Nick Saban was a defensive mastermind and an all-time motivator as head coach, but he’d be one of the first to tell you that recruiting was at the heart of his seven career national championships. Saban retired after Alabama’s loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl and the Crimson Tide moved quickly to hire Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer as his replacement. DeBoer guided the Huskies to a runner-up finish in the College Football Playoff and will now take on the monumental task of replacing Saban and his first test will be the Alabama football recruiting trail.
Alabama has dominated college football recruiting thanks to Saban and DeBoer will have his work cut out after failing to recruit a top 25 class in his two full seasons at Washington. Alabama just signed the No. 3 class in the 247Sports recruiting rankings and DeBoer will need to hold that class together while also trying to build out a 2025 Alabama football recruiting class that ranks 27th. If you want to see the latest Alabama recruiting news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at Bama247, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Alabama.
The team of insiders at Bama247 are providing on-the-ground updates on every development in the football coaching search, including insights from Matt Zenitz, John Talty and Mike Rodak, who have more than 25 years of experience covering the Crimson Tide. The trio has deep-rooted ties inside and around the Alabama community, and Talty wrote The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban, a Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller. And right now, Bama247 is offering 60% off annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up.
The team at Bama247 already has extensive coverage of Alabama’s recruiting efforts under Kalen DeBoer. Head to Bama247 now to see them all.
Kalen DeBoer Alabama recruiting updates
One player that DeBoer’s staff is interested in is Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei Top247 four-star receiver Marcus Harris. The 6-foot, 180-pound wide receiver has already received more than 30 offers, including Alabama and Washington. He caught 43 passes for 644 yards and six touchdowns during his junior season after finishing with 644 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore. Harris is expected to make several trips to different schools in the coming month, wrapping up with a visit to Tuscaloosa in February. See his full visit plans at Bama247.
DeBoer is also targeting linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, who is the No. 1 prospect in Washington. Currently ranked as a four-star prospect, Rainey-Sale was a Washington commit, but he opened up his recruitment after DeBoer left for Alabama and was quickly offered by DeBoer’s new Alabama coaching staff. Rainey-Sale is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker who ranks No. 172 nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings for the Class of 2025. He’s also still considering Washington, at one point contemplated a commitment to Florida State, and has received a total of 13 scholarship offers. However, he spoke highly of DeBoer’s track record as a head coach and could be one of the first dominos to fall for Alabama football recruiting in the post-Saban era. Bama247 learned more about his decision and his updated recruiting timeline, which you can see here.
Alabama has also started making moves out West under the new coaching staff. DeBoer spent time at Fresno State and Washington, so he has plenty of ties to that part of the country. His staff has already offered some of the best players on the West Coast, including Rainey-Sale. Another player DeBoer offered is Danville (Calif.) San Ramon Valley linebacker Marco Jones, who had already received an offer from Saban and attended a Washington game last year as the top recruit in Northern California. See the other top 2025 West-Coast recruit that DeBoer’s staff offered here.
Who are the top players that Alabama’s new coaching staff is targeting right now and which three-sport star from California is among them? Go to Bama247 to see all the latest Alabama recruiting news, all from a team of reporters with decades of experience covering the Crimson Tide, and find out. And reminder, Bama247 is offering 60% off an annual VIP membership, so subscribe now before it’s too late.
