Kalen DeBoer isn’t ruling anything out when it comes to Alabama potentially dipping back into the 2022 class, but he’s also not promising a move.
With the eligibility issue for that class now in flux after a Colorado district court judge granted eligibility and a higher-up court issued a stay, the whole situation is paused. Even so, schools and players are already testing the waters in different places.
One example is Dae’Quan Wright, who spent the last two seasons at Ole Miss after two years at Virginia Tech, went undrafted, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and then the Cleveland Browns, worked through both teams’ training camps, and then had a Louisiana judge approve his request to return to college and play for LSU. Wright was waived by the Browns on Sunday.
Asked Monday about the possibility of Alabama adding a player from that class, DeBoer said Greg Byrne has been keeping him informed about what the program can and can’t do.
"Just overall, in general, how that kind of works, [Alabama athletic director] Greg Byrne's communicating with me and us about just what we can and can't do," DeBoer said on Monday. "We know that there's a possibility out there of someone that was on our roster in the past, but again, right now he wouldn't be able to come in and play.
"So I can't control that. Can't worry about that.
Just got to see how things move forward and progress. You just never know, each day in the world we're in right now, what tomorrow might look like.
We'll kind of see as we go. I know there's a lot of conference and national just figuring this thing out, and Greg Byrne continues to keep me updated on everything."
One name to watch is Kam Dewberry, a former Alabama player from the class of 2022 who started at left guard last season. Dewberry went undrafted and signed with the Atlanta Falcons, though his Saturday preseason game ended early when he was carted off the field.
That matters because Alabama’s left guard job still isn’t settled. The battle is between sophomore Mal Waldrep Jr. and junior Will Sanders, and DeBoer said both are still very much in the mix.
"Mal - especially the first part of camp - because Will had to work into things with just his modifications, Mal took most of the reps but not all with the ones," DeBoer said. "Will's been able to work in there more.
There is competition. Will can play [left] guard and [right] guard, and so he takes some reps at both spots during the course of a practice."
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The name most closely tied to the idea is guard Kam Dewberry, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons but is not projected to make their 53-man roster. His situation sits in the middle of a messy eligibility landscape, shaped by recent NCAA rule changes and ongoing legal challenges tied to extensions for the class of 2022, leaving the door open just enough for Alabama to keep monitoring it. [Read more 🡒]
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For a player who finished last season with 11 catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns, the path to a larger role is starting to come into focus. Scott does not need a headline-grabbing leap to matter, only enough consistency to stay on the field and give Alabama another dependable option as the offense settles in. [Read more 🡒]