Kalen DeBoer’s honeymoon period at Alabama is officially over, as two new SEC rivals are already attempting to poach a top-tier recruit from his own backyard. After a tough playoff miss, DeBoer is trying to bring in key pieces to the program to come on strong in future games. That’s exactly why he is targeting their in-state four-star WR target from the 2027 class. But that move is looking uncertain.

Prattville (Ala.)’s DeShawn Hall is visiting many top college teams during his spring tour. He recently visited Auburn as part of his trip. In the past week and a half, he has already gone to Clemson, Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama. He is very busy and continues to travel to more schools. Next, he plans to visit Penn State on April 2, Michigan on April 4, Ohio State on April 6, and Georgia on April 18th.

Hall already showed a strong interest in Kalen DeBoer’s team, mainly because Alabama feels close to home for him. That home-state connection played an important role in building his early comfort with the program. He also locked in an official visit to Alabama for the first weekend in June, which showed that his interest was serious and moving forward in the recruiting process.

Before that, he had already made an unofficial visit to Alabama. During that trip, he spent time on campus and got a closer look at the program and coaching staff. Hall even attended Alabama’s first spring scrimmage during that visit.

“It was great seeing them in action,” Hall told Touchdown Alabama. “I really enjoyed watching Alabama’s offense. They put the ball in the air and allow us wide receivers to be playmakers and make plays.”

On top of that, Hall quickly developed a deep bond with Kalen DeBoer during his visit.

“The family and I had a great meeting with Coach DeBoer,” Hall said. “He sat down with us and really let us know how everything would be if I were to come and be a part of the Tide.”

But even with that momentum, two other newly appointed SEC coaches are also in the hunt and are clear frontrunners in the race to grab Hall’s commitment. The first one on the list is the Auburn Tigers. After Hugh Freeze’s firing, the team is gaining a lot of momentum in recruiting under Alex Golesh. Hall visited Auburn last week for their spring practice and left pretty impressed after the visit.

Auburn has produced some good wide receivers who made it to the NFL. Players like Darius Slayton, Sammie Coates, and Anthony Schwartz show that Auburn can develop talent, even if it is not consistent every year. At the same time, Alex Golesh runs a very different style of offense. His system is fast and focuses more on passing the ball, which gives wide receivers more chances to make plays.

Auburn has always been Hall’s priority since day 1, and after this visit, that mindset might have gotten much stronger.

“It felt great to be re-offered,” Hall said. “It felt great for reassurance. Auburn has always been in my top three from the day I got the (first) offer. I definitely plan to visit and be up here more often.”

On the other hand, we have Jon Sumrall, who, as the new head coach of Florida, has made the program a real threat. Sumrall made the trip to Prattville himself earlier this year to sit down with Hall, which is the kind of personal touch recruits tend to remember. Florida’s WR coach, Marcus Davis, also previously recruited Hall during his time at Auburn, which gives the Gators a real edge with a built-in relationship to lean on.

But along with these two programs, one more team is right there to give Alabama tough competition.

Kalen DeBoer’s team faces tough competition

Florida State is strongly recruiting 2027 four-star wide receiver Deshawn Hall as he continues to rise quickly. The team sees him as an important target and possibly someone who can replace Duce Robinson in the future.

Coach Tim Harris Jr., who works with wide receivers, is leading the effort to recruit Hall. He is showing a strong interest in bringing Hall into the program. Hall did not always focus on football. He played basketball for a long time before switching to football, and that decision is already helping him succeed.

Last year, he performed very well. He caught 40 passes for 660 yards and scored five touchdowns in just 10 games. Overall, he averaged 16.5 yards every time he caught the ball, showing that he can make big plays and is a rising talent. But Florida State might face a possible roadblock in the recruiting process.

“FSU is a little late to the party here,” Zach Blostein of Noles247 said. “It could be difficult to get him to cancel one of his four official visits already set for the primary weekends this summer in favor of a trip to Tallahassee.”

So, with so much stiff competition, it will be interesting to see if Kalen DeBoer is finally able to land Hall.