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It’s early yet to size up Kalen DeBoer and his staff as recruiters.
The Alabama football coach, after all, has only had time to assemble less than half of the Crimson Tide’s 2025 signing class, which will be the first he can call his own. His first series of summer camps, where the foundation for recruiting classes is poured, won’t begin for another 10 days. And he probably needs a solid year to experience for himself how readily rival recruiters will trash his program in the deep South.
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Negative recruiting, as its called, happens everywhere, but nowhere quite like the SEC. But even in this nascent stage of DeBoer’s establishment on the recruiting trail, early signs are pointing in the right direction.
To wit:
The retainment of five-star WR Ryan Williams provided the first inkling that DeBoer is a formidable salesman. Williams had previously committed to retired coach Nick Saban, who therefore gets most of the credit for his recruitment. But DeBoer had to sell Williams a new vision for the program and Williams’ role in it, and at a time when Alabama players were heading to the transfer portal in the wake of Saban’s retirement, DeBoer was able to nail down an elite talent who could play a major role in his offense this fall. It was reminiscent of Saban’s successful effort to keep Rolando McClain committed to UA in 2007. Like Williams, McClain had committed to a previous coach (Mike Shula), and Saban’s sales pitch to McClain landed him the centerpiece of a national championship defense by 2009.
Quick out of the gate, DeBoer already has piled up 10 commitments for the 2025 class, including four of the nation’s top 100 prospects, per 247sports. It’s been a fast…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-football-recruiting-under-kalen-181635222.html
Author : The Tuscaloosa News
Publish date : 2024-05-20 18:16:35
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