When Nick Saban abruptly announced his retirement following the 2023 season, many wondered how the Alabama Crimson Tide football program would move forward after 17 years of supremacy under the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time).

A few days later, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne announced the appointment of Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer. A new era of Crimson Tide football was poised to begin.

As they frequently do, skeptics instantly appeared and questioned DeBoer, not so much his coaching abilities, but whether or not he, a South Dakota native, would be able to stay up on what is an intensive recruiting trail inside the Southeastern Conference.

Fast forward a few months, and DeBoer is quickly silencing those critics. It’s still early in the process, but the recruiting efforts of Alabama’s new head football coach have created a lot of positive momentum for the Crimson Tide.

Currently, DeBoer has Alabama ranked No. 3 in the 247Sports team rankings for the class of 2025 with many of their top talents remaining on the board as potential future pledges.

The next couple of months will be big for DeBoer and the rest of the Alabama coaching staff with official visits and camps taking up most of their time.

While I am not ready to say that Alabama will finish with the top overall class this recruiting cycle, it is still very much in play, and placing inside the top five would exceed expectations, especially for those who were quick to criticize before the man had time to put in the work.

DeBoer’s work throughout his first several months in Tuscaloosa has been promising and although he has yet to coach a game for the Tide, he is establishing the basis for his own successful career at the Capstone even if it is the shadow of the famous Nick Saban.

Roll Tide Wie will continue to monitor Alabama football recruitment and Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason continues.