With recruiting heating up for the classes of 2027 and 2028, it’s a good time to look back at the Alabama signees who actually delivered once they got to Tuscaloosa. Since 2020, the Crimson Tide have landed plenty of blue-chip talent, but a few names clearly rose above the rest.
Start in the secondary, where Dijon Lee Jr. arrived with all the baggage that comes with being a five-star corner from California. He handled it just fine. As a true freshman last season, Lee put together a strong debut with two interceptions, 21 total tackles and five pass deflections.
Zabien Brown followed a similar path as another five-star cornerback who lived up to the billing. Over two seasons at Alabama, Brown posted five interceptions, 57 total tackles and seven pass deflections.
His biggest moment came in the 2026 College Football Playoff, when he picked off Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer and took it back for a touchdown just before halftime. That play swung the game, and Alabama went on to win.
Up front, Kadyn Proctor’s Alabama run was as eventful as it was productive. One of the highest-rated offensive linemen in program history, the five-star from the 2023 class started every game as a true freshman and earned freshman All-American honors while Alabama won the SEC.
Then came the unusual stretch after Nick Saban retired: Proctor entered the transfer portal, committed to Iowa in the winter window, and later reenrolled at Alabama in the spring transfer window. The return paid off for both sides.
Proctor became an All-American, a two-time All-SEC selection and an Outland Trophy semifinalist before the Miami Dolphins took him No. 12 in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Tyler Booker also came in as a five-star offensive lineman, though his path was a little different. He wasn’t a true freshman starter, but he was part of the rotation right away and made the Freshman All-SEC team.
By his sophomore year, he had locked down a starting job, earned All-SEC second-team recognition and helped Alabama win the SEC. He kept climbing as a junior, picking up second team All-American honors from various media outlets and landing on the All-SEC First Team.
Booker was then selected 12th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Dallas Turner gave Alabama exactly what you want from a five-star edge rusher. The Florida product made an immediate impact as a freshman, starting three games and earning Freshman All-American honors.
Over the next two seasons, he added 15 sacks, 90 tackles and two forced fumbles. By his junior year, he was a first-team All-American, an All-SEC selection and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
The Minnesota Vikings made him the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Then there’s Bryce Young, who may be the best Alabama player of the past decade. The Mater Dei quarterback from California was a five-star recruit, and after spending his freshman year mostly behind Mac Jones, he exploded as a sophomore.
Young threw for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns and just seven interceptions on his way to the Heisman Trophy. He followed that with another strong season, finishing with 3,328 passing yards and 32 touchdowns.
The Carolina Panthers took him No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Honorable mentions for each class included Michael Carroll and Lotzeir Brooks for Lee’s group; Ryan Coleman-Williams, Daniel Hill and Red Morgan for Brown; Bray Hubbard, Yhonzae Pierre and Caleb Downs, with only his Alabama career counted, for Proctor; Jihaad Campbell, Ty Simpson and Jam Miller for Booker; Jalen Milroe, JC Latham and Kool-Aid McKinstry for Turner; and Will Anderson Jr., Brian Branch and Malachi Moore for Young.
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Kalen DeBoer Faces A Bigger Alabama Question Than Fans Realize
Kalen DeBoers first two seasons in Tuscaloosa have already produced the kind of resume that keeps Alabama standards in view: a 20-8 record and a College Football Playoff trip that ended in the quarterfinals. But the bigger conversation around the program right now is not just about wins and losses. It is about how Alabama wants to build its roster going forward, and whether that approach can keep the Tide where it expects to be.
The early signs on the recruiting trail are a little uneasy. Alabamas 2027 class sits near the bottom of the SEC with just 13 commits, and the Tide has also been relatively quiet in transfer portal activity. ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum recently framed the issue around Alabamas preference for high school recruiting over leaning heavily on transfers, a philosophy that will draw plenty of scrutiny if the results do not match the standard in Tuscaloosa. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Summer League Class Faces Real Pressure Starting With Labaron Philon
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Philons path is the one worth watching most closely because the summer stage can be a proving ground, but it can also be a reminder that roster spots are never promised. Philadelphias recent moves have altered the picture around him, which makes every possession matter a little more when he gets his first look in Las Vegas. Wrightsell has his own opportunity to make an impression in Charlotte, and Youngblood arrives with some momentum after carving out a role in Oklahoma City and Portland, but the broader question is whether this group can do more than just represent Alabama well for a week in July. [Read more 🡒]
Even Alabama Still Has Some Shockingly Close Firsts Left
For a program with 985 wins and 18 national championships, Alabama still has an oddly long list of firsts left on the calendar. Even after more than a century of football, the Crimson Tide have never lined up against 46 FBS programs, a reminder that the sports scheduling history can be just as revealing as the trophy case. The gaps stretch across the map and across conference lines, including a handful of Power Four schools that have somehow never shared a field with the Tide.
Some of those missing matchups may not stay missing for long. Alabama already has future dates penciled in against Marshall and Arizona, and postseason pairings could always create another first-time meeting before long. For a fan base used to measuring everything in titles and championships, the remaining blank spaces offer a different kind of curiosity, one that says even Alabamas football history is still being filled in. [Read more 🡒]