Alabama in Danger of Not Landing a Top-10 2027 In-State Recruit

The Crimson Tide does not have a commitment yet from this prestigious tier, and missing out would mark the second time in the last three years that this has happened.

Jan 1, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer walks on field before the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Indiana Hoosiers at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Replacing the amount of recruiting work that Nick Saban did was never going to be easy. However, when Kalen DeBoer took over after Saban’s retirement, he would have to take on that task.

In his first full recruiting year, DeBoer landed the third-ranked class in the country according to Rivals. The class consisted of players who are now heading into either their sophomore or redshirt freshman seasons. Some notable players from that class are Keelon Russell, Michael Carroll, Dijon Lee, Lotzeir Brooks, London Simmons, and plenty more who will get more playing time this season.

Still, out of the 21 commits in that class, only two of them were from the state of Alabama.

While recruiting your state is not necessarily a “must” in the recruiting world, doing so can help establish the dominance of college programs on the recruiting scene and acknowledge the talent in your state.

This is especially true in states like Alabama that do not have a pro football team, since most of these players grew up watching the Crimson Tide dynasty and dreaming of playing for them one day.

In last year’s class, DeBoer recruited the state a lot harder, landing three of the top five players in the state, including the state’s highest-ranked player (E.J. Crowell). Yet, out of the other ten players in the state rated as a four-star recruit, the Crimson Tide only landed one more.

That brings us to the class of 2027. Seven out of the top ten highest-ranked players in the state are already committed, and not one of them is committed to Alabama. The Crimson Tide’s highest-ranked in-state recruit as of this writing is four-star quarterback Trent Seaborn, currently ranked as the 14th-best player in Alabama.

Out of the three top ten in-state players that are still uncommitted, it does not seem as if the Crimson Tide will land any of them.

On the contrary, Auburn has recruited the state hard in Alex Golesh’s first recruiting year. The Tigers have landed the state’s second-highest ranked player, Isaac McNeil, along with the seventh-highest ranked player, Donivan Moore, and they are trending to land the state’s ninth-highest ranked player, Deshawn Hall, and fifth-highest ranked player, Karlos May.

All of this to say, this is by no means a criticism of DeBoer’s recruiting ability. In his first two recruiting cycles, he has landed the third and sixth-best classes in the country, and while some fans are a bit nervous with the Crimson Tide currently sitting at the bottom of the SEC in the recruiting rankings, DeBoer has already said this is going to be a smaller class, and it still will have a lot of good players.

Still, while this is not a criticism of DeBoer’s recruiting ability, it is concerning if Alabama begins to lose its grip on being the top dog in its own state.

Alabama's 2027 Recruiting Class

• 5-star - Quarterback - Elijah Haven - Baton Rouge, La.
• 5-star - Kicker - Luke Cody - Lumberton, Texas
• 4-star - Running Back - Nigel Newkirk - Gainesville, Ga.
• 4-star - Quarterback - Trent Seaborn - Alabaster, Ala.
• 3-star - Running Back - Tai Phillips - Columbia, S.C.
• 3-star - Defensive Line - AJ Pauley - Mobile, Ala.
• 3-star - Defensive Line - Stevan Thornton III - Cairo, Ga. (re-opened recruitment but hasn't officially decommitted)
• 3-star - Tight End - Michael Nnabuife - Baltimore, Md.
• 3-star - Tight End - Oakley Keegan - Liverpool, N.Y.

Alabama's 2028 Recruiting Class

• 3-star - Cornerback - Braylen Gibbs - Knoxville, Tenn.
• 3-star - Quarterback - Charles Scott Jr. - Richmond, Va.
• 3-star - Linebacker - Dustin Henry - Laurel, Md.

Alabama's 2027 Decommitments

1. Kenneth Simon, 4-star LB, 6-foot-2, 210 pounds – flipped to Tennessee
2. Colt Lumpris, 4-star TE, 6-6, 225 pounds – flipped to Michigan
3. Nash Johnson III, 3-star CB, 6-0, 170 pounds – committed to Auburn
4. Jabarrius Garror, 4-star EDGE, 6-2 1/2, 215 pounds – committed to Texas
5. Jatori Williams, 4-star IOL, 6-5, 320 pounds – committed to Miami
6. Ba'Roc Willis, 3-star EDGE, 6-3, 220 pounds – committed to Colorado

BamaCentral is keeping track of the commits with this link.

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