabama and have been a Crimson Tide fan my whole life.” But landing him won’t be simple, given 30-odd teams are interested and there is an ACC contender insiders think has an edge in the recruiting battle.

On3‘s Steve Wiltfong believes Mario Cristobal is in close contention, something DeBoer should be wary of.  “They [Miami] just want to be in the race. We see their general manager all the time, Dennis Smith, talk about it being a marathon recruiting.” Wilt told Newberg on the February 14th episode of the show. “He visited Miami during the season. He was in South Florida in January. He’s going to get back to Miami. And the Hurricanes are just now starting to get on the gas for coveted 2027 targets.

Monshun Sales is one of the top of the board guys. Kevin Beard is quickly becoming one of the most revered position coaches in the country. The Hurricanes’ offense is exciting. They just played in the national title game against Indiana. And so they have a lot of runways still in this recruitment with Monshun Sales, and I think they’re going to make a big move this spring and summer, but everybody is still chasing Alabama.”

The attention is understandable given that Sales is currently the only five-star talent from his class and has displayed excellent offensive abilities. While a bagful of teams want him, he himself recently narrowed his list down to just four, which included Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama, Ohio State, Indiana, and Miami.

What Wiltfong pointed out made sense. Miami is fresh off a national championship game. The program beat top sides like Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss to reach the finals when nobody expected them to. Even though they eventually lost against Indiana, the close scoreline showed that Cristobal’s Miami definitely had potential to grow stronger.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

And with the additions of Darien Mensah and Dereon Coleman, along with exciting talent like Malachi Toney, the Canes have their hands on an exciting offense. So, it is natural that Monshun Sales might consider that while finalizing his program.

Riding on the fact that Sales is from Alabama alone would not suffice for DeBoer. Considering the other three programs he named, Alabama seems like the least expected destination for Sales. Miami has a great offense, and Indiana and Ohio State are just really good programs with top coaches, players, and facilities. All Alabama has for now is Sales, being a lifelong Bama fan.

But how often do we see a player commit to a program out of loyalty, especially in the ever-changing world of modern football?

Miami isn’t the only program that Kalen DeBoer should be worried about

Alabama currently holds the lead for Monshun Sales, but that could be lost at any time. Competing against three big, in-form programs for a player will never be easy. And if one of those programs is Ryan Day’s Ohio State then Kalen DeBoer really should be worried, despite Sales’ praise.

The Buckeyes went through a rollercoaster of a journey last season. They looked invincible and poised for a back-to-back national championship, but everything came crashing down after the Big Ten Championship game against Indiana. That would leave a bad taste in Ryan Day’s mouth. So, the next steps are clear: bring in prospects and nurture them into national championship-winning players.

A worrying sign for DeBoer is that Sales praised Ohio State’s track record of developing players, which could easily draw the receiver toward Columbus.

“Ohio State has been WRU over the last couple of years with their development of the wide receivers and getting them to the NFL.” Sales told On3.

Take Jeremiah Smith as an example. The sophomore wide receiver has been outstanding for Ohio State for the past two seasons. He won the national championship in his freshman year, an achievement not many can boast about. Another example is Emeka Egbuka, whose contributions in the 2024 CFP win helped him get drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.

So, the pattern is easy to follow. Ohio State is a haven for developing talent with top facilities and coaches. Plus, under the guidance of Ryan Day, players are able to gain deep knowledge of the game. So, it wouldn’t really be surprising if Ryan Day’s plans end up being the reason for Monshun Sales’ flip.

As for Kalen DeBoer, landing Sales would depend on how Alabama performs this season. If the Crimson Tide can remain consistent in the passing game, fix the run-game issues that haunted them last year, and make a deep postseason run with an almost entirely new roster, his chances will improve.

The 6’5″, 205 lbs receiver had 37 receptions for 794 rushing yards and nine touchdowns as a junior at Lawrence North. He also had 71 catches for 1,362 yards and 16 TDs overall in high school. With these stats alone, it’s clear to see why programs rate him highly.