Now that former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer is being reported as Alabama’s new coach taking over for Nick Saban, he will have to hit the ground running in recruiting. These five phone calls should happen first.
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This should be the first call, the first in-person visit and the first invitation to Tuscaloosa to meet with DeBoer once he gets settled into his office. Heck, before he drops his bags in his office, Williams should be contacted and asked to come up for a visit.
The five-star receiver from Saraland, Ala., had been committed to Alabama from Oct. 2022 to earlier this week when the Saban news surfaced, so there is clearly heavy interest in the Crimson Tide. But things seem to be slipping away. Williams is expected at Texas A&M this weekend and before that trip, Auburn sent multiple coaches to meet with him. He’s also expected back at Auburn and at Texas this month.
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Once DeBoer and his staff get Williams back on campus, the next call should be to Bussey, who is considering an Alabama visit this month anyway but that was before all the Saban news broke in recent days.
The Texas A&M commit is also very serious about Georgia, LSU and possibly others but Alabama had been talking to him about playing exclusively receiver. That’s where the Timpson, Texas, five-star played at the Under Armour All-America Game and he was outstanding so getting him to Tuscaloosa to meet with the new staff and hear the new vision is crucial.
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Maybe Georgia is too far ahead for the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class but a fresh start at Alabama could be intriguing to Sanders as he works through the earlier parts of his recruitment. The Bulldogs have to like where they stand right now with Clemson, North Carolina and others involved but DeBoer should do everything in his power to get Sanders to visit as soon as possible.
The history of elite offensive linemen for the Crimson Tide plus DeBoer’s incredible success at Washington should at least intrigue Sanders.
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Once five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood committed to LSU, it became a two-horse race for the high four-star QB with Alabama and Tennessee. And then when the Saban news broke it started to look like the Volunteers had surged ahead in MacIntyre’s recruitment.
But DeBoer should do everything possible to keep Alabama involved with the Brentwood (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy four-star quarterback because he probably would’ve ended up with the Crimson Tide if Saban stayed.
If not, Alabama needs to make a full-forced effort to flip four-star KJ Lacey from Texas but that could be an even more difficult hill to climb.
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When the high four-star offensive tackle from Prichard (Ala.) Vigor committed to Georgia over Alabama last January, it came as a surprise since the Crimson Tide made DeBose such a big priority and he’s an in-state kid.
Twelve months later, DeBose is back on the market but the rumor is that Auburn is now the heavy favorite to land him. DeBoer needs to make that change since the Prichard Vigor standout could be an anchor for this offensive line class and the new Alabama coach needs to prove he can keep the top talent flowing to Tuscaloosa and not to Auburn, Athens or beyond.
