What Kalen DeBoer must do to get the Nick Saban discount in recruiting

Kalen DeBoer is facing the seemingly impossible task of taking over for who many regarded as the greatest college head football coach of all time. A little over four months into being the head coach at Alabama following a historic 17-year run from former head man Nick Saban.

All eyes will be on the Crimson Tide this season to see how DeBoer fills the big shoes left behind for him by Saban, but most know that wins in the fall are a result from wins in the offseason with recruiting. Which Saban was able to master during is tenure in Tuscaloosa.

Recruiting dominance will be key if DeBoer wants a shot at maintaining Alabama’s success, and On3’s Andy Staples believes that he’s gotten off to a strong start early in his tenure.

“They’ve got 10 commits so far in the class of 2025 and looking very similar to what the Saban classes looked like at this point, at this time of the year,” Staples sad. “We’ll know more by the end of the summer because they’ll get more commits as camp season goes through and you get everybody in your camp and players wind up deciding before their seasons start.”

Five of Alabama’s 10 commits rank within the top 150 of the On3 Industry Ranking and are from states like Alabama and Georgia where Saban was notorious for recruiting well in. A tradition that DeBoer will look to keep going and has shown dedication to already.

“It’s not like Kalen DeBoer came in and said, ‘Oh, I’m from South Dakota, I’ve worked at Fresno State, and Washington. So all of a sudden I’m going to start recruiting exclusively California and the Pacific Northwest or the upper Midwest.’ That’s not what happened. He’s following the same recruiting playbook as Nick Saban,” Staples explained. “They are going after a very similar caliber of player in a very similar area.”

In the past Saban has ventured out to California to secure commitments from players like Najee Harris and Florida for receivers like Amari Cooper or Calvin Ridley. Areas that DeBoer could potentially excel in from past experience.

But there are also areas in recruiting where DeBoer will be behind the eight-ball as he joins the SEC as a newcomer.

“Now here’s where I will say that Kalen DeBoer will have it more difficult than Nick Saban would have. Nick Saban had built up such cachet that there was a discount for Nick Saban,” Staples said. “Alabama did not have to offer freshmen as much in NIL as some other schools did, like other schools would have to overpay. Alabama didn’t, Alabama could say here’s a reasonable offer you can take it or not, but we’re Alabama. We’re gonna win with with or without you. And the players go okay, I see how many first round picks that Nick Saban create. I want to be in that pipeline. I want to be developed the way they develop those players.”

Alabama losing Nick Saban also means they lose the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC, and one who had a track record that was as close to undeniable as it gets when it comes to development and success.

There’s no question that DeBoer does have an impressive body of work. But when it comes to recent success in college football and churning out NFL talent, coaches like Kirby Smart in the SEC and Ryan Day beyond the conference have done it longer at their respective programs. Which DeBoer will have to now work towards building in Tuscaloosa and competing with in the recruiting trail immediately.

“But Kirby Smart has a lot longer track record now than Kalen DeBoer does of creating these first rounders, so Kirby Smart can get the discount. I don’t know that Kalen DeBoer can get the discount right now. I think they’ve got to prove that they’re going to develop people as well as Nick Saban, and staff develop people, then they would also qualify for that,” Staples explained. “But they’re gonna have to work pretty hard. They’re gonna have to sell and the collective may have to help a little bit … So that part is one that Kalen DeBoer is going to have to overcome and that’s why I’m very interested in that.”

There’s no question that DeBoer has his work cut out for him in recruiting, especially with the nuance that NIL and the transfer portal have added. But a strong start signing top prospects off the field paired with a successful season on the field early in his Alabama career could go a long way in setting the foundation moving forward. Which could lead to the Crimson Tide maintaining their championship success.

“So I’m certainly not going to predict that Kalen DeBoer’s going to do anything close to what Nick Saban did at Alabama because, that’s asking too much of anybody. But can can Kalen DeBoer compete for national titles?” Staples asked. “Absolutely. Can he keep the talent level at a place where Alabama can be near the top of the SEC almost every year and be competitive in the SEC and for national titles going forward? Absolutely. But we haven’t seen him over a long stretch of time, but my guess would be we can do what he did at Washington and keep it rolling.”