What's going on with Alabama's recruiting class?

We only write about recruiting around here when things are going abnormally well or abnormally, well, abnormal. This falls into the second category. We're in mid-June and Alabama ranks 58th nationally in the Rivals industry composite recruiting rankings. It took this writer a full dozen scrolls of the mouse and a click to find the Crimson Tide, one spot below Stanford and one spot above Wake Forest. What's more, Alabama currently ranks 16th of 16 in the SEC. 

Recruiting casuals can look at Alabama say, It's June, and Alabama has only eight commits. Likewise, recruiting junkies look at Alabama and say, It's June, and Alabama has only eight commits.

Cuffing season has long been upon us in college football, where 79 of the top 100 in the class of 2027 are committed somewhere -- 78 of them to somewhere other than Alabama. The final weekend of summer official visits begins Friday, and many of the 21 uncommitted will make a decision in July. Texas A&M currently tops the Rivals industry rankings with 23 commits. Oklahoma is in fourth with 25. Florida has 23. Each of Alabama's rivals has between 13 and 19. 

Alabama's 8-man class is led by quarterback Elijah Haven, the No. 16 player in the class. The next-highest ranked commit is Gainesville, Ga., running back Nigel Newkirk, ranked No. 284 by the recruiting industry. Industry experts see Alabama as a moderate favorite to land Las Vegas cornerback Hayden Stepp, a heavy favorite for IMG Academy wide receiver Osani Gayles, and a heavy favorite for Louisville, Miss., defensive tackle Mitchell Turner. Even if Alabama goes 3-for-3 there, that brings Alabama's total to four top-100 recruits, less than half of the lowest total to date this decade. As it stands right now, Mobile, Ala., edge AJ Pauley is Alabama's entire defensive class, and he's the 698th ranked player in the country. 

Alabama Top 100 Signees By Year, 2020-Present
2020: 10
2021: 16
2022: 17
2023: 14
2024: 9
2025: 8
2026: 8
2027, as of this writing: 1

So, what's going on? Numbers. Math. Game theory. Budgeting. Dollars and sense. 

Alabama brings a young team back in 2026, and so it simply doesn't make sense to spend big on a recruiting class that largely isn't expected to see the field in 2027. 

“Won’t be a big group this fall,” DeBoer said last month at the SEC's spring meetings. “I think it will be much less than what we’ve had the last two seasons, but a lot of that is because we have retained well and brought in a group of transfers and don’t have many seniors.”

The challenge for all teams, and Alabama in particular, is to put as much money on the field as possible, and Alabama's success in recruiting and retention over the past two years will come at the expense -- pun intended -- of this year's class.

2026 Alabama roster breakdown
True freshmen: 19
Redshirt freshmen: 9
Sophomores: 33
Juniors: 28
Seniors/graduate students: 25

Of the 25 seniors and graduate students on the 2026 roster, only 10 are expected to be on scholarship. 

Still, one can tell the natives are restless. Regardless of the explanation, it's jarring to see a school that won 11 recruiting national championships under Nick Saban rank outside the top 50 this late into the game. Within the past XX, Kalen DeBoer has fielded two questions essentially asking, Is Alabama broke? No college football coach wants to answer that question directly. Say yes, and the donors who are donating feel unappreciated. Say no, and prospective donors may be turned off thinking you already have the money you need. And college football programs always need more money.

Here were DeBoer's attempts to answer and not answer the questions.

As stated above, we don't get elbow-deep in the recruiting weeds here. We can confidently state Alabama won't finish 58th, but considering the Tide are shopping on a budget with this class, it feels unlikely they'll commit the necessary funds to finish in the top 10 for the 19th year in a row.