Alabama closing in on another top-5 class under Kalen DeBoer

In the midst of a rebound season on the field for Alabama, the Crimson Tide have drawn a lot less attention for their recruiting than their on-field play.

And that’s only because Kalen DeBoer and Co. largely did all their work this summer to build one of the nation’s top classes for the second year in a row. With just under three weeks to go until National Signing Day, Alabama holds the nation’s No. 5 class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

The group features 23 commitments — 21 of which came before the season even kicked off. This fall, they’ve added a pair of high-upside prospects in the trenches: three-star offensive tackle Jared Doughty and three-star defensive lineman Corey Howard, who they flipped from rival Georgia. Otherwise, the class looks to be largely complete outside of one or two late additions.

DeBoer’s second full class is headlined by four five-stars, tied for the most of any program in the country. The Tide have six more players who rank among the top 150 nationally and boast 13 blue-chippers in total. That number is down from the days of Nick Saban, but in the changing world of college football, having the flexibility to patch holes through the transfer portal is paramount.

Alabama has commitments from the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 players in its own state, but hasn’t been limited by geography in this class. They’ve also landed top recruits from Maryland, Georgia, Mississippi, Nebraska, Illinois and Indiana an route to their top-5 class.

For the full breakdown of Alabama’s class, look below:

Alabama Crimson Tide commitments by position

Quarterback
Four-star Jett Thomalla, No. 95 NATL. (No. 9 QB)
Three-star Tayden Kaawa, No. 452 NATL. (No. 28 QB)

Running back
Four-star Ezavier Crowell, No. 43 NATL. (No. 3 RB)
Three-star Javari Barnett, No. 663 NATL. (No. 39 RB)

Wide receiver
Five-star Cederian Morgan, No. 24 NATL. (No. 3 WR)
Three-star Brian Williams, No. 881 NATL. (No. 127 WR)
Three-star Owen Cabell, No. 917 NATL. (No. 134 WR)

Tight end
Four-star Mack Sutter, No. 104 NATL. (No. 6 TE)

Offensive tackle
Three-star Jared Doughty, No. 594 NATL. (No. 43 OT)
Three-star Bear Fretwell, No. 718 NATL. (No. 52 OT)

Interior offensive line
Four-star Samuelu Utu, No. 171 NATL. (No. 10 IOL)
Four-star IOL Chris Booker, No. 267 NATL. (No. 19 IOL)

Defensive line
Four-star Nolan Wilson, No. 66 NATL. (No. 5 DL)
Four-star Kamhariyan Johnson, No. 342 NATL. (No. 36 DL)
Three-star JJ Finch, No. 470 NATL. (No. 48 DL)
Three-star Corey Howard, No. 704 NATL. (No. 75 DL)

EDGE
Four-star Jamarion Matthews, No. 80 NATL. (No. 13 EDGE)

Linebacker
Five-star Xavier Griffin, No. 20 NATL. (No. 2 LB)
Three-star Zay Hall, No. 1244 NATL. (No. 110 LB)

Cornerback
Five-star Jorden Edmonds, No. 28 NATL. (No. 2 CB)
Four-star Zyan Gibson, No. 74 NATL. (No. 9 CB)

Safety
Five-star Jireh Edwards, No. 18 NATL. (No. 1 S)
Three-star Rihyael Kelley, No. 667 NATL. (No. 56 S)