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Kalen DeBoer Didn’t Hesitate When Revealing Alabama’s Crystal Clear Recruiting Plans

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By J.C. Shelton | Last updated May 19, 2025 8:20 PM ET

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer appears to be more comfortable on the recruiting trail as he enters his second season at the helm of the Crimson Tide.

There were some bright spots for the program in DeBoer's debut season with big wins over Georgia, LSU and in-state rival Auburn. However, the four-losses, three of which came against unranked teams, left a sour taste in the mouths of Alabama faithful.

But a down season was widely expected in the midst of the transition from legendary head coach Nick Saban. And one way to create a promising trajectory is through recruiting.

Much was made about DeBoer's potential as a recruiter in the Southeast, a challenge he previously hadn't come across with stints at Fresno State and Washington.

However, Alabama hauled in the nation's No. 3 class in the 2025 cycle and DeBoer revealed that there is growing familiarity with the process in preparation for the class of 2026.

"I think that – especially regionally down here in the southeast, anywhere in the south, kind of in our recruiting territories – there's much more just familiarity that exists," DeBoer said Monday on "Always College Football."

"There's the relationships that have taken to the next level," he said. "I think I got a good group, a good staff around me, whether it's on the field staff, off-the-field staff ... we did a good job last year."

The top recruiters in the country aren't bound by regions. Building lasting relationships across multiple territories largely makes the difference. Those connections are especially important at this time, as programs constantly host official visits.

"It doesn't matter where you're at in the country," DeBoer said. "A lot of the same principles apply when it comes to recruiting. Relationships, obviously, there's an NIL factor these days for every coach across the country that has evolved and the timeline of when we're recruiting and how it's sped up."

There is plenty of ground to make up in the 2026 cycle. Alabama has just five commits to date, but it's safe to expect some movement there as the Tide host some of the top prospects in the country over the summer.

"It's going to be locked and loaded on official visits and what those schedules look like," DeBoer said. "I think we're much further along and on the same page. And I feel like we got a good grasp of the guys that we're really attacking and feel we have strong relationships with those who also feel good about us."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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