Alabama recruiting like Nick Saban still runs the show: Paul Finebaum

Coming off an elite recruiting run, what Kalen DeBoer has been able to accomplish at Alabama looks eerily like Nick Saban is still in charge, Paul Finebaum has said.

Kalen DeBoer is starting to put it together at Alabama coming off a solid recruiting effort, according to Paul Finebaum. / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Alabama football has been on a roll on the recruiting front, most recently securing the commitment of No. 1 ranked linebacker Xavier Griffin.

Griffin became the 14th recruit to pledge to the Crimson Tide, including nine in the month of June and eight coming in just the last two weeks.

Looking at the results, long-time SEC observer Paul Finebaum thinks having a year under his belt has enabled DeBoer to put his own stamp on the program.

“Kalen DeBoer, with the addition of Ryan Grubb and finally the staff a little bit more to his liking, has brought continuity and that’s evidenced by him retaining his players in the spring, which I think is a very big deal for that purpose, and I think it’s oozing over to recruiting,” Finebaum said on WJOX Radio.

Alabama has suddenly moved into a consensus top 10 position when looking at the various national football team recruiting rankings for the 2026 cycle.

DeBoer’s team sits at No. 3 nationally on the 247Sports class rankings, at No. 7 according to the On3 recruiting poll, and in the No. 4 position on Rivals.

Griffin’s arrival was preceded by that of four-star tight end Mack Sutter, four-star, No. 2 tailback Ezavier Crowell from Jackson, Ala., and No. 7 offensive tackle Sam Utu, half of the six prospects who committed to Alabama in the last week alone.

Seeing that run reminded Finebaum of the kind of work Bama did under DeBoer’s predecessor.

“Quite frankly, this is one of the great recruiting runs we’ve seen in some years,” he said of DeBoer’s efforts.

“It almost feels like Nick Saban is running the ship again when it comes to recruiting, because this is vintage Alabama recruiting.”

More blue-chip prospects are on the horizon, too, including two five-stars, as wide receiver Cederian Morgan and safety Jireh Edwards are set to announce their commitments soon.

Each took official visits to Alabama in June, and it remains the favorite to get both.

“When we saw this transition, I think a lot of people doubted Alabama could come back to this particular moment in time,” Finebaum said. 

“But it is here and I think it bodes extremely well for Alabama in the future.”

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