How Well Will Alabama's Kalen DeBoer Recruit Against Auburn For In-State Prospects?

Can a northerner come to Alabama and be a big-time recruiter?

Alabama's hire of Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer has numerous questions surrounding it. The hiring of DeBoer should as he's always going to be known as the man that is replacing all-time great Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. 

Rather than discussing all of the big-box categories DeBoer needs to be good at to replace Saban, now is the time to discuss whether a northerner can come to Alabama and out-recruit Auburn for in-state prospects.

To make this happen, here are four critical recruiting questions to consider. The answers are a combination of statistical facts and my own experiences with Deep South recruiting dating back to the 1990s. Here's the first of four questions about Alabama's new head coach and he's going to fair with in-state recruiting battles versus Auburn.

1) With Ryan Williams backing out of his Bama commitment, can Kalen DeBoer be a prime factor in helping Alabama to eventually get the 5-star wide receiver to sign with the Crimson Tide?

From the outset of DeBoer's Alabama career, the recruitment of Williams could be the ultimate test. Williams is a rare recruit no matter the year or state. No matter the program that signs him, he also changes that program because he's such an incredible talent. That's why this is the first question.

Williams decided to back off his Bama commitment right after the Saban retirement news began to leak. Would Williams revert and sign with a coach that he not only does not know but one that's spent his entire coaching career in the Plains, Midwest, and the West Coast?

I know Williams well enough to state that he's an open-minded young man. In my opinion, he is going to give DeBoer a shot to sell Alabama and his vision for the program. It's still a short timeframe for Williams to be fully accepting of DeBoer as he does not know the new Alabama head coach as well as Auburn's Hugh Freeze or even Steve Sarkisian at Texas. 

Ultimately, I will be shocked if Williams does not sign with the Tigers or Tide. I mention that point because Williams told me at the Iron Bowl that it would likely be the Tide or Tigers for him. That brings up a point about coaching in the pressure cooker that is the University of Alabama.

If DeBoer and Bama lose Williams to Auburn, there will be many questions about his ability to recruit big-time in-state talent, fair or not. The recruitment of Williams is vital for DeBoer to get off to a good start for his roster, as well as with Alabama fans and boosters.

2) Will Kalen DeBoer, a northerner, be able to relate to high school coaches within the state of Alabama?

Recruiting has long since been about relationships. That's not just college coaches building trust with recruits, but also the people prospects are entrusting with their futures, including their high school coaches. For DeBoer, there's potential for good news.

The state of Alabama has some of the nicest people anywhere in the United States. It's not going to happen overnight, but DeBoer should build in-state relationships, and quicker than many might believe. Here's my take, with Saban as a prime example.

Saban is originally from West Virginia and played at Kent State in Ohio. Among his many coaching stops before his time with LSU, the Miami Dolphins, or Alabama, he was a Cleveland Browns assistant and a head coach for Toledo and Michigan State. That's about as "northerner" as one can be. Here's why DeBoer should be fine given time.

Saban was a winner. He earned those wins with recruiting as much as anything else. He definitely made a concerted effort – consistently over the years – to meet Alabama prep coaches and build relationships inside the state of Alabama, as well as help his assistants to do the same. Those are two of the major reasons why he often beat Auburn for in-state talent. 

It cannot be stated enough. It's about effort! Saban was relentless with his recruiting effort and it showed with Bama winning six titles. Here's another point.

Sure, Saban had more of a track record before heading to Alabama (the 2003 title with LSU in particular), but DeBoer brings a 37-9 record at the FBS level (12-6 at Fresno State and 25-3 at Washington) to Tuscaloosa. 

With DeBoer being a coach who's likely to be respected for his coaching acumen, he is not going to just be automatically shut out of Alabama high schools because of being from up North. He's not going to recruit like Saban, per se, but DeBoer should do well inside the state of Alabama.

3) Does Auburn hold an edge for 2025 and 2026 recruits because of DeBoer being new to the state of Alabama?

The above question is more about the long haul. Now, the next two years might be a bit different.

The Tigers should hold an edge with in-state recruiting during the early portion of DeBoer's tenure as the leader of the Crimson Tide. Freeze is undoubtedly helping Auburn recruit well as evidenced by a tremendous 2024 recruiting class and excellent starts to the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes as well.

He's been well-received by coaches and that's helping Auburn's cause. If DeBoer is not doing well with in-state recruiting battles by the end of the 2026 cycle it's not a good sign for the Tide.

Freeze has a headstart over DeBoer, if one will. Let's revisit this specific conversation in about a year and see where things stand, i.e. how much effort is DeBoer putting into building in-state high school recruiting relationships? 

4) For recruiting purposes, can Kalen DeBoer hire an assistant coaching staff that has excellent ties to the state of Alabama?

This should be the easiest task for DeBoer to complete, and quite frankly, do so quickly. It's not hard to get assistant coaches to want to be at Bama. The pay is great and it's a tremendous resume booster, just to name a couple of perks.

Look for DeBoer's Alabama staff to always have at least a couple of elite recruiters with strong connections to the state of Alabama (this also includes recruiting analysts not on the actual Crimson Tide coaching staff but working the phones and computers in the back office). Assistant coaches and recruiting assistants will be relied upon heavily as DeBoer gets to know the coaches around Alabama well.

In summary, DeBoer will need time to make serious headway when recruiting against Auburn for in-state recruits. It's going to be fun to watch the process unfold for a northerner coaching at Bama.

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Recruiting Pages to Bookmark

2024 Auburn Commitments and Evaluations

2025 Auburn Commitments and Evaluations

2026 Auburn Commitments and Evaluations

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