The Alabama Crimson Tide is entering a third season of the Kalen DeBoer era and attempting to both get back to and make a deeper run in the College Football Playoff than they did in year two.
It goes without saying that the results have been up and down for the first two years, but until this cycle, what is not up for debate is the way DeBoer has recruited. Locking up top-three classes in the nation in each of the last two cycles despite significant chatter surrounding the Crimson Tide’s NIL standing was impressive, but that momentum has slowed for 2027, and it has fans concerned.
DeBoer and those within the program have repeatedly stated that the plan for 2027 is to take on a much smaller class and focus on using assets to retain the roster after this season, the significant majority of is still underclassmen and will be eligible to return.
Alabama is going to be a young team this season with a new quarterback, but if DeBoer is able to keep the roster from this upcoming season to next, it could pay off with one of the most experienced rosters in the nation for 2027 in terms of time playing together and developing in the Alabama system rather than being pulled from the transfer portal or elsewhere.
DeBoer is betting the future of the program — and potentially his job — on the fact that he and the coaching staff will be able to retain this season’s roster into next year and instead of having to plug holes from the portal and with young players who may or may not be ready to go, instead have guys on the field who have already proven they can play at Alabama.
In an ideal world of course, you would be recruiting high school at an elite level as well as retaining your own roster, but this sport has become a revolving door and no team has infinite funds. While a lot of coaches in the nation are taking an approach of spending as much as possible right now, DeBoer is operating like a coach with a multi-year plan rather than just paying as many five-stars as possible.
It’s tough to say whether or not it’s going to work as we have not really seen teams take this approach in this era of college football, but Alabama has always been on the cutting edge of things, and the strategy seems sound enough that it just could pay off in a huge way with a team ready to win a national title in 2027.
Fans will be watching closely, and if DeBoer’s gamble doesn’t pay off, it could get nasty. If it does though, there are going to be a whole lot of apologies that have to be made.
