How different is recruiting at Alabama? GM Courtney Morgan offers 'twofold' answer
How is recruiting at Alabama different from other schools Courtney Morgan has worked?
The Crimson Tide’s new general manager said it’s a “twofold answer,” as he appeared on Hey Coach on Wednesday evening, just over 24 hours after his new contract was approved.
“It’s easier, but it’s harder,” Morgan said. “It’s easier because you have the script A brand. You’re going to get in to kids because you’re at Alabama. When Alabama calls, people pick up the phone, so that’s easier. It’s harder because recruiting in the SEC is non-stop. It’s relentless. You just can’t take your foot off the pedal at any time.
“I think that Alabama gives you all the resources to make recruiting here easy. Our administration, the university, they set this place up to succeed, and a lot of that credit goes to Coach (Nick) Saban. He has enough trophies in that trophy room to lure any kid to want to come to Alabama.
“So I think that it’s harder because of the competition, but it’s easy because of the success of the program, the history of the program and everything the school can offer an athlete. You’re going to get your foot in the door, and then after that, it’s on you to build a relationship.”
Morgan followed Kalen DeBoer to Alabama when he was hired to replace Saban as the coach of the Crimson Tide in January. In fact, Morgan was on the plane with DeBoer and his family for his first meeting with Alabama’s players and press conference in Tuscaloosa.
Morgan was the general manager at Washington for the last two seasons, where the Huskies went from 4-8 before DeBoer and company were brought in to 25-3 over the next two years and played in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game last season.
It’s not a new position on DeBoer’s staff, but it is at Alabama. And Morgan explained his role.
“Every school does it differently,” Morgan said. “My major responsibility is to manage the recruiting process, manage our roster. When the transfer portal windows open up, be ahead of the transfer portal window.
“And one thing that I do that’s a little different and separates me from a lot of people is I also manage the brand and help work with Walter Brock, our creative director, and making sure we’re staying on the forefront of being creative and being innovative and pushing the Alabama brand out to the public.”
DeBoer, Morgan and the rest of the staff hit the ground running when they arrived in January and first tried to retain as much of Alabama’s current roster as possible while developing brand new relationships with recruits who were familiar with Saban and the old guard.
Some doubted DeBoer’s ability to recruit, particularly in the South. But Alabama currently has the nation’s No. 2-ranked class for the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He has proven he can still lure top talent to Tuscaloosa, and we’ll soon find out if he can continue winning games at a 104-12 clip as he leads the Tide’s storied program.
During his time at Baumhower’s Victory Grille, Morgan shared why DeBoer is so successful.
“For one, he’s a good person,” Morgan said of his head coach. “He’s a really good person. He’s the same person every day, so you know what to expect every day. … That puts you at ease when you walk into the facility when you know what to expect.
“Also, he trusts people to do their job, and he doesn’t micromanage. … I think he’s a really, really good CEO. He focuses on the things that are important to win on Saturday. He also focuses on keeping the mood of the building and the team good. He’s not too far in the weeds on anything. He’s kind of over everything. But he’s so smart and he’s so in tune, at any moment, he can go all the way in on any single subject.
“… He’s just like a savant. He knows how to handle people. He gives everyone his attention. If he’s talking to you, he’s talking to you. I think he just knows how to handle people, and he has a calm, coolness about him that I’ve never seen him off tilt. He’s always the same, even-keeled.”
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