Kalen DeBoer on recruiting success at Alabama: 'We're off to a good start'

You cannot argue against the on-field success Kalen DeBoer has had throughout his career. At every stop — and at different levels — DeBoer has consistently won. The latest was with the Washington Huskies, making the College Football Playoff and national championship in his second season in charge. His resume wound up landing him the Alabama job to be Nick Saban‘s successor.

What arguments were made, though, were DeBoer’s ability to recruit in the Southeast. He has never held a job in the area and has been in the Midwest or West Coast as an assistant or head coach.

Even so, DeBoer had confidence in his ability to recruit in SEC country. But he also made sure to hire people who were familiar with the area, using those connections so Alabama did not fall behind in the upcoming classes.

“I’ve recruited in the Southeast from other locations,” DeBoer said via Monday night’s episode of Hey Coach. “But not from down here and living in the South. So, I feel like it was really important to surround myself with staff — both coaching staff and recruiting staff — that had those geographical ties, those connections. People who understand the classes that were upcoming… where that talent lied and had some relationships. I think it fell into place well.

The strategy is paying off thus far, at least with Alabama’s 2025 recruiting class. Currently with 10 commits, the Crimson Tide has the No. 6 class in the country per the On3 Industry Team Rankings. Seven of them are blue-chip prospects, with four-star ATH Darrell Johnson being the top-rated commit.

Finishing in the top two was the program’s expectation under Saban and if DeBoer can close the cycle out strong, they might have a chance to do so again. Plenty of work is out there for DeBoer and his staff over the next few months.

“We’ve had some success in our recruiting here early just because of the work of those guys,” DeBoer said. “Once we get those guys to campus, I think they really feel the energy and the chance to get together with them and really see what we’re doing on the practice field and how hard our guys go and what that standard is all about.

“I’m excited about the start we’ve had. Obviously, there is a lot more work to be done and we’ve got a long ways to go but we’re off to a good start.”