Kalen DeBoer already drawing praise for doing 'a hell of a job' with the Alabama Crimson Tide

Replacing Nick Saban is an impossible task, but the Alabama Crimson Tide quickly added one of the hottest head coaching candidates in the nation in Kalen DeBoer. Despite DeBoer's lack of proven SEC mettle, his success at each stop along the way to Alabama was promising. There's no question DeBoer has plenty to prove, but the early returns of his work earned praise from rivals.

The Tide's work on the recruiting trails earned them a spot on ESPN's recent winners and losers story about summer recruiting. One SEC general manager even went so far as to say, "They've hit the ground running there, and they've done a hell of a job. They've been good evals, too. They've taken a bunch of good players this summer."

None of this will matter if the Tide are bad on the field over the next few seasons. But it's hard to imagine this program suffering too much as the 2025 class gets ready to hit campus.

Since the beginning of June, the Crimson Tide have welcomed 14 new recruits to their 2025 cohort, 10 of whom are part of the esteemed ESPN 300. This haul places Alabama in the second spot of ESPN's 2025 class rankings.

The recruitment surge for Alabama started on June 4, with the team successfully persuading Keelon Russell, who initially committed to SMU and ranked as the second-best dual-threat quarterback for the 2025 class, to join their ranks. In the month of July, Alabama secured commitments from Ty Haywood, a four-star offensive tackle (ranked 18th in the ESPN 300), and Caleb Cunningham, a four-star wide receiver and the class's third-best at his position.

Throughout this period, Alabama also enhanced its offensive line with additions like Micah DeBose, Jackson Lloyd, and Mal Waldrep, alongside strengthening its defense by gaining commitments from two top-15 linebackers, Justin Hill (with his ESPN 300 rank not specified) and Dawson Merritt (No. 15), as well as two top-15 cornerbacks, Dijon Lee Jr. (No. 4) and Chuck McDonald III (No. 14).

After June 1, six of the eight recruits in the top 100 for DeBoer's first class chose Alabama, even after losing four recruits to decommitments over the summer. This includes Auburn flips Derick Smith (No. 38 in the ESPN 300) and Antonio Coleman (No. 189).

The team still ended their premier recruiting period without Saban on a high note, keeping them in the race for the top spot in the nation's 2025 class rankings. This is especially impressive, given Ohio State's accomplishments in the class.