Paul Finebaum Names Historic College Football Program With a 'Pretty Abysmal' Recruiting Class

ESPN announcer Paul Finebaum before the SEC Championship game. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The 2027 recruiting cycle is in full swing as teams across the country are hoping to make big impressions this summer from some of the nation's top prospects.

The transfer portal has changed the importance of high school recruiting because if a team misses out on key prospects, it can typically find a few key pieces in the portal. But still, the best teams like to have a good balance of transfer portal additions to plug some holes and high school recruits.

Alabama's Recruiting Slump Under Kalen DeBoer

One of the programs that has done the best in recruiting in the country is the Alabama Crimson Tide. It's a big reason why they are arguably the best program in the history of the sport. The Crimson Tide pulled off a top-five class in 2024, head coach Kalen DeBoer's first full recruiting class. However, Alabama has hit a lull.

Head coach Kalen Deboer directs players during Spring Practice at the University of Alabama. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In 2025, Alabama finished No. 21. In 2026, the Crimson Tide finished No. 18. So far this season, they are off to an even worse start. ESPN's Paul Finebaum pointed this out on his show, "The Paul Finebaum Show."

Paul Finebaum Sounds Alabama Alarm

"Now, he said that again the other night, and I'm not paying too much attention to recruiting polls because we all know the portal probably is more important, but he's also emphasized recruiting, but there's only a handful of recruits," Finebaum said. "The rankings are pretty abysmal. Some will overreact to that."

Finebaum is right that there is still a long time before signing day, so plenty of opportunities for Alabama and DeBoer to get things on the right track. But currently, the team has just nine commits and ranks last in the SEC in recruiting. That should never happen. This is Alabama we're talking about.

The standard at Alabama is to win championships. You do that by recruiting at a high level and then developing. Alabama fans are already uneasy about whether DeBoer is the right man for the job, and this isn't helping ease that feeling.

If he can't recruit at a high level, the likelihood that he will get them back to the decreases.

Why Alabama Can't Rely on the Portal

The transfer portal can help patch oles, but it cannot be the foundation of a program like Alabama. For example, if you feel your team is a quarterback away from being a contender, the portal could be used to get you a quarterback.

It shouldn't be used to fix your entire defensive or offensive line, etc.

The Crimson Tide built their dynasty by stacking elite high school classes, developing them and then supplementing the roster where needed.

If DeBoer cannot get Alabama back to recruiting at that level, the concerns about his long-term future in Tuscaloosa are only going to grow louder.