December and February are generally when recruiting classes are officially signed, but June is the official visit window—the month that sets the tone for what is to come ahead. And so, Alabama football’s sluggish start to the 2026 cycle, with just seven commitments by mid-June, looked like a cause for concern. But history tells us that there was no reason to panic. After all, during the Nick Saban era, the program started slow recruiting but would close strong… And HC Kalen DeBoer seems to follow the same trajectory.

“Alabama has always taken a slower, more methodical approach to recruiting, and that has translated for the most part under Kalen DeBoer,” Bama247 recruiting expert Brett Greenberg said last month. But if you’d ask DeBoer’s staffer, Eron Hodges, who is the Associate Director of Player Personnel, why recruiting for the 2027 class has been difficult, he would highlight a reason that many wouldn’t have thought about. He took to X and wrote:

“I get text & Dm’s all the time saying, “I’m a 2027 4/3 ⭐️ & I’m really interested in Alabama!” My response is “I invited you to Camp in Feb/March & you didn’t come. How real is your interest if you’re not willing to show up & put in work for the HC, Coordinators & Pos Coaches?”” But that’s not where it ends. He wasn’t out there to just criticize but also to guide the young talents. In a couple of more updates, he wrote:

“2027/28 prospects, if you have an idea of schools that you are interested in, you need to set a Game Visit up for this fall, a Jr Day Visit this coming up spring, a Spring practice visit, and a camp workout. 

“The NFL uses the same model: Scouts go to college, talk to college staff- Colleges send GMs & Coaches to talk to HS staff. Scouts go to college games- GMs & Coaches go to HS games. NFL teams invite draftees to meet with them. College Personnel invite you to meet with us.

“NFL invites the top players to workout in front of them. – Colleges invite the top players to workout in front of them. Same model.

Regardless, HC DeBoer, general manager Courtney Morgan, and the rest of the staff have their attention on the 2027 class. Ladamian Guyton, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound edge rusher from Savannah, Georgia, is the No. 1 overall recruit in the class, but Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman has predicted that he will land with the Red Raiders, edging out Alabama, Georgia, and Florida State.

If that indeed happens, it’s not like DeBoer’s program will not be able to assemble a good 2027 class without Guyton. Last week, he dismissed concerns about Alabama’s recruiting acumen.

Tide turns ruthless under Kalen DeBoer with 21 explosive commits!

It won’t be easy for DeBoer to just take over the program, which was once led by the legendary Nick Saban. If you’re a Bama fan, you must’ve heard things like, DeBoer’s not SEC enough, or he can’t recruit. But it has been just a year since he took over the program. The same people who doubted him are now watching the program flip five-star recruits. It’s not about who Alabama is getting; it’s about how DeBoer is doing it. In a new episode of The Game with Ryan Fowler on Tide 100.9 podcast, Fowler summed it up best. “They said he’d never be able to recruit. They said he’d never be able to connect with a Southern kid. And he’s done the complete opposite,” he said.

“You know how they hated Nick Saban. If DeBoer keeps this up, he’s gonna have some enemies in the state,” Fowler added. This comment was allegedly directed towards the Auburn fans who are feeling that sting now because the man they once mocked is now outrecruiting the Tigers’ HC, Hugh Freeze.

Kalen DeBoer has shown his recruiting abilities; he has proved that he deserves to be in the SEC, but one thing is yet to be done, and that is the biggest one. To win. Alabama is one of those premium programs that often enters the season as favorites. But it’s been almost five years since they last won the national championship. The head coach and his squad must be hoping to turn the tide in the upcoming fall and get their hands on the title. What do you think?