The transfer portal didn’t break Alabama’s way this cycle - and that’s putting it lightly. New head coach Kalen DeBoer and general manager Courtney Morgan swung big on a few top-tier targets, including Cam Coleman and Hollywood Smothers, but ultimately got priced out. Now, with the portal winding down and those names off the board, the Tide are turning to a familiar strategy: build through elite high school recruiting.
If you’re wondering whether that approach still works in 2026, you’re not alone.
Despite the portal setbacks, Alabama has quietly stacked back-to-back top-five recruiting classes. That’s no small feat in an era where NIL deals and immediate eligibility have turned the transfer portal into college football’s version of free agency. DeBoer and Morgan may not have landed their top portal targets, but they’ve kept Bama firmly in the conversation when it comes to high school recruiting - and that still matters.
On Tuesday, they made a visit to Monshun Sales, the top-ranked wide receiver in the 2027 class. At 6-foot-5, the Indiana native is a matchup nightmare and a top-10 overall prospect.
Alabama’s in the mix, battling it out with Indiana and Ohio State for his commitment. And judging by the Tide’s recent visits and Sales’ own social media, there’s real mutual interest.
So the question becomes: in today’s college football landscape, is this still the right way to build a contender?
Let’s be clear - there’s never a bad time to land a player like Sales. Alabama’s recent success with young receivers like Ryan Williams and Lotzeir Brooks shows there’s still room for freshmen to make an immediate impact. Williams turned heads from the moment he stepped on campus, and Brooks’ breakout in the College Football Playoff was a reminder that talent, when developed properly, can still shine - even without a transfer résumé.
But the bigger picture is harder to ignore. We’re in an era where veteran-laden rosters, built through the portal, are winning big.
Teams are leaning on fifth- and sixth-year seniors, many of whom have transferred multiple times, to bring experience, physical maturity, and leadership. And with NIL money flowing, the best players can chase the best offers - often after just a year or two in a program.
That’s the dilemma Alabama faces. Even if you sign a five-star like Sales, can you keep him long enough to see the return? Or are you just developing him for another school to poach when the next portal window opens?
It’s a tough needle to thread. High school recruiting is still cheaper than building a roster through the portal, and Alabama has done a solid job keeping its young talent in-house. But it’s a longer path to contention - and patience isn’t exactly in abundance in Tuscaloosa.
Think about it this way: would you rather have one year of Cam Coleman, a proven playmaker ready to contribute today, or three (maybe) years of Monshun Sales - assuming he stays that long and develops into what you hope he becomes?
That’s the trade-off. Proven talent costs more, but it’s plug-and-play.
High school talent gives you a longer runway, but in this sport, the runway keeps getting shorter. Just look around - programs like Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech are throwing around portal money like it’s Monopoly cash.
Alabama, by all indications, isn’t in that financial stratosphere right now. So DeBoer and Morgan are taking the long view, betting on development, continuity, and culture.
It’s a bet that worked wonders under Nick Saban. But that was a different game.
Back then, Alabama could stack five-stars on top of five-stars, and those guys would wait their turn. Now?
If they’re not starting by year two, they’re probably gone.
That’s what makes this next chapter so fascinating. Alabama is still recruiting at an elite level - that hasn’t changed.
But the margin for error has shrunk. The days of hoarding blue-chip talent and redshirting future stars are fading fast.
The portal has leveled the playing field, and every year, the top recruiting classes get a little more vulnerable to being picked apart.
So yes, Alabama fans should absolutely want Monshun Sales. He’s a potential star, the kind of player who could anchor a receiving corps for years - if he stays.
But the reality is, we don’t know if the high school-first model can still win national titles in this new era. And until we do, every five-star commitment comes with a question mark.
The Tide are betting on the long game. Whether that’s still a winning formula in 2026 and beyond? That’s the million-dollar - or maybe multi-million-dollar - question.